JBL Go 3 review: A punchy, pocket-sized waterproof speaker

Our Verdict

While it doesn't entirely avoid the weaknesses of small-scale, cheap Bluetooth speakers, the JBL Go 3 is an impressive little unit with total waterproofing, plenty of bass and improve-than-expected battery life.

For

• Very affordable
• Portable and waterproof
• Relatively long battery life
• Half-dozen color options

Against

• Sound is warm but lacks detail

Tom's Guide Verdict

While information technology doesn't entirely avoid the weaknesses of small, cheap Bluetooth speakers, the JBL Go three is an impressive little unit with total waterproofing, plenty of bass and better-than-expected battery life.

Pros

• +

  Very affordable

• +

  Portable and waterproof

• +

  Relatively long battery life

• +

  Six color options

Cons

• -

  Sound is warm but lacks detail

Bluetooth speakers don't come much smaller than the JBL Go 3. Weighing a feathery 7.four ounces and compact enough to fit in a pocket, the Go 3 emphasises the "portable" part of portable speakers.

JBL Become iii SPECS

Price: $39

Colors: Red, blue, teal, greyness, pinkish, black

Size: three.4 10 two.7 x 1.6 inches

Weight: 7.iv ounces

Immovability: IP67

Battery life: 5 hours

Often, this approach can spell trouble for audio devices: smaller drivers are rarely better than deep, wide ones, and the battery will have necessarily shrunk. But, as our full JBL Go three review shows,  its full waterproofing, plucky bass output and surprising longevity add up to a winner. Read on to detect out why this isn't just i of the best waterproof speakers, only one of the best cheap Bluetooth speakers overall.

• The best Bluetooth speakers for any budget
• Equip your desk with the best calculator speakers

JBL Become three review: Price and availability

• $39 MSRP
• Six color options

The JBL Become iii retails for $39, putting it in the aforementioned bracket of such cheap Bluetooth speakers as the Anker Soundcore 2 and the Tribit StormBox Micro. Y'all can buy information technology from Amazon, B&H, Walmart and Target, among others.

You get a decently wide choice of colors, too: red, blue, teal, grey, pink and blackness. The availability of certain colors may vary betwixt retailers, though at the time of writing Amazon has all six in stock.

JBL Go 3 review: Pattern

• Extremely portable
• Basic but useful onboard controls

While the previous JBL Become 2 was never ugly, the more rounded corners and woven texture of the Get three are major improvements. And it's fifty-fifty more than practical for mobile usage, thanks to the new, prophylactic-reinforced rope loop.

(Image credit: Future)

Measuring three.4 inches wide and only 1.6 inches thick, the Become iii is very slightly bigger than the Go two, but remains genuinely modest. It'due south one of the few worthwhile Bluetooth speakers that tin can make the UE Wonderboom ii wait beefy, and while the Go 3 doesn't take that speaker'southward 360-degree sound, it's fifty-fifty easier to toss in a minor satchel or haversack. It'southward even smaller than the StormBox Micro, too.

A skip push would have been overnice, but the nuts are present in the form of book upward/down buttons and a combined play/pause button. These are perched on tiptop of the speaker, while the more than discrete power and Bluetooth pairing buttons sit on the right side.

JBL Become 3 review: Waterproofing

• IP67 rating
• Protected against dust ingress and submersion in water

Despite its low price, the Go iii promises waterproofing to the IP67 standard: the same as premium waterproof speakers similar the UE Megaboom 3 and Sonos Roam. That ways it should survive existence fully submerged in up to 1 meter of water for upward to thirty minutes — and it's fully protected against ingress by dust and dirt likewise.

(Image credit: Futurity)

Information technology works, too. I completely submerged the Go 3 in my sink for a while, and it emerged in full working order. And should you drop information technology in the bathtub or a pool, you don't even need to worry much near total submersion, equally it floats to the surface unless held downwardly. That should make retrieval easier, too.

