Ultimate Ears Boom 2 vs JBL Flip 4: Which One is Worth Buying?

JBL Flip 4

This is the review of the comparison between the Ultimate Ears Boom 2 and the JBL Flip 4. The comparison here is between two speakers from two different brands. Both the brands are popular in the market, but to know whether their speakers worth their price or not, you need to know about them in detail. So, to know which one is worth buying among them, go to the detailed review.

Ultimate Ears Boom 2JBL Flip 4
Ultimate Ears Boom 2JBL Flip 4
BUY NOWBUY NOW
PROSPROS
Full-sounding bass.
More robust feature set. Waterproof.
Great Android and iOS app.
Solid audio performance with rich bass and well-defined highs. Reasonable price tag.
Battery life.
CONSCONS
No playback controls besides tapping.
Battery life isn’t improved. Distorts at high volumes.
High price.
No track navigation buttons. Underwhelming mid-range sound.
Its bass is improved but it still lacks some real bass punch.

SPECIFICATIONS:

HEADERULTIMATE EARS BOOM 2JBL FLIP 4
BrandUltimate EarsJBL
ModelBoom 2Flip 4
GENERALULTIMATE EARS BOOM 2JBL FLIP 4
ManufacturerLogitechHarman
Design Features
SPEAKER SYSYTEMULTIMATE EARS BOOM 2JBL FLIP 4
Amplification Typeactiveactive
Crossover Channel Qty
Frequency Response90 – 20000 Hz70 – 20000 Hz
Output Features
Output Level (SPL)90 dBA80 db
Audio Amplifierintegratedintegrated
Connectivity TechnologyWired, WirelessWired, Wireless
BATTERYULTIMATE EARS BOOM 2JBL FLIP 4
Rechargeable Batteryrechargeablerechargeable
Run Time (Up To)15 hour(s)12 hour(s)
POWER DEVICEULTIMATE EARS BOOM 2JBL FLIP 4
Power SourceBatteryBattery
OptionsUSB Charging
NETWORK AND INTERNET MULTIMEDIAULTIMATE EARS BOOM 2JBL FLIP 4
Connectivity InterfacesBluetooth, Near Field Communication (NFC)Bluetooth 4.2
Internet Streaming Services
SPEAKER SYSTEM DETAILSULTIMATE EARS BOOM 2JBL FLIP 4
Speaker TypeSpeakerSpeaker
Speaker Channel Qty2
Speaker Channel TypeStereo
DRIVER DETAILSULTIMATE EARS BOOM 2JBL FLIP 4
Driver Typefull-range driver, passive radiatorfull-range driver, passive radiator
Driver Qty22
Driver Diameter1.7 m40 mm
CONNECTIONSULTIMATE EARS BOOM 2JBL FLIP 4
Typeaudio line-in
DIMENSIONS & WEIGHTULTIMATE EARS BOOM 2JBL FLIP 4
Width6.9 in
Depth2.8 in
Height7.1 in2.7 in
Weight19.33 oz18.16 oz
FEATURESULTIMATE EARS BOOM 2JBL FLIP 4
FeaturesIt’s the waterproof wireless speaker that blasts loud, immersive 360-degree sound. Rain or shine, Ultimate Ears BOOM 2 instigates spontaneous adventures anywhere.

BOOM 2 has big, bold 360-degree sound that energizes any adventure.

BOOM 2 was designed to live. To see the world. To get wet, muddy, covered in snow and beat up — but always to be awesome.

BOOM 2 is crafted from the sexiest and most uninhibited premium materials in the known universe. Tough, resilient and absolutely stunning.

Amplify the party! Use the UE BOOM app to wirelessly connect 150+ BOOM, BOOM 2 and MEGABOOM speakers.

Use your BOOM 2 App to unlock features like Block Party, Remove On/Off, Customizable EQ, Musical Alarm, Tap Controls and more.
With Bluetooth technology, the JBL Flip 4 wirelessly streams music from almost all Bluetooth-enabled devices, and has the ability to simultaneously connect to two smartphones/tablets.

Built-in 3000mAh rechargeable Li-ion battery supports up to 12 hours of playtime.

Hear the bass, feel the bass, see the bass. Dual external passive radiators demonstrate just how powerful your speaker is.

Link more than 100 JBL Connect+ enabled speakers together to amplify the party.

No more worrying about rain or spills; you can even submerge Flip 4 in water.

The durable fabric material and rugged rubber housing allows your speaker to outlast all of your adventures.

Take crystal clear calls from your speaker with the touch of a button thanks to the noise and echo-cancelling speakerphone.

Access Siri or Google Now from your JBL speaker with a simple button press.

Detail Review:

INTRODUCTION:

Ultimate Ears Boom 2

Boom 2 is the successor of the Boom from the Ultimate Ears. The audio quality is fantastic, the build quality is great, and it has a nice weight to it. The design is amazing, and then the fact that it does have IPX7 waterproof certification is another huge plus. This speaker is retailing for around a hundred and forty-five dollars.

JBL Flip 4

The Flip 4 from the JBL is the updated version speaker of the JBL Flip 3. The original Flip from the JBL itself was very popular from the day of its launch itself. The performance of this speaker is pretty good for its price range currently. This speaker is currently retailing for around eighty dollars.

Ultimate Ears Boom 2

DESIGN: 

Ultimate Ears Boom 2

As far as the design, I’m a huge fan of the actual design, the aesthetics of this speaker. I think it looks very sleek and modern, and it’s a very good visual piece in my opinion. I really like the look of it, I think that it’s just a very attractive speaker overall. The main attraction when you first look at the speaker is going to be the volume buttons that are on the very front. These do have on the speaker volume control, so you are able to control the volume from the speaker and they are very big so obviously, they’re going to be the main attraction when you look at the front of the speaker.

