The JBL Flip 6 is the next generation of the JBL Flip 5, a small portable Bluetooth speaker. Like its predecessor, it comes in a wide range of colours, so you can choose the one that best suits your style. It also comes with a detachable carrying handle, so you can easily take your favourite music on the go. Right from launch, the neutral sound profile makes it suitable for listening to a wide range of audio content.
Unlike its predecessor, the JBL Flip 6 also features a graphic EQ in the JBL Portable app, allowing you to customise the sound to your liking. Unfortunately, like other speakers of its size, it doesn’t produce very loud sound, and the bass lacks a thumping thump; the six-hour battery life is also not ideal for extended listening, requiring fairly frequent recharging. Nevertheless, battery performance will vary depending on your usage habits.
Streaming Prince’s funk-heavy Sign O’ The Times on Tidal from my iPhone with the drumroll equaliser set back to neutral immediately reminded me of how nimble and enjoyable the JBL Flip was. When the speakers performed properly overnight, there was plenty of power and energy across the entire bandwidth, with perceived bloat melting away to reveal a full-bodied low end that was surprisingly snappier than that heard in the older model.
Listening results showed a marked difference in sound between the five-star Flip 5 and the updated Flip 6, with the newer product winning out in most cases, but it is not a panacea. For example, the double-speed high-synth solo at the end of Sign O’ The Times sounded fuller on the Flip 6 with its enhanced tweeter. But whereas the Flip 5 is forgiving of these high frequencies, the Flip 6 exposes the harshness of the recorded source material. It’s a small problem in a speaker of this level of excellence, but it would be nice if the top end was more forgiving.
Downloading the JBL Portable app gives the Flip 6 a real ace in the hole. Here, thanks to the Partyboost toggle, you can find other JBL Partyboost-enabled speakers (such as the Flip 5) and connect them in ‘party’ (i.e. mono) mode, or stereo if you have another Flip 6. Flip 5 and It’s a shame that you can’t make stereo pairs from the Flip 6, but that’s not a new surprise: on the Flip 6’s in-app dashboard, above the feedback tone slider (which turns off the notifications you hear when pairing/unconnecting/powering off etc), you can adjust the sound to show a three-band equaliser, a feature we’ve been wanting for a long time.
The Flip 6 can now access firmware updates and user guides using the JBL Portable app (iOS/Android), formerly ‘JBL Connect’. Furthermore, the feedback sound emitted by the speaker can be switched on or off here. Also within the app, PartyBoost can be enabled and stereo playback can be performed without using the dedicated app.