If there’s one thing the JBL Flip series is known for, it’s its ruggedness. The Flip series started out splash-proof and eventually became completely waterproof – and that’s the case with the new JBL Flip 5. It’s wrapped in a durable fabric material that gives it an IPX7 rating, meaning it can be submerged in water up to one meter deep. At both ends of the speaker is a rugged rubber that protects the exposed bass radiators. There are the standard playback buttons, like the volume up and down buttons, which are marked with a plus and minus sign, respectively. There’s also the play/pause button, which lets you pause tracks or skip to the next song when you double-tap it. The JBL Portable app (iOS/Android), formerly called “JBL Connect,” works with the Flip 5 and other JBL speakers. Here you can balance the sound with a three-band EQ, switch the feedback tone, update the firmware and activate the PartyBoost mode. PartyBoost is only useful if you have more than one JBL speaker that is compatible with PartyBoost, which is different from JBL Connect+. In other words, you can’t connect a Flip 5 to a Flip 4. To use PartyBoost, click the dedicated PartyBoost button on the speaker. Then you can pair a second JBL speaker for stereo sound or just to add more life to your party. If you often need a second speaker for your parties, it might be worth investing in the JBL Boombox or the UE Hyperboom, both huge speakers that let you join the party with ease. JBL claims that you can listen to music continuously for 12 hours with the JBL Flip 5. In our test, we managed 9 hours and 27 minutes, which isn’t bad, but doesn’t quite come close to the claimed 12 hours. Still, that is more than enough for an average day at the beach or a good day hike.
