This $45 JBL Speaker Is Small Enough for a Bag and Tough Enough for the Beach

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The JBL Go 5 is down to $44.95 from $54.95 on Amazon, and price trackers show that this is its lowest price so far. At roughly four inches wide and just over half a pound, it is small enough to toss into a backpack, clip onto a bag, or keep on your desk without taking up much room. The upgraded IP68 rating also makes it a better travel companion than the Go 4, especially for beach days, hikes, or anywhere dust and water are likely to show up.

JBL Go 5 $44.95 at Amazon $54.95 Save $10.00 Get Deal Get Deal $44.95 at Amazon $54.95 Save $10.00 JBL Go 4 $39.95 at Amazon $49.95 Save $10.00 Get Deal Get Deal $39.95 at Amazon $49.95 Save $10.00 SEE -1 MORE

Battery life gets a modest improvement too, with JBL rating the Go 5 for up to eight hours of playback, or around 10 hours with Playtime Boost turned on. That should comfortably cover a day out, but it is not built for all-day-and-night listening. The same goes for volume. It gets reasonably loud for something this small, but it is better suited to a picnic table, bedroom, or a few people sitting nearby than covering a backyard party. Its front-facing driver also makes placement more important, since the sound is noticeably stronger when you are sitting in front of the speaker than off to either side.

That said, the Go 5 does add a few conveniences that make it easier to live with—you can now play audio over USB-C, Bluetooth 6.0 brings LC3 codec support, and AirTouch lets you pair two Go 5 speakers for stereo simply by bringing them together. JBL’s companion app also gives you more control over the EQ if you want to tweak the sound. None of these upgrades dramatically change the listening experience compared with the Go 4, so owners of the older model do not have much reason to rush out and replace it. At $45, though, the Go 5 is the better buy for someone who wants a compact speaker with more durability, slightly longer battery life, and a few useful extras without moving up to a larger model.

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