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- JBL Flip 7 and Charge 6 arrive on April 6, 2025
- AI Sound Boost, longer battery life and Auracast too
- $20 more than current models
When it comes to improving the best portable speakers, manufacturers don't need to add whizzy new features: all they need to do is make 'em louder, make 'em sound better and make 'em last longer. And JBL's new Charge 6 and Flip 7 deliver on all three counts – and they're finally official, having previously sort-of leaked, sort-of been officially revealed in China.
The headline feature here is JBL's AI Sound Boost, which is designed to optimize the sound settings and in particular, to enable you to turn the speaker up louder without getting unwanted distortion. That feature is already in the JBL Xtreme 4, which we've tested and enjoyed immensely.
JBL Flip 7 and Charge 6: key features and pricing
Both speakers are IP68 rated for water and dust resistance, and they come with longer battery life than before: up to 16 hours for the Flip and 28 hours for the Charge. Those figures are based on using the Playtime Boost feature, which adjusts the EQ in order to eke out a few extra hours of playback.
There's the same Bluetooth support in each speaker (5.4) and both have Auracast for multi-speaker connections. There are six color options – black, blue, white, red, camo and purple – and their USB-C connectors enable you to play lossless hi-res audio.
Both speakers will be shipping from 6 April, 2025. The Flip 7 has an official price of $149 and the Charge 6 is $199; we're waiting on UK and Australian pricing details. But the US price is a slight increase over the current models: the launch price of the Flip 6 was $129.95 / £129.99 (about AU$175) and the Charge 5 was $179 / £159 / AU$229.