My favourite portable Bluetooth speaker: JBL Go 4 review

When you start your search for one of the best speakers, there's a chance you might not have considered something so visually modest as the JBL Go 4. This is as compact a portable speaker as you'll find, fitting in the palm of your hand or slotting in your back pocket. The speaker's predecessor, the JBL Go 3, ticked many boxes, so we've had nothing but anticipation for the successor, the JBL Go 4.

The specs are the first indicator of great things. The JBL Go 4 looks to improve the previous model in almost every way. You're getting seven hours of playtime instead of the five hours in the Go 3, only at the sacrifice of an extra half an hour of charging time. This one's still waterproof and dust-proof, except this time, the Go 4 has been made in part with recycled materials – hats off to JBL on that one.

Excitingly, the Go 4 is the latest device to feature JBL's multi-speaker pairing function. You can sync the JBL Go 4 with a selection of compatible JBL speakers for joyous multi-room listening.

Verdict: The JBL Go range just keeps getting better and bolder. The JBL Go 4 is a clear step up from its older sibling, boasting a lighter build, two hours additional listening time, and multi-speaker pairing. At barely any extra cost, you’re getting a mighty little speaker that's practical, stylish, and exceeds all rational sound expectations.

What's good?

I found the JBL Go 4 to be an over-achiever in almost every sense. I kept my expectations on a short lead, and I’m glad I did, because it surprised me at every turn. For a speaker of this size and this price, I couldn’t fault it on sound delivery. Audio clarity is wonderful, there’s just about enough bass to be content with, and you get a really impressive max volume that doesn’t begin to sound tinny either. The JBL Go 4 feels like a secret weapon, its sheer capability is just so unexpected, and that makes listening a genuine joy.

This is about as portable as a portable speaker can get. It perfectly fits the width of my hand, weighing in at a measly 190g. I struggle to picture a scenario where taking the JBL Go 4 along with me would be impractical. It has a wicked design too – I love the mesh face which spreads from the front to the back of the speaker. There are seven colours available, the one I got is black with orange styling, it really works.

The JBL Go 4 is a practical and brilliant listening partner, and that’s where all the fun lies. I really felt like I was winning whether I was using it or even just handling it. It lives up to the waterproof and dustproof claims too, the JBL Go 4 makes for a solid shower speaker if that’s what you’re in the market for. It’s fortified for all the seasons – take it to the beach, bring it atop a mountain, somewhere to go? Take the JBL Go.

What's okay?

For the most part, the JBL Go 4 succeeds where the Go 3 left us asking for a little more. The two hours additional battery is more than satisfactory, and a welcome improvement. The Go 4 does follow the tradition of the rope loop. While it’s less a rope and more of a mesh clip this time around, the premise still stands.

Unfortunately, this pully is similar in size to the previous model (if not smaller) and doesn’t provide any additional benefit either. It would be nice if this attachment had some level of adjustability, either the opportunity to change its length, or the possibility of detaching and reattaching at user preference.

It's worth mentioning that with the JBL Portable app, you're able to connect to the JBL Go 4 and access some additional features. It's here that you can access the party listening function as well as preset EQ settings and a custom equaliser mode. While I found the preset EQ modes to be rather helpful, allowing you essentially choose a specific listening vibe (energetic, chill, vocal, etc.), the custom EQ settings did feel a little overkill and dare I say, redundant. I'd expect such advanced settings from a boombox speaker, or generally anything with some heft and substantial audio capability. The custom EQ sliders for the JBL Go 4 just felt unnecessary since they can't really have that much of an impact on such a little speaker.

Downsides?

One thing I did realise rather quickly about the JBL Go 4 was that its not the most stable of devices. What I mean by this is that when you place it stood upright, it can wobble and at a light nudge it can easily topple over. This is simply down to the design of the feet of the speaker, it's thinner than it looks at first glance. This isn’t a complete deal breaker, but my advice? Avoid propping the JBL Go 4 in any precarious spots if you want to avoid it toppling to its doom.

More items to consider:

Who tested the JBL Go 4?

The JBL Go 4 was tested by resident writer and tech reviewer, Jack Barrell. He listened to the ultra-portable speaker over the course of a week while either at his home work desk, or sat in the garden enjoying the ever-sporadic British sunshine.

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Jack Barrell is a Tech and Fitness Writer and Reviewer for What’s the Best. He is invested in the entertainment space and also keeps well in the loop with the latest sports and exercise trends too. On his off days, Jack can usually be found either in the gym – or watching his favourite Star Wars for the thousandth time.

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