JBL Charge 6

An ever-evolving portable gem

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How do you improve upon a five-star product - the Charge 5 - that has been at the top of our best Bluetooth speakers list and an Award winner for the past four years? And do it with only a modest price increase? Read on and we'll tell you.

Rivals around this price point include the rather elderly B&O Beosound A1 (2nd Gen) smart speaker, while sterner competition comes from within. These days, you can find the Charge 5 for as little as £119. If you want cheaper and smaller there's the JBL Flip 7; or, if you want even bigger, more powerful sound, there's the step-up JBL Xtreme 4.

Thoughtful upgrades

It may not look as though much has changed between the two generations, but the Charge 6 boasts a handful of design tweaks that make it more user-friendly and outdoors-friendly than before. The control buttons now sit across two rows, which makes them more intuitive to use. Pairing to our smartphone takes mere seconds, and all the buttons and controls are nicely responsive throughout our testing.

The Charge 6 remains as portable and rugged as ever, with a durable design that makes you feel confident it will survive all sorts of adventures and inclement weather. It is now even more waterproof, dustproof and drop-proof than before, with an IP68 rating (up from the Charge 5's IP67) and beefier bumper guards at either end of the speaker. And when it comes to aesthetics, there are seven colours to choose from.