There are heaps of Bluetooth speakers available these days, from tiny little speakers that fit in your pocket to big beasts designed for massive meeting rooms. So how do you choose which one to get? Well, the biggest question is, what do you need it for? Well, if you want to be able to enjoy some sounds on the go, from a barbeque to the beach to camping, the JBL Flip 7 is making a solid argument that it should be on the top of your list.
It’s bouncy!
OK, well, not bouncy as such, but it’s drop-proof for up to a metre. I tested this out on concrete, dirt, and everything. Unfortunately, my toddler saw me testing this and dropped it off my deck (sorry, JBL) at a height of 3m. On the positive side, the thing is still going without skipping a beat. Now, that doesn’t mean yours will; it is only certified for a metre, but this is dope as hell. So don’t drop it down a cliff when you are hiking.
It’s also waterproof for up to 1.5 metres for 30 minutes and is dustproof. This is fantastic, as if you are hiking and drop it in the creek or accidentally spill a drink on it, the Flip 7 is good to keep making those sweet, sweet sounds.
The other cool addition it has is a slick clip that allows you to switch between using the material loop or a separate clip for a carabiner. You use a button to release the clip, and when locked in, it was damn sturdy. I put a lot of force on it, and it held tight.
But what does it sound like?
It’s all well and good for it to keep working, but it has to be worth keeping working, right? Well, I put this beauty through its paces, and it sounded shockingly fantastic for such a small speaker. I blasted everything from BABYMETAL to Tech N9ne to Devilskin. Blasting the volume to the max, I was able to hear it on the other side of multiple closed doors, and it sounded decent. Now that is way too loud for how I would generally use it, and the sound quality dropped a little at the max, but I had to test it.
Using the speaker at what was comfortably loud, it sounded fantastic, even outside. When pumping up the bass to dropping it right down, the music sounded damn good. It’s definitely not the quality of a high-end speaker, but you aren’t paying high-end speaker prices and are paying for functionality. From a portable speaker perspective, I was blown away by the quality of the sound.
Style and use
The JBL Flip 7 looks a lot like the Flip 6 and this isn’t a bad thing. The simple grill around the cylinder looks nice. The rubber ends with ridges look slick and functionally help protect the device. I still love the big, bold play and volume up and down buttons, which are functional and look cool.
Next to the USB-C port is a Bluetooth and Auracast button. Auracast is so damn cool. With one JBL speaker that supports it playing, you press Auracast on another speaker, and it takes a few seconds to connect, and it will play the same sound. This makes it super easy to connect multiple speakers to either get a surround sound experience, or, more usefully, it means you can have the music playing at a party at a lower sound, but everyone can hear it. No longer do you have to have one speaker blasting at the barbeque so loud that you have to shout to hear anyone.
It also offers a 14-hour battery life, which is heaps! You can have it running for yonks, or if camping, a few hours a day, and it will keep going between charges.
Should you get one?
At $200, this little beast is hitting way above its belt. The size and travel aspects of the speaker make this an absolute banger that I can see heaps of ways it can be used. The sound is exceptional given the size and price. Easy to use, great to listen to – what more are you looking for?
