It also comes in some fantastic colors, though if you want something other than black, you'll want to buy straight from JBL or Best Buy (Amazon just has black).Sony regularly releases new portable Bluetooth speakers each year and this year we get three new models, the least expensive of which, the SRS-XB23 ($100), is a completely new design - for Sony anyway. It's $50 less than the Megaboom 3, sounds just as good (almost), and charges your phone while you listen. That being said, Spotify's equalizer does work well with the Charge 4.Īt the end of the day, bang for your buck informs the winner, and the JBL Charge 4 should be your choice.

You can EQ the JBL Charge 4, but not in JBL's app, or at least not well. I also prefer the Megaboom's in-app equalizer in the Boom app. With respect to overall sound, you really can't go wrong with either speaker, though the Megaboom 3 does have a more polished mid- to high end sound. It will drain the speaker's battery, thus shortening play time considerably, but if you only need to play for a couple hours and your phone's going to die, it's totally worth it.įor $50 less than the Megaboom 3, the JBL Charge 4's features outweigh any minor shortcomings it may have. Where the Charge 4 pulls ahead in terms of features is with its ability to charge your phone via USB while you listen to music. The Megaboom 3 has a rating of 6, which means it's fully protected from dust ingression, while the Charge 4 has an X rating, which means that it's unknown as to how well-protected the speaker is from dust. The difference, however, is likely to be negligible for most people.īoth speakers feature water resistance that allows for submersion in up to 3 feet of water for up to 30 minutes, though the key difference is in dust protection.

Where the Megaboom 3 shines over the Charge 4 is in the mid- to high end, where vocals are a little cleaner and crisp. In terms of overall power, the Megaboom 3 and Charge 4 are rivals - they're nearly identical. It's just that one of them is $50 cheaper. Despite coming from different manufacturers, the Megaboom 3 and Charge 4 are surprisingly similar, with large frequency ranges, water resistance, the ability to pair with dozens of other speakers, and more.

Jbl charge 4 vs sony xb33