Battery life: 20 hours
bluetooth: 5.1
Dimensions: 22 x 9.6 x 9.4cm
Weight: 960g
The Charge 5 won a 2022 Which Hi-Fi? Award-winning, and for good reason: it sounds great, has a marathon battery life and offers a stable wireless connection. It’s also very affordable considering its feature set and build quality. It won’t disappoint.
For
- Clear, detailed, powerful sound
- Wide soundstage for its size
- Dust/Waterproof
Battery life: 15 hours
bluetooth: 5.1
Dimensions: 13.9 x 29.8 x 13.4 cm
Weight: 1.97kg
Want something bigger to fill a bigger room with sound? The Xtreme 3 is for you. Battery life is a little shorter and it costs more, but the integrated carrying strap, bigger and bassier sound, and rugged build make it great for weekend warriors.
For
- Uber-rugged design with strap
- Detailed, dynamic and musical
- Big sound for larger spaces
In return for
- No smart features
- Improved for battery life
JBL’s efforts consistently rank among the best Bluetooth speakers, but how do you determine which one is best for you? Here we compare two of the company’s biggest and best sounding wireless speakers – leaders in their class, no less – to help you decide which, if any, is best for your needs. (Want a tiny, super-portable speaker? Maybe you should check out our JBL Charge 5 vs Flip 6 comparison instead.)
The JBL Charge 5 is the smaller of the two models examined here and a current What Hi-Fi? Award winner, while the hefty JBL Xtreme 3 is as tough as it gets and built to handle outdoor adventures while filling larger spaces with sound. So what exactly are the differences between them, and which should you go for? Well, you’re just a scroll away from finding out…
JBL Charge 5 vs JBL Xtreme 3: price
Given that the Charge 5 is the smaller of the two, it’s probably not surprising that it’s also the cheaper model. It launched in 2021 for £160 / $180 (around AU$280), but can be picked up now for around £110 / $150 / AU$200.
The Xtreme 3 has also been reduced in price since launch, but is still on the pricier end of the (Wi-Fi-less) Bluetooth speaker market. It launched for £300 / $350 / AU$400, but can now be found online for around £249 / $300 / AU$330.
You end up paying about twice as much for the Xtreme 3. While we feel that both speakers are well worth their price tag for what they offer, the best value option, in our opinion, is the Charge 5.
It’s worth noting that both JBL speakers often drop in price during sales periods, so anyone shopping around Amazon Prime Day (July) and/or Black Friday (November) should watch out. In general, Bluetooth speakers, along with wireless earbuds, are seeing some of the hottest deals.
**Winner: JBL Charge 5**
JBL Charge 5 vs JBL Xtreme 3: design
Both speakers take JBL’s tubular design approach, but there’s nothing wrong with that. They both also feature JBL’s updated design language – the logo is bigger and bolder than on its older speakers, where it looks more like a badge than a design feature in the foreground.
Again, the Xtreme 3 is the bigger of the two – too big to throw in a handbag and carry for miles. But both are on the large side for Bluetooth speakers, with the Charge 5 being nearly the size of a drinking bottle.
As the name suggests, the Xtreme is built to take it all – it’s waterproof, dustproof and packed in a rugged housing. The bass radiators at each end vibrate along as the speaker plays, adding a nice bit of theater to the proceedings. The hooks are very useful for attaching a shoulder strap (included) to the unit for easy carrying (or throwing it over a tree branch!) and what’s more, the shoulder strap features a bottle opener. Call us superficial, but that closes the deal for us.
Don’t think the Charge 5 is rolling over on this round, though. It has the same IP67 rating as the Xtreme 3, meaning it’s dust and water resistant for submersion up to one meter for 30 minutes. And its smaller body is well built too.
**Winner: JBL Xtreme 3**
JBL Charge 5 vs JBL Xtreme 3: Features
The Charge 5 and Xtreme 3 are pretty similar propositions, so there isn’t much to choose between their feature sets. They both offer Bluetooth 5.1, one of the more recent versions, which offers a lot of range (240 m) and a robust wireless connection.
One difference is the battery: the Charge 5 has a 7,500 mAh unit, while the Xtreme 3 has a 10,000 mAh battery. Despite this difference, the Charge 5 actually has the longer battery life – 20 hours to the Xtreme 3’s 15. That’s probably due to the Xtreme 3’s larger power output (100W to the Charge 5’s 40W) which requires more power to run. Both numbers are pretty good for Bluetooth speakers, though the five-hour difference in endurance might be enough to swing some in the Charge’s favour.
Both can also be used as portable power banks, allowing you to use the speaker’s built-in battery to charge your mobile device via a USB Type-A connection.
Both speakers also have JBL’s PartyBoost feature. This replaces Connect+, but does much the same thing: you can wirelessly daisy-chain up to 100 JBL speakers to create louder, more immersive sound. Or you can just connect two for stereo. However, it won’t work with older JBL speakers that offer Connect+, so you’ll need to pair likes with likes. In the current lineup, PartyBoost speakers are the Xtreme 3 and Charge 5, Boombox 3 and 2, Pulse 5 and Flip 6.
Both also work with the JBL Portable app, which lets you find other speakers to sync with for PartyBoost. But the app doesn’t offer much other than firmware updates.
**Winner: JBL Charge 5**
JBL Charge 5 vs JBL Xtreme 3: sound quality
In terms of sound quality, the Charge 5 has moved a bit further than its predecessor Charge 4. The leading edges of notes through the bass are clearer, resulting in a more agile performance, while vocals have more energy. The audio is generally more impressive, offering an expansive mix for a portable speaker of this size.
It is capable of delicacy and nuance amongst all the bass power while keeping the highs clean and clear. An impressive feat, there is no doubt about that. No wonder the Charge 5 is a 2022 What Hi-Fi? Price.
The Xtreme 3, meanwhile, is a beast of a speaker, sitting just one below JBL’s flagship Boombox 3. You could then expect a hefty low – and in this case you would be right. This is a speaker that can fill a large living room or fairly large garden, while the Charge is more comfortable in more modest spaces. Wireless speakers at this level don’t produce the biggest or widest stereo images, but the Xtreme is one of the few that can.
The Xtreme is decent elsewhere too: it delivers plenty of bass, and without overwhelming the overall tonal balance. There’s good instrument separation to it, and even the most subtle of dynamic shifts are handled with aplomb. It’s an enthralling feat as far as Bluetooth speakers go.
We believe in the sound of the Charge 5 better nails our performance-per-pound criteria, but both are excellent for their size and money.
**Winner: JBL Charge 5**
JBL Charge 5 vs JBL Xtreme 3: Verdict
Both the JBL Charge 5 and Xtreme 3 speakers are great options. After all, that’s why they both got five-star reviews. But for its lower price and excellent sonic performance (not to mention longer battery life), the Charge 5 holds up for us.
That said, you might be better served by the Xtreme 3 if your priorities are louder, meatier sound, you don’t mind a bigger, heavier speaker and budget isn’t an issue. You’ll no doubt find the carrying strap (and perhaps the integrated bottle opener) handy, and you might opt for the added peace of mind that comes with a more robust build quality. Your choice, but know that both are winners in our eyes.
MORE:
Which JBL speaker should you buy? Flip 6, Charge 5, Xtreme 3, Link Portable
See our JBL Flip 6 vs Flip 5 in a battle of new versus old
See the best deals on bluetooth speakers on the Web