I was in the market for a portable Bluetooth speaker last month and considering between UE Boom 2 and JBL Charge 2+. The fact that I ended up getting Charge 2+ does not mean that I think it is a better speaker. When I was in the middle of research to find out which one would be better, a promo email came in with good deal on Charge 2+, hence the easy decision.
To put it simply, JBL Charge 2+ is a portable Bluetooth speaker that can also act as powerbank for us to charge our devices thanks to its 6,000 mAh battery capacity. It promises up to 12 hours of playtime, which is good. But the charging time would also take long hours. Using its included charger does help to speed up a little, but having to carry that one specific charger everywhere is not the most practical thing ever. Also, orange-coloured charger is not the best looking design, in my opinion.
JBL Charge 2+ is essentially almost identical to its predecessor JBL Charge 2, with a little change that it’s now splashproof. Even though I am not sure how splashproof it actually is, because it still has open ports with absolutely no protection against splashes of water.
Powering up and setting up Bluetooth connection is very easy. Once connection, I quickly enjoy the sound it delivers. Considering its compact size, it is important for us to set the right level of expectations. Once we have reasonable expectations, this speaker delivers nice sounds with noticeable bass, clear highs and loud max volume. At medium volume, it deliver crystal clear music with enjoyable bass that is not overwhelming. If anything, I feel that the volume step up within the first 5 steps are too drastic, making it a bit hard to get the volume right when we need to keep it low.
The Bluetooth connection supports A2DP V1.3, AVRCP V1.5, HFP V1.6 and HSP V1.2. It weighs 600 gr, making it slightly heavier than UE Boom 2. We can use Charge 2+ in horizontal or vertical position.
Overall, this is a very decent speaker. I have not tested the built-in speaker because that’s not part of my use case. I also haven’t tried splashing water on it and has no plan to do so. For the normal usage that I enjoyed so far, this is definitely a keeper.
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