JBL Charge 4 vs Bose SoundLink Mini II: Which One Is Worth Buying?

JBL Charge 4 vs Bose SoundLink Mini II

This is the review of the comparison between two speakers from two popular brands such as the JBL and the Bose. The comparison here is between the JBL Charge 4 and the Bose SoundLink Mini II. There is around twenty dollars difference in their price range which brings the difference in their features and performances. To know which one is worth buying, go to the detailed review.

JBL Charge 4bose soundlink mini ii
JBL Charge 4Bose SoundLink Mini II
BUY NOWBUY NOW
PROSPROS
Powerful audio performance with rich bass.
Gets quite loud for its size. Waterproof.
Long battery life.
Can charge your portable devices.
USB-C charging.
Great build quality.
Stellar sound.
Automatically switches to AUX mode when a device is connected via cable.
Can be paired with two Bluetooth devices at the same time.
CONSCONS
No speakerphone function. Basically the same sound as the Charge 3.
The buttons that aren’t lit up are hard to see in the dark.
No aptX or NFC.
Lows lack precision and agility.
Mediocre battery life.
Not water-resistant.
Bose missed an opportunity in not allowing for stereo pairing.

SPECIFICATIONS:

HEADERJBL CHARGE 4BOSE SOUNDLINK MINI II
BrandJBLBose
ModelCharge 4SoundLink Mini II
GENERALJBL CHARGE 4BOSE SOUNDLINK MINI II
ManufacturerHarmanBose
Design Features
SPEAKER SYSYTEMJBL CHARGE 4BOSE SOUNDLINK MINI II
Amplification Typeactiveactive
Crossover Channel Qty
Frequency Response60 – 20000 Hz
Output Features
Output Level (SPL)80 db
Audio Amplifierintegratedintegrated
Connectivity TechnologyWired, WirelessWired, Wireless
BATTERYJBL CHARGE 4BOSE SOUNDLINK MINI II
Rechargeable Batteryrechargeablerechargeable
Run Time (Up To)20 hour(s)10 hour(s)
POWER DEVICEJBL CHARGE 4BOSE SOUNDLINK MINI II
Power SourceUSBAC power adapter, battery
OptionsUSB charging, USB charging (powerbank function)USB charging, auto power on/off
NETWORK AND INTERNET MULTIMEDIAJBL CHARGE 4BOSE SOUNDLINK MINI II
Connectivity InterfacesBluetooth 4.2Bluetooth
Internet Streaming Services
SPEAKER SYSTEM DETAILSJBL CHARGE 4BOSE SOUNDLINK MINI II
Speaker TypePortableSpeaker
Speaker Channel Qty2
Speaker Channel TypeStereo
DRIVER DETAILSJBL CHARGE 4BOSE SOUNDLINK MINI II
Driver Typefull-range driver, passive radiatorfull-range driver, passive radiator
Driver Qty1,22
Driver Diameter50*90 mm
CONNECTIONSJBL CHARGE 4BOSE SOUNDLINK MINI II
TypeDC power input, DC power output, audio line-inUSB, audio line-in
DIMENSIONS & WEIGHTJBL CHARGE 4BOSE SOUNDLINK MINI II
Width8.7 in7.1 in
Depth3.7 in2.3 in
Height3.7 in2 in
Weight34.04 oz23.63 oz
FEATURESJBL CHARGE 4BOSE SOUNDLINK MINI II
FeaturesWirelessly connect up to two smartphones or tablets to the speaker and take turns enjoying powerful sound.

Built-in rechargeable Li-ion 7500mAH battery supports up to 20 hours of playtime and charges your device via USB port.

Take JBL Charge 4 to the beach or the pool without worrying about spills or even submersion in water.

Amplify your listening experience to epic levels and rock the party perfectly by wirelessly connecting more than 100 JBL Connect+ enabled speakers.

The durable fabric material and rugged rubber housing allows your speaker to outlast all of your adventures.

Dual passive radiators deliver powerful, ear-catching JBL sound that resonates loud and clear.
These deliver surprisingly deep low notes and face in opposite directions to minimise vibrations.

The transducers in the SoundLink Mini II speaker move twice as much air for their size as typical transducers—and more air movement means more powerful sound.

The SoundLink Mini II speaker is designed for sleek simplicity. Its single-piece aluminium casing is durable and ultra-compact. You can control it from your Bluetooth device, and it features a built-in microphone for taking calls and accessing Siri or your Google Assistant.

Detail Review:

INTRODUCTION:

JBL Charge 4

The JBL Charge 4 is the latest updated speaker from the Charge series speakers from JBL. The Charge 4 is popular in the market for its compact design and portability. This speaker is retailing for around a hundred and eighty dollars currently on Amazon. This speaker looks almost like its predecessor but there are few changes made in the Charge 3 which made this an updated version speaker.

Bose SoundLink Mini II

The Bose SoundLink Mini II is the updated version speaker of the Bose SoundLink Mini. This speaker is retailing for around two hundred dollars currently on Amazon. There are many speakers from the SoundLink model like the Revolve, Revolve Plus, and Micro, like the same way Bose manufactured a mini version of those speakers that is the Mini and the Mini II. 

JBL Charge 4

DESIGN: 

JBL Charge 4

On the top of the speaker, we have the power button, the Bluetooth connection button, the plus and minus buttons which is for the volume up and down, then we have the play and pause button, and the last button control that we have on the top is the JBL Connect Plus button, which we can use to connect multiple JBL speakers together. Then on the front, we have the JBL branding and it has a fabric texture to it, which I think should protect against scratches.

