A little way of being big strong

There are many ways to be noisy and boring. For example, there is snoring – a timeless classic that is not only strong, but also deprives you, you and other people, killing two very depressing birds with a stone. Then there are more vestiges and niche forms to be unpleasant, such as Yodeling, which, if made outside the Swiss Alps, feels more like a cry of attention than anything else.

But these are nothing when you enter Bluetooth speakers in the equation. During the year of our Lord, 2025, thanks to Bluetooth and LTE connectivity, there are hundreds of ways of being noisy and boring, and many of them will cost you. You have premium options like Bose’s SoundLink Plus, which bring style and finesse to the Bluetooth speaker game, then there are more robust options like the Soundcore Boom 3i that you can literally throw a swimming pool. But what happens if style, sustainability or even sound is not your top priority? And if you are looking for a little way to ring Really big? Well, if it’s your jam, the $ 100 handle of JBL could have exactly what you need.

The big boy of Bluetooth speakers

When I saw the JBL JBL taking, I nicknamed it the “big boy of the Bluetooth speakers”, and now, after holding the hand in my hand and putting my eyes by myself … I want this assertion. The handle is all about the size, which in this case is similar to a “box of Seltzer” according to JBL, or if you are a thug like me, then a big boy. For the proof of his big boy, I put the handle side by side with a can that is equivalent to a pint. Here is the handle next to a narragansett for your viewing pleasure:

Although the handle looks like a large boy in size, it actually weighs less – this speaker is only 385 g, which makes him both light and compact, which is good because portability is what JBL goes here. This is also why there is a loop on the top of the speaker so that you can attach the handle to a belt, or to a bag, or maybe cut it to your bike to explode air while you get cardio. I did not attach the grip of anything for my tests, but I carried it around Manhattan and I cannot confirm that it is not very pendable.

See JBL GIP on Amazon

Do not let size and portability deceive you, however; The handle is not to be out of the volume department. The first thing I noticed when I played aloud in my office is that it really gets up. There is 16 W of power in this little speaker, which does not look like a ton, but believe me when I say he holds up. Using the handle in the park, I was able to drown the music of live jazz played nearby. To be honest, I didn’t even know there was Live music will occur near me until I decided to take a break momentarily.

Regarding sound, you will not get the same nuance as a larger Bose Bluetooth speaker or even a larger portable speaker like JBL’s Charge 5 (which I also have), but this is not really the point of a speaker of this size. What you want with a speaker like the handle is portability with a sound that is quite good, and I would say that this is exactly what the handle brings to the table. He does a decent job with treble (the voices are clear), although you will not give much complexity in the mid -range where guitars live. Bass is not particularly in full swing, of course, but I played silly punk while walking outside, and that did not seem without low -end. Overall, I would say that this speaker did better in a rock genre (I played some of my favorite songs by geese), but your mileage can vary.

Needless to say, this is not the speaker you want if you try to fill a sound piece, but if you just try to enter a speaker to hike, or a picnic, or at the beach / park for a relaxed hanging, there is no reason not to grasp a handful, especially if you are low in space.

Large boy, smaller battery

As is the case with any gadget that emphasizes portability, the battery life is still in question. The JBL handle is evaluated at 14 hours of battery, although it will depend on the volume. I could not largely test the battery life, but in my use, the grip seems to hold as announced, if not better. I tested the handle, using the speaker at around 50% volume for an hour. I started my 40% battery test, and when I finished listening, I was only about 37%. Obviously, the volume of 50% is a little lower than most people will listen to in the wild, but it is always a decent demonstration of a small speaker. If you make a shine, you can obviously expect unless.

The handle also has a certain character apart from portability. There is (of course) a companion application that you can use to adjust Fine-Ajust (seven whole bands) and switch between the EQ presets. You can also monitor battery life using the JBL portable application and use your phone to choose the color of the LED at the back of the speaker. A nice touch is to be able to define the LED component to have different lighting effects via the application. There is nothing super practical to be able to do all this, but I suppose that if you feared losing your speaker in the dark, it could actually be useful. I would have loved to see this feature transformed into a battery indicator so that you can say how much juice you have left in the grip at a glance, but using it for a little additional personalization is good. I like to be able to switch the lighting effects in particular, to give it an additional flair.

Another characteristic pleasant in Have is an IP68 Water and Dust rating, which means that this speaker is fundamentally as water-resistant as a real beer box. To test this, I gave adhesion a pretty little shower in the sink, passing it underwater for a few minutes. Fortunately, the handle survived my test and came out a little soggy, but fully functional and capable of playing music as well as before. It does not float or something like the Soundcore boom 3i speaker, which I tested not long ago, but you certainly don’t have to worry about dropping the handle in a swimming pool or leaving it in the rain by accident.

Nothing to write at home on the selection of the button here. At the front, there is a Play / Pause button and a volume from top to bottom. At the top, there is a Bluetooth button for torque, a power button and a button for Auracast, which allows you to combine several speakers, if it is something that interests you.

Should you get a catch?

JBL’s grip is not for everyone. If you are an audiophile in search of the best possible sound, it is not your choice. It is not the best choice either if you are looking for the most Many things, including features, batteries or even use in water. That being said, it establishes a solid balance of all these arenas which should be on the radar if you are looking for a speaker very portable.

I want the price to be a little less than $ 100, considering the speakers like the Soundcore Boom 3i, which does a few things very well and costs only $ 30 more. Of course, perhaps the Soundcore floating speaker is not as small, but it is always damn portable, much more durable and is delivered with more features than you never expect in this price range. I wonder after testing the JBL handle if the size difference is really everything that special. If you wear a backpack with enough space, will you really need space? If you hiking, And each gram counts, it’s another story.

So, if you emphasize the size above everything and want something that seems decent and will not be mastered by environmental noise, then you may want to watch JBL and have a nice high glass of its Bluetooth. And if the size does not matter for you, then there are tons of other options, but perhaps not as similar to beer.

See JBL GIP on Amazon