There are huge numbers of Bluetooth speakers on the market, so I know just how hard it can be to make sense of what’s best and what’s actually worth your money. You can’t go wrong with a trusted brand like JBL, though, and that’s something that’s held to be true in our most recent round of testing for our portable speakers roundup, where I was impressed by several models from the renowned audio manufacturer.
The JBL Clip 4 is my top pick for those on the go because it delivers loads of features without being heavy or inconvenient, it has a long battery life and a builtin carabiner clip. This is a genuinely portable speaker that, while compact, can still blast out excellent sound quality to fill the room. And, at 239g, it’s never going to weigh you down.
The best news? It’s not overpriced like some of its rivals. Even at its typical price of £59.99, it’s great value, and now it’s even more tempting during the Amazon Prime Day event with a 50% discount bringing it down to a mere £29.99 – that’s an alltime low for the speaker.
Why the JBL Clip 4 is one of the best portable speakers
On test, I found it delivered a fullbodied, crisp and detailed sound from its powerful driver. It’s a speaker that sounds much bigger than it looks, and it’s also fully waterproof and dustsealed, with its battery able to last for 1o hours at a time — that should be more than enough for most of us.
Sure, you can get similar speakers for even lower prices, but I’ve found that they often weigh more, don’t sound this good, or don’t have the same level of weatherproofing as this JBL does. I’m also a big fan of the soft fabric exterior on this, nonslip silicone surface and the builtin carabiner clip that you can easily attach to the outside of your bag.
Overall, I love the simple and effective design of the speaker, and I’ve found it possible to attach it loads of places around the house like door handles and curtain railings. It also sounds just as good laid flat. It’s easy to just grab and bring with you, with its compact dimensions and a weight of only about as much as a bag of ground coffee.
The raised buttons on the body of the speaker make it easy to use and control, but it is worth noting that it’s not compatible with smartphone voice assistants or to work as a speakerphone, so it’s as much of a smart speaker as something like the more expensive Sonos Roam or Bose SoundLink Flex. If those features are priorities for you, then you may need a more advanced model.
While this is a fantastic deal, the best offer right now to grab this for £29.99 is only available on one specific variant of the speaker, the black colourway. One great thing about the JBL speakers is they don’t just come in one colour, and this one is no exception. While the other colours of the Clip 4 are reduced, they’re not quite as cheap as the black – I do recommend checking out the red (currently £43.95), the blue (£37.47) or the white (£39.95) as these are all fun colours that are still at lower prices than the typical RRP.
Just note that you can only access these deals if you’re a Prime member. You can take advantage of the Prime Day tech discounts if you’ve joined the free trial however, and you can always cancel that before you’re charged if you don’t want the other benefits of the service.
When does Amazon Prime Day end?
If you’re keen on grabbing this speaker at a low price it’s worth acting fast. The deals event started on 16 July but only continues until 23:59 on 17 July so it’s almost over – after that point, I expect the price to return to normal.
Simon Cocks is Hearst UK’s Technology Ecommerce Editor, overseeing tech shopping content and strategy across a range of titles including Good Housekeeping UK, Esquire UK, Digital Spy, Men’s Health UK and Women’s Health UK.
Simon specialises in testing the latest smart gadgets, home entertainment gear, headphones, speakers, portable chargers, radios, ebook readers and smartphones. He’s reviewed top tech products from brands including Google, Apple, Amazon, JBL and Bose.
A magazine journalism graduate from Kingston University in 2014, Simon also worked on the Discovery and Silkroad inflight magazines. He then gained experience writing about entertainment at SFX and Total Film. He also contributed reviews and interviews to TwitchFilm (later ScreenAnarchy), CultBox and Frame Rated.
He joined Good Housekeeping UK as the Editorial Assistant for Special Projects and was part of Good Housekeeping’s Consumer Affairs Team between 2014 and 2019. In this role, he conducted price comparison research, wrote detailed household and moneysaving advice guides and edited thousands of indepth reviews for the Good Housekeeping Institute.
He has focused on technology and gadgets since 2020, where he started by testing out power banks and instant cameras. He writes reviews, roundups, news articles and deals updates, and also covers top tech deals during sales like Amazon Prime Day, Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
When not testing out the latest gizmos, you’ll find Simon either catching up with the newest releases at his local cinema or out shooting with his beloved compact camera.
You can follow Simon on Instagram at @simonrcocks, on Threads at @simonrcocks, and on Twitter/X at @simoncocks.