Then we have the passive bass radiators on both the sides of the speaker and on the backside of the speaker we have the rubber flap, when you flip it open, there you have the USB Type-C port, an audio jack, and a USB port. Overall, really impressed with this speaker, initial impressions are absolutely fantastic. We also have the five charging led indicators ther on the speaker which shows how much battery percentage is left on this. This also has rubber feet so that it can be stable on a particular table surface, and it doesn’t move around.

Bose SoundLink Mini II

This speaker feels like a brick, it has a single-piece aluminum casing that feels durable and compact, and it just feels like a quality speaker. The speaker’s got dual passive radiators and a high-efficiency transducer. The transducer is custom-made for the speaker it moves twice as much air compared to a typical transducer, and more air movement means more powerful sounds.

I don’t know exactly what the grill is made of but it feels like metal and all of the control buttons are on top of the speaker. The button in the middle is a multifunctional button which you can use to go back and forward on a track, and also pause and play your music which you can also use to answer calls and also use voice assistant because this has a built-in microphone. I appreciate that LED lights indicating the battery life and also the connectivity.

Bose SoundLink Mini II

FEATURES:

JBL Charge 4

The JBL Charge 4 is a 30-watt speaker. If we go through the box, first on the back we have some features highlighted, it can be used as a power bank, it features the JBL Connect Plus option, through which we can connect multiple speakers, it is IPX7 waterproof, and it supports up to 20 hours of playtime, and then we have the JBL punch line. The presentation of the box is very nice as we would expect from the JBL.

When we open up the box, we have a paper that says Charge 4, it’s actually partly foam. Then when you remove that paper, you will get your speaker itself, the speaker feels heavy at first, I think it’s around 900 to 950 grams. Then we have some quick start guide and some documentation, and you also have our USB Type-C cable with some red accent, and this looks like a reversible USB-A adapter kind of a thing, which is good, that’s about it for the box. You have a USB port within the speaker that is used to actually charge your other devices while using this particular speaker as a power bank, and this is the Type-C port, which would be used to charge the speaker. JBL promises up to 20 hours of battery life.

Bose SoundLink Mini II

The Bose SoundLink Mini 2 comes with a charging cable, a power adapter, a speaker, and a charging stand. There are two ways you can charge the speaker with the micro USB charging cable or with the charging stand which makes everything so much easier, you just drop the speaker on the stand, and then you’re charging the speaker. As far as the battery life on this speaker, it lasted over 14 hours when I was playing music at 45 percent volume and on day-to-day use, I get one week’s worth of use out of a single charge.

This speaker does talk a lot, so it’s a good thing when I turn it on, it tells me that it’s powered on how much battery I have left and it also tells me what devices I’m connected to. There’re probably other cheaper speakers that are gonna produce louder sound but it’s not gonna be as compact as this speaker and it probably won’t come with a charging stand either. But this speaker is not waterproof so that’s the only downside to it for people who like to take this outdoors and yeah it’s not really a rugged speaker because it’s like a brick but it’s a nice brick.

JBL Charge 4

SOUND QUALITY:

JBL Charge 4

I tested out the sound quality on this speaker, this is actually really loud and I’m really surprised by the kind of output it has. This sounds actually very impressive and I really like the way it sounds. This will definitely sound more balanced but it will squish all the channels stream them together to use. So, you will not get that stereo separation that good soundstage.

Bose SoundLink Mini II

I tested out the sound quality on this speaker overall, this speaker sounds amazing for its size, I have no complaints about the sound quality. I’m actually impressed by how good and loud the speaker can get. It has rich bass, balanced sound, and no distortion even at max volume. Overall, this speaker sounds amazing, and it just has a massive sound for the size of the speaker.

Bose SoundLink Mini II

WHICH ONE IS WORTH BUYING?

In my opinion, the JBL Charge 4 is worth buying for the price of the Bose SoundLink Mini II because it sounds better than the SoundLink Mini II, and it has a better battery life than the SoundLink Mini II. The Charge 4 is really worth buying for a lower price than the SoundLink Mini II comparing the features and performance we get from them.

Expert Reviews of JBL Charge 4:

By Expert Reviews
Despite cutting a couple of handy features, the Charge 4 is an impressive fourth entry into JBL’s mid-range Bluetooth speaker series…

By What Hi-Fi?
Great sound plus rugged design and handy features equal a top Bluetooth speaker…

By TheStreamingBlog
JBL’s Charge series just gets better with every new release. With Charge 4, we’ve seen that its audio quality has highly improved compared to the previously released Charge 3. It delivered cleaner, clearer, and more refined sounds with mids and…

By Tech Radar
For the money, the JBL Charge 4 is a definite no-brainer. For just $150 (£160, AU$200), you get a speaker that lasts all day, sounds great, can put up with all kinds of abuse, and tops your phone up in a pinch. Yes, there are better-sounding speakers…

By PC Mag
The JBL Charge 4 is an excellent option for those who want a waterproof, powerful-sounding portable Bluetooth speaker in a moderately sized frame.

Expert Reviews of Bose SounLink Mini II:

By TechRadar
The Bose SoundLink Mini II is showing its age with its average battery life and lack of features like NFC and…

By goodhousekeeping.com
The SoundLink Mini II is a compact and lightweight speaker (it’s only about 15 square inches and weighs one pound) with…

By expert Reviews
Available now at around £130, the Bose SoundLink Mini 2 is a great choice overall. It sounds excellent for the money and provided you’re not looking for a ruggedized speaker…

By What Hi-Fi?
If you’re after a fully portable speaker that doesn’t scrimp on bass weight, the SoundLink Mini II could be for you.

By Trusted Reviews
There are plenty of cheaper alternatives out there, but the Bose SoundLink Mini II is the best wireless speaker in this class right now.