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There are hundreds of Bluetooth speakers on the market, and they're sold just about anywhere you can buy electronics. Brands like Bose and Sony are regular headline-grabbers for their wireless audio devices, but according to Consumer Reports (CR), the laurel of best cheap wireless speaker actually belongs to the $150 JBL Flip 7. This iconic design has been a JBL speaker staple for multiple generations, and the latest iteration boasts a handful of new features and is available in six colors: Black, Blue, Red, Squad, Pink, and Purple.
The Flip 7 boasts an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance, which means it's totally safe for pool parties or if you get caught in the rain. This is the first Flip generation to incorporate JBL's PushLock design, so attaching its strap and carabiner is easier than ever (no more threading through a loop strap). When it comes to sound quality, the Flip 7 delivers a solid balance of highs and lows, with a little extra low-end to drive home 808s and kick drums. While the speaker downmixes stereo tracks to mono, you can pair up a second Flip 7 for proper stereo imaging.
When set to a high volume, the Flip 7 may sound a bit distorted, and because of its front-firing drivers, sonic details may start to fade as you step toward the sides. That said, JBL's AI Sound Boost feature auto-balances the sound profile to match best the music you're listening to. Our friends at SoundGuys also praised the Flip 7's customizable EQ in the JBL Portable app, which lets you further tune the speaker to match your audio preferences.
The JBL Flip 7 is a rugged Bluetooth speaker with plenty of features and customizations
Portability is the name of the game with most Bluetooth speakers, and the Flip 7 is about as travel-friendly as it gets. It'll fit in most pockets and sleeves without issue, and its silicone bumpers should help protect it if you accidentally drop it. Unfortunately, the advertised battery life doesn't match up with lab-tested results. RTINGS measured just 5.6 hours of playback on a full charge, while SoundGuys clocked just over 6 hours until needing to recharge.
Apparently, you can only get up to the advertised 16 hours of playback with Playtime Boost enabled, but at the cost of less low-end. Sorry, bass fans. We should also mention that it's not ideal for movies, shows, and video games, mostly due to high Bluetooth latency. It does have a USB-C port, though, and you can use it for wired playback, which can certainly help with lip sync and other shortcomings. (An added bonus: you can listen to lossless tracks when connected via USB-C to a compatible host device.)
All things considered, we think CR is right on the money calling the JBL Flip 7 the best inexpensive, portable Bluetooth speaker. Oh, and at the time of writing, the Flip 7 was on sale for $100 at Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, and a few other retailers. If you've been on the fence about buying one, now might be the perfect opportunity.