JBL Charge 5 vs Ultimate Ears BOOM 3

Every spec side by side, from each maker's published figures.

Only show differences

Better figure, where one is clearly better

Share comparison

Charge 5 compared with BOOM 3

	JBLCharge 5	Ultimate EarsBOOM 3
Overview
Released
Released	April 2021	2018
Sound
Type
Type	Portable speaker	Portable speaker
Dolby Atmos
Dolby Atmos	No	No
Drivers
Drivers	52 × 90 mm racetrack woofer, 20 mm tweeter and dual passive radiators	Two 2-inch drivers and two 2 × 4-inch passive radiators
Amplifiers
Amplifiers	30 W RMS for the woofer, 10 W RMS for the tweeter	–
Frequency response
Frequency response	60 Hz – 20 kHz; signal-to-noise ratio over 80 dB	90 Hz–20 kHz; maker maximum sound level 90 dBC
Connections
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi	No	No
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	Yes	Yes
AirPlay
AirPlay	No	No
Voice assistants
Voice assistants	None	None
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	Bluetooth 5.1; A2DP 1.3, AVRCP 1.6; two phones or tablets can connect and take turns	A2DP wireless audio; maker claims up to 45 m mobile playback range and pairing with up to eight source devices
Ports
Ports	USB-C for charging; USB-A out to charge a phone (5 V, 2 A maximum; port type from What Hi-Fi)	Micro-USB charging; optional POWER UP charging dock
Streaming
Streaming	–	Bluetooth audio from compatible phones, tablets and other devices
Multi-room
Multi-room	PartyBoost stereo pairing, or linking several PartyBoost speakers	PartyUp links up to 150 BOOM and MEGABOOM speakers across generations, according to the launch release; two BOOM 3 speakers can form a stereo pair (What Hi-Fi and TechRadar)
App
App	–	BOOM & MEGABOOM app; four equaliser presets and custom tuning; remote power control
Design
Battery life (maker's claim)
Battery life (maker's claim)	Up to 20 hours	Up to 15 hours
Water and dust resistance
Water and dust resistance	IP67	IP67
Weight
Weight	0.96 kg	0.608 kg (better)
Battery life detail
Battery life detail	Up to 20 hours; 27 Wh (3.6 V, 7,500 mAh) lithium-ion polymer battery; 4 hours to charge at 5 V / 3 A	Rechargeable lithium-ion battery; maker claims 15 hours of playback
Controls
Controls	–	Volume +/–, power and Bluetooth pairing; Magic Button for play, pause and skip. Launch playlist shortcuts supported Apple Music on iOS and Deezer Premium on Android
Size
Size	223 × 96.5 × 94 mm (W × H × D)	184 mm high, 73 mm wide
Colours
Colours	Black, Blue, Grey, Red, Teal and Squad at launch; JBL Singapore also lists Forest Green and Pink	Launch colours Night, Sunset, Lagoon and Ultraviolet
In the box
In the box	Charge 5, USB-C cable, quick start guide, safety sheet, warranty card	BOOM 3, Micro-USB cable, quick-start guide