The USB-C charging port is exposed, so I'd recommend waiting for it to dry out before attempting to recharge, but otherwise the Go three lives upwardly to its ruggedization promises.

JBL Go 3 review: Sound quality

• Strong bass with warm contour
• Higher frequencies workable, not great
• Can go loud but sounds best and low-to-mid volume

The Go 3's sound contour is a mix of pleasant surprises and, considering the meaty design, totally expected limitations. Allow's start with the latter: this is not a particularly detailed-sounding speaker, and although information technology can go loud enough to fill a decent-sized room, distortion kicks in well before the volume maxes out.

The Wonderboom 2 is drastically crisper and clearer, so remains your all-time bet if you want a atomic waterproof speaker. Merely then, that's more than twice as expensive as the Become 3. Can JBL's speaker yet offering enjoyable sound on a tight budget?

(Image credit: Future)

As information technology happens, yes. The firmness and presence of the low-terminate is impressive for such a small speaker, then Audioslave'south riff-heavy "Cochise" rocked along nicely while the iconic bassline in "Feel Good Inc. by Gorillaz kept all of its sleaziness.

In fact, in that location's a general warmness to the Get iii's sound signature that you lot rarely go from tiny speakers. This tin can be great for giving presence to solo instruments, like the opening guitar in Krewella'southward "Surrender the Throne," and it works well with classic recordings that already accept that "one-time vinyl" quality.

Over again, though, don't expect likewise much. Higher-pitched elements can sound a little recessed, unless they're actually being pushed in the mix, and vocals are articulate but don't have the sharpness of more expensive speakers.

JBL Go 3 review: Bombardment life

• Upwardly to 5 hours, officially
• Could go for much longer in testing

Normally, the reason you shouldn't take manufacturers' battery life estimates as gospel is considering they rarely last that long in everyday usage conditions. With the Become 3, however, it's the contrary: I got much more than the quoted 5 hours from a single charge.

(Image credit: Future)

Granted, I was usually listening at under 50% volume, but I still squeezed about 10 hours out of the Go 3 before it finally ran dry. That's Sonos Roam territory, and takes the edge off what would otherwise exist the Go three'south biggest disappointment.

Of course, 10 hours isn't amazing either, merely dissimilar 5 hours it's enough for a twenty-four hours out at the park. Merely remember that if you crank the volume up, yous won't be able to stretch it out equally long.

JBL Go 3 review: Wireless and setup

• Bluetooth 5.1 is reliable
• No PartyBoost or stereo pairing

There'southward no aux port so the Go 3 exclusively connects over Bluetooth 5.1. It paired to both my Android phone and Windows PC nice and apace, and the signal didn't drop out when I put a few walls in-between the speaker and the source device.

(Image credit: Future)

There'southward no multipoint support, then just i device can connect at a time, and unlike the Charge 5 yous tin't create a stereo pair or PartyBoost network using multiple Go 3s. That's a little disappointing, but then, yous do demand to take the Go iii out and most to go the most out of it. It's non the kind of speaker you'd shackle to a multiroom or desktop setup.

 JBL Go iii review: Verdict

The smallest speakers will always deal in trade-offs, but the JBL Become 3 ultimately makes a deal in your favor. Its ruggedness and portability are difficult to beat, especially without spending a whole lot more money, and even the relative weak points of sound quality and battery life are still pretty good for $39.

The Wonderboom 2 is a better pick if you can beget, but the Go three holds upward against the $49 StormBox Micro just besides equally it will an accidental dip in the pool.

• More: The best outdoor speakers with weather protection

James is currently Hardware Editor at Rock Paper Shotgun, but before that was Audio Editor at Tom's Guide, where he covered headphones, speakers, soundbars and annihilation else that intentionally makes racket. A PC enthusiast, he also wrote computing and gaming news for TG, usually relating to how hard information technology is to find graphics card stock.

Source: https://www.tomsguide.com/reviews/jbl-go-3

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