This is the review of the comparison between two speakers from two popular brands in the market. The comparison here is between the Bose SoundLink Revolve Plus and the JBL Flip 5. To know which one is worth buying for the price, go to the detailed review.

Bose SoundLink Revolve+	JBL Flip 5
BUY NOW	BUY NOW
PROS	PROS
Sounds excellent for its compact size. True 360-degree sound. Speakerphone capabilities.	Simple design, Excellent sound,11 color options, Able to pair multiple JBL speakers. Good sound quality, waterproof, long battery life, and water-resistant.
CONS	CONS
The cradle that makes charging easier is an optional $30 accessory. Only 30ft (10m) range. Very expensive.	Need compatible models to use PartyBoost, Checking battery life requires you to press the top buttons, No speakerphone or voice assistant functionality.

SPECIFICATIONS:

Detail Review:

INTRODUCTION:

Bose SoundLink Revolve+

The Bose SoundLink Revolve Plus is one of those speakers from Bose that is retailing for a premium price range. This speaker is retailing for around two hundred and fifty dollars currently on Amazon. This is like the updated version speaker of SoundLink Revolve. 

JBL Flip 5

The JBL Flip line of portable Bluetooth speakers has been around since 2013, and the 2019 model in their lineup is the JBL Flip 5. The first fall Flips in the lineup have had overwhelmingly good reviews with a constant love for the sound quality, small form-factor, and reasonable price point.

DESIGN: 

Bose SoundLink Revolve+

It comes in triple black or lux gray both of which suit the minimalistic design of the Revolve Plus. I’m really into matte black at the moment. Design-wise the Revolve Plus is unique and modern but we should expect no less from Bose. Its seamless aluminum body is sleek and smooth around all 360 degrees which only adds to its visual appeal. With the unique lantern shape that’s instantly pleasing to the eye, you’d immediately recognize it from a distance as a Revolve speaker.

Combining shape with the flexible fabric handle and you’ve got probably the most easily portable Bluetooth speaker for its size. The Revolve Plus can easily be mounted to any standard tripod through its threaded Universal mount. Also, using the input button you can cycle between auxiliary input and a micro USB port input, which also charges the speaker simultaneously.

JBL Flip 5

All the buttons here pretty standard, if you’ve owned a Bluetooth speaker before. So over the backside there we have the power and Bluetooth buttons, if you just turn it on, you will see a little indicator over there that shows the battery left in your speaker. On the top of the speaker, we have the play button, plus volume, minus volume, and then you’ve got the party boost button on the end, and what party boost is if you’ve got multiple speakers you can link them up and use their party boost technology.

FEATURES:

Bose SoundLink Revolve+

Definitely, portability comes with its own hazards luckily for us there Revolve plus is IPX4 certified water-resistant and can take a drop from a considerable height completely unscathed. Bear in mind it’s not entirely waterproof, so you may wish to weigh up your options if that’s something important to your purchase decision. The Revolve Plus boasts up to 16 hours of battery life though I managed around 10 hours with just under a four-hour recharge time back to 100%. Bose actually save themselves whilst other speakers may last longer, you won’t find bass as deep or as powerful anywhere else.

The Revolve Plus has NFC functionality allowing NFC enabled phones to Bluetooth pair just by simply touching your device onto the Bose logo. The Revolve Plus works seamlessly with Siri and Google Now voice commands, allowing you to control your phone as long as you’re next to your speaker. The speaker can also act as a 360-degree speakerphone, at a considerable distance without compromise unexpected sound clarity. 

My first slight issue and my only issue actually is the voice prompt, when you power the Revolve Plus. I love that it states the exact battery percentage rather than just an LED light of a different color but in an age where Virtual Assistants sound better than ever. But to be quite honest, if that’s the only issue I have with this speaker I’d say Bose did a pretty damn good job in every other aspect. The Revolve Plus is obviously so much more versatile than say the SoundLink 3 and it has a bunch of new features too.

JBL Flip 5

As far as the unboxing of the JBL Flip 5, it has pretty standard packaging. Inside the box, you get your actual speaker, all your the cables that USB-C cable, your warranty card, Quick Start Guide, and some warning information. One of the major criticisms these JBL speakers keep getting is that they have protocols for every different model the JBL Flip 4 has to connect plus protocol while this one has a party boost protocol. It basically means that you can’t connect the fives to the fours or the 5 to the 3s that wouldn’t make sense. I don’t know why they didn’t have this sort of like chain linking technology work.

