JBL Clip 4 Review: A Portable Speaker That Keeps Hanging Around for Good Reason

JBL Clip 4 Review

There are some products that I use more than others. Some transition with me over time. The JBL Clip is none of those products. I have listened to hundreds of hours of podcasts on a JBL Clip. The still-working JBL Clip 3 can now take some time to dry off as the $79.95 JBL Clip 4 Eco takes its place.

The new, more oval (or rectangle with really rounded edges) 3.4 x 5.3 x 1.8-inch design is more distinct than its round predecessor. JBL also applies its new, bolder, big JBL logo branding, making it very clear who makes this speaker. And when you see it or hear it, you will probably want to know the answer to that question.

What we like

Pros

• Built-in carabiner
• IP67 water and dustproof
• 10 hours of battery life
• Good sound for its size

It’s nice when a company listens to feedback, and it appears that JBL listened on the carabiner feature, which I pointed out as a weak spot in the JBL Clip 3. The new carabiner is much heavier and appears less prone to bending or other wear. Rather than thin metal against metal, the Clip 4 employs a heavier gauge metal that clips to a plastic-coated closure. It is clearly more robust than the Clip 3’s approach.

This speaker gets its shower time for multiple reasons: it hangs, it sits and it’s IP67 waterproof—which covers dust and water. So yes, this is the perfect speaker to clip to a backpack when Burning Man’s forecast calls for a hurricane.

I find I rarely charge the Clip as it plays through an hour here and 30 minutes there over the course of a week. It can be a couple of weeks or more before it indicates its thirst for power or just falls silent as I’m caught in the cliche shower pose with my back scrubber lifted above my head as I’m covered in bubbles. Trust me that is a much better image than any from reality.

So, what about sound? I found the Clip 4 offered a richer, deeper sound than the Clip 3. I’m a big fan of Neil deGrasse Tyson’s Star Talk podcast. I had the pleasure of sitting beside him for over an hour at San Diego Comic-Con a few years ago. The JBL Clip 4 reproduces Neil’s mellifluous voice more precisely than the Clip 3. I have listened to music with it as well. The Clip 4 also reproduces music well, though not as well, of course, as its big cousin, the Charge 5. But for a speaker intended to swing around on a backpack, it sounds just fine.

I’m very pleased with the JBL Clip 4 and look forward to many hours of listening,

What could be improved

Cons

• Not all Clip 4s are “Eco” Clip 4s
• Hard to see buttons in low light.

I’m not sure why a company would have an Eco and a non-Eco version of a product. The Eco version makes all the right environmental moves, including using up to 90% post-consumer recycled material with a 100% recycled fabric speaker grill. The packaging material is made from FSC-certified paper and printed with soy ink. Unfortunately, this isn’t true for all Clip 4s, just a limited number of grey, blue and teal. The non-Eco version comes in a variety of colors.

I tested the blue JBL Clip Eco. I found the buttons so matched with the speaker’s color that it took me a while to find them. And when the lights aren’t on, I feel my way rather than try to identify them visually. They just fade into the speaker. I would like to see a better contrast between buttons and fabric. Other colors don’t seem to suffer from this issue. A suggestion for the next generation of Clip.

Other than that, timing issues probably attributed to a Bluetooth 5.1 protocol choice, as I’m sure the Clip 5 will be at least 5.3.

JBL Clip 4: The bottom line

Harman’s JBL team does a nice job with fun audio products. The Clip 4 may be the most visually intriguing mobile consumer speaker and it also offers great audio and battery life for its size. The latest version simply looks as good as it sounds. Now, JBL needs to focus on making its entire portfolio “eco.”

JBL provided the Clip 4 for review. Images courtesy of JBL unless otherwise noted.

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