JBL CLIP 3 – Portable Bluetooth Wireless Speaker with Rechargeable Battery – Waterproof IPX7 for Outdoors – Siri and Google Compatible – Black

Product Information

This is a Bluetooth speaker that gets plenty loud, takes up no more space than a softball, and will still get you through a full Friday night party. Software and Extra Features: Fairly simple with one twist

For a speaker this compact, the JBL Go 3 doesn’t have much low-frequency output. Vocals and primary instruments sound crystal-clear. If you listen to a lot of treble-heavy music, you’ll be disappointed with the sound quality. Due to its lower frequency range of 100 Hz as opposed to the Clip 3’s 120 Hz, the Clip 4 is able to generate more sub-bass sounds. Additionally, the Clip 4’s low-end tuning is more focused, and the treble is dialed down a touch to minimize an excessive hissing sound. There is a lot of similarity in how the two JBL Clips sound. Low frequencies are tighter, and mids come through louder. Even though they are similar, the Clip 4 has a superior sound quality. It is great indoors and outdoors with small gatherings. Design and Build Even the carabiner clip feels like a strong aluminum hiking accessory—unlike the cheap carabiners you’re used to seeing on non-climbing products (though it is most certainly not actually safe for climbing). In fact, the chassis is so rigid that the imprinted buttons along the side are a bit too hard to press when you want to turn it on and pair a device. It’s a small gripe, and is likely a product of how sealed the device is, but it isn’t super-satisfying to use these controls. With a device as small as the Clip 3, it’s hard to be sure what you’re going to get for sound quality. As a general rule, larger speaker enclosures yield fuller results, because they can accommodate larger physical speaker drivers, and they can allow for acoustic chamber space to port different frequencies. You don’t get that flexibility with a device that sits in a footprint less than 6 inches.Water resistance is an added benefit to the sturdy construction of these speakers. The JBL Clip 3 has IPX7 rating while the JBL Clip 4 has IP67 rating, making them waterproof and dustproof, although it does not have a waterproof seal. It is possible to submerge them for up to three minutes in water without damaging them. Battery and Connectivity The JBL Clip 3 is a supremely portable Bluetooth speakerthat aims to provide you an accessory-style music device that isn’t cumbersome or intrusive. For the most part, it does this well with a reasonably small footprint and a really sturdy clip to fasten it on to whatever bag you’re carrying. This puts the Clip in a unique category—not exactly a rectangular Bluetooth speaker to toss onto a picnic blanket, but also not as personal as a pair of headphones.

Since 1982, PCMag has tested and rated thousands of products to help you make better buying decisions. See how we test. Despite being an older model, we still suggest the JBL Clip 3 over the JBL Clip 4. It includes a built-in microphone, a 3.5mm port for wired connection, and sounds almost identical to the Clip 4 in terms of sound quality. The biggest difference between the JBL Clip 2 and Clip 3, at least in terms of appearance, is the clip itself. Where the older model employs an orange carabiner attached to a rubber loop, the Clip 3’s carabiner has a fully integrated design – in other words, the clip effectively surrounds the entire speaker. The JBL Clip 3 is a mono portable speaker that offers a variety of features for audio enjoyment. It consists of a single driver with a diameter of 40 mm, providing a decent audio output. With a rated power of 3.3 W, it is designed to deliver sound at an acceptable volume level.In terms of general construction and operation, there aren’t many differences between the JBL Clip 3 vs Clip 4. So, which one sounds better? There’s no question, the older Clip 2 is the clear winner. That’s not to say that the Clip 3 is awful, or that it doesn’t do anything better than the Clip 2 from a sonic perspective. High frequencies, for example, are better represented on the Clip 3 and its maximum volume has also been improved. In terms of other features, there’s little to separate the two speakers. Both the Clip 2 and Clip 3 use Bluetooth 4.0 and are waterproof to the IPX7 standard, meaning they can be submerged under 1m of water for up to 30 minutes (neither speaker is dust resistant, though, so you’ll have to be careful not to clog the grille up with sand if you take either speaker to the beach). Both models also have a built-in microphone and dedicated button for answering incoming calls – a double tap of this button skips to the next song when music is playing. The USB-C port is uncovered, which is of note because the Clip 4 still manages an IP67 rating, meaning that it's fully waterproof and resistant to dust. The speaker can be submerged for up to 30 minutes in a meter of water without issue. Bluetooth signal can’t play underwater, but the point is, you can get the Clip 4 exceedingly wet without harming it. The only included accessory is a USB-C-to-USB-A charging cable.