The Flip 5 seems like a worthy successor. The overall volume is loud, the basses punchier, and for anyone taking in in water, it’s IPX7 certified, which means it can be submerged up to three feet in water which is great for outdoor use. To get this IPX7 certification, they’ve removed the auxiliary input. There’s also no mic on the Flip 5, so you can’t take the phone calls on the latest one.

The Flip 5 however has stronger bass, it does have the IPX7 certification, and also, uses USB-C to charge. If you already own the Flip 3 or 4, then I wouldn’t be rush checking out to upgrade the sound is slightly upgraded but it’s still in the same ballpark as the previous models. But if you’re in the market for a brand spanking new portable Bluetooth speaker and the Flip 5 suits all your needs on paper then you should be a happy camper when you pick one up.

SOUND QUALITY:

Bose SoundLink Revolve+

With its 360 degrees sound and a 30-foot wireless range, the SoundLink Revolve Plus demands to be at the center of attention. Honestly, walking around a room and experiencing the same delivery of sound really is something you have to experience yourself to appreciate, and it’s especially important when listening to things like podcasts, for example. Quite literally, it boasts deep jaw-dropping sound no matter where you’re standing in the room, and the Revolve Plus promises uniform sound coverage without a single dead zone.

As far as the sound quality, the bass is punchy and rich though maybe not quite as intense as the Bose SoundLink 3. The mid-range is crisp and well balanced with the bass and high frequencies presenting a nicely balanced sound palate overall. In short, it’s a brilliant sound with minimal compromise considering its unique design and 360 degrees of sound delivery. The speaker more than feels your average-sized room without too much disturbance to sound balanced at higher volumes. 

JBL Flip 5

For speakers in its size, the bass sounds full yet hits deep, the vocals are “clear” and forward, and the high frequency can be sparkling and bright without ever being too sharp or hurting my ears. Starting with Low Frequency, the JBL Flip 5 produces thumping, deep, rather-clean, and powerful bass for a small speaker in its size. The dual passive radiators work really well here. In the JBL Flip 5, the bass is more powerful and hits a bit deeper, than both the JBL Flip 4 and Sony XB23. In my various testings, playing songs from heavy bass-focused songs to less bassy ones, the Flip 5 can handle the bass of all of those songs very well for speakers in its size, without ever sounding really distorted nor interfering with the midrange.

WHICH ONE IS WORTH BUYING?

In my opinion, the JBL Flip 5 is worth buying for around 120 dollars than the Bose SoundLink Revolve Plus for around 250 dollars. Flip has better features, better sound quality, and better battery performance for a lower price than the SoundLink Revolve Plus.

Expert Reviews of Bose SoundLink Revolve+:

By Alphr
The most popular trend for wireless speaker fanatics is smart voice assistants right now, with the Amazon Echo, Google Home, and…

By Pocket-lint
The SoundLink Revolve provides what you almost always get from Bose: a minimal, stylish speaker that sounds…

By Gadget360
For its size, the Bose SoundLink Revolve offers incredibly loud and warm sound. It handles low notes effortlessly…

By TechHive
The Bose Soundlink Revolve+ is pricey, but an excellent omnidirectional wireless speaker that most people will love.

By Expert Reviews
Top-quality Bluetooth audio, but you pay through the nose for…

Expert Reviews of JBL Flip 5:

By Tech Radar
The JBL Flip 5 is a simple soul – perhaps too simple for some in this world – but that minimalist approach has allowed JBL to…

By What Hi-Fi?
JBL’s latest offering sounds great for the price. If you don’t mind the lack of in-app EQ settings, aux-in port, battery life, inbuilt…

By Pocket-lint
If you’re looking for a small, portable, and waterproof Bluetooth speaker then your options are many. The JBL Flip 5 delivers…

By TheStreamingBlog
JBL is a company known for producing affordable yet durable audio devices that deliver excellent sounds, and the JBL Flip 5…

By techgearlab.com
Finding a reasonable balance between sound quality/volume and portability/ruggedness, the JBL Flip 5 is quintessential…