Review & Comparison: JBL Pulse 4 vs JBL Pulse 5

The JBL Pulse lineup of portable speakers has been around for a number of years now and continues to be a very popular option for consumers in terms of style and design. They’re the perfect impromptu party speakers for their rugged design, room-filling sound, and their now iconic lightshow. But with so many portable speakers in JBL's lineup, it can get hard to choose which one to get - and sometimes, even previous models of the popular Pulse can be a veritable alternative to the company's latest and greatest. So, which one is the best for you? We'll give you a rundown of the last three generations of Pulse speakers from the LA-based audio company and hopefully, give you the tools you need to make an informed decision.

** Get JBL Pulse 4 here: https://amzn.to/3O0g4kG
***Get JBL Pulse 5 here: https://amzn.to/3PJuXcc

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JBL Pulse 3
It was the original Pulse speaker and you can still pick it up in a few places. Since it’s the original, I’ll touch on it briefly here so you can see how the line has grown. As the budget option, the Pulse 3 gets you a really solid speaker at a very reasonable price. It’s definitely not the most feature-packed speaker out there, but it is certainly the perfect entry point into the Pulse line from JBL.
The speaker comes with a built-in LED Lightshow that is capable of syncing up to the music you are listening to. It has 16 different color options and can be set to pulse or strobe, depending on your preference.

What makes it stand out in the Pulse line of speakers is that it's the last JBL Pulse product with a microphone enabling you to use it as a speakerphone. You can also connect the Pulse 3 to other JBL products granted they use the JBL Connect Plus app.
Its dimensions are also quite compact at just 8.8 x 3.7 x 3.7 inches and a weight of only 2.1 pounds, making it easy to carry around and travel with. This combination of features makes the JBL Pulse 3 an incredible option for any pool party for just $269. Unfortunately, it's not available on the JBL website or on Amazon anymore. But, if you have one and you’re wondering if it’s worth the upgrade, that’s what we’re here top help you with too.
JBL Pulse 4
As the Pulse 3's successor, the Pulse 4 carries with it a lot of the same features with some refinements and a bit more refinement to make it a better choice for you and your family's outdoor entertainment. It has the same rugged and durable design with IPX7 waterproof rating, allowing you to take this speaker with you to the lake, pool or beach without worrying about getting it wet.
The regular Pulse 4's dimensions are 8.1 x 3.8 x 3.8 inches and it weighs a little more than the previous version, at 2.8 pounds; it can be purchased for $299. This model offers 12 hours of battery life on a single charge, which is also the same as its predecessor.

Sound quality
The design of these speakers clearly shows that they’re designed to prioritize the light show and the overall party atmosphere over intricate sound. Because the entire cylinder of the speaker is wrapped in dense plastic which wraps the light effects, the only place you’re getting audio is from the top. With that said, the speaker projects quite well and gets really loud but it does suffer from directionality; since the only place you get sound it this narrow opening, it doesn’t give you the same 360 degree sound as other speakers.
If you’re choosing something from the JBL Pulse line it should be beacuee you want decent sound, plenty of loudness and lots of cool lighting effects… which we’ll get to.

JBL Pulse 5
With the Pulse 4 becoming a crowd favorite, it's hard to imagine how to improve it. However, JBL aimed to do just that with Pulse 5. JBL carried over all of the features from Pulse 4 but added a few more. The new Pulse 5 has the same cylindrical design as its predecessor in a slightly bigger body at 8.5 x 5.2 x 4.2 inches and at 3.2 pounds.
Don’t let the extra weight and bulk get you down because it comes with several upgrades. Most important of which is the addition of low-latency Bluetooth 5.3 which allows multiple source devices to stream music from. The low-latency feature also allows it to serve as a great mono speaker alternative for movies and video games.
Sound quality
JBL also improved the sound quality of the Pulse 5 giving it more accurate sound reproduction, a wider range, and are overall a better-sounding device than the Pulse 4. I can confirm from my testing that the speaker gets poundingly loud and still sounds good. Whether or not, it actually sounds that much better than the pulse four is up for debate. So I’ll simply say there’s actually a good range in this speaker and it boosts both good base and clear vocals though it can be a little tinny sounding on some tracks.