If you rotate to the bottom of the speaker, you have a couple of different things on there. The first thing you have is going to be your auxiliary input. This is a Bluetooth speaker but you do have the option to use an auxiliary cable with this. Then the other thing down there is going to be the USB input, so you are able to charge the speaker through USB and this is where you’re going to find them. It does have a cover on the bottom and the speaker is waterproof, so this cover protects those ports from being invaded by water. Also, on the bottom, you are going to have a spot where you can attach a carabiner or something to you know hold the speaker onto your backpack or bag or something like that.

If you rotate to the very top, you’re gonna have two more buttons you have the power button which is very easy to access. All you need to do is press it and it lets you know that it’s on by playing an alert sound, and then you have the Bluetooth button which you can use by holding it down and it will make it discoverable on your phone or your laptop. Surrounding the entire, rest of the speaker is going to be the metal grille which your speakers are located behind.

JBL Flip 4

The speaker is actually quite weighty I feel like it’s around about 500 grams which is quite a lot actually for a portable speaker. There’s the JBL logo on the front, and at the back, we have the JBL Connect Plus button, we also have the power button, and five LED indicators which gonna tell you how much charge is in the actual Flip 4 speaker. On the other side, we have a Bluetooth button for pairing devices, we have a plus and minus button for volume increase and decrease, and we have a play and pause button.

You do also have a handy wrist strap in case you want to strap it to your backpack or hang it on something you want to be. This speaker is made of rubber and metal and on the back, there is a little panel back there which is just like GoPros you really need to make sure this is fully closed to make sure that it is waterproof. Behind there is the charging port and also an aux input which means that like the iPod Classic that doesn’t have Bluetooth capabilities, you can actually connect it via aux cable.

JBL Flip 4

FEATURES:

Ultimate Ears Boom 2

The UE Boom 2 is a portable Bluetooth speaker, and this speaker comes in six different colors. If you do decide to purchase the UE Boom 2 obviously, the packaging isn’t a factor when you do purchase the product. But Ultimate Ears does an amazing job with the packaging on this speaker because when you open it up, it’s kind of like a product showcase and it’s in a very nice plastic case. So, I think that the actual packaging of this product is amazing.

Inside of the packaging, you are going to get three different things, the first thing that you’re going to get inside of there is going to be the charging cable for the speaker, it’s a very nice length and I really like the actual feel of it feels high-quality on, this speaker charges through micro USB so it does have USB to micro USB. Then the next thing you’re going to get in the box is going to be the power brick, which you can just plug into the wall and it has a USB input so you could use this with you know any USB wire to charge the speaker. And then finally you’re going to get a quick start guide your user’s manual just to tell you how to set up and use the speaker.

I actually really like these because on the first UE Boom, they were a little bit farther apart but now they’re a little bit more close-knit together, on this contributes to it being ipx7 waterproof certified. So it is able to stay underwater at 1 meter for up to thirty minutes, so if you do have this around some kind of pool party you don’t have to worry about it falling in because it will be alright until you take it out soon. I think that the grills around the speaker actually contribute to the looking at it and gives it a really good design.

I do think that it has a very good high-quality weight to it. I don’t mean that it’s going to be heavy and a burden on you when you do take it on the go, I think that it just is not as lightweight and cheap as a lot of Bluetooth speakers I’ve used in the past. This one has a weight that signifies it is high quality and well made, the materials are durable, and it’s going to withstand your everyday use.

Actually connecting this device to your phone is a very simple process. All you have to do if you’ve already connected it your phone all you have to do turn on the power button, and it’ll automatically connect to your phone if your Bluetooth is on. If you do have an iPhone, it’s really nice because it does tell you the battery life of the speaker. Also, they did a really great job with their UE Boom 2 app, it’s in the App Store you can download it for free.

They do a very good job of making it where you can control the speaker from the app. So inside of the app, you’re actually able to control a lot of different aspects of the speaker. For instance, there are actually different preset sound settings in there, so you’re able to use the app to change those, you can change the EQ settings to do your own custom ones, or you can actually do the ones that are already pre-built in there, and then besides that, you’re able to set alarms through the app, um you’re able to actually update the software on the speaker through Bluetooth through the app, so that’s very great.

The app also gives you a lot of different instructions on how to use the speaker to its full potential, and then if you did want to use two of these you’re able to use the app to control that as well. So honestly, they did really good iPhone integration with this and they do actually have an Android app as well if you do have an Android phone, so you’ll be able to control this through either your iPhone or your Android phone.

JBL Flip 4

This speaker comes in pretty nice packaging and it also shows many details about the speaker. It is fully waterproof as it shows on the front of the box. If you scroll to the side, it says all-purpose, all-weather companion. So if you go out in the rain or we go anywhere it’s gonna be absolutely perfectly fine. If you go on to the back right there, you can see that it is portable Bluetooth and the box also claims that it’s got twelve hours of playtime on a full charge as well as it is IPX7 waterproof not IP67 or IP68 like phones.

This is IPX7 waterproof which means that it is completely submersible in any water whatsoever. You’ve also got JBL Connect Plus which is different from the JBL Flip 3 that had JBL Connect. This Connect Plus means that you can connect any JBL Flip 4 speaker a hundred times, so you can technically have a hundred speakers. If your friends got one of these, you can pair them and it will actually sound very nice. There is a speakerphone in this, so there’s a microphone inside it which means you are able to take calls and everything.

The box has got a little handy pull tab right there when we pull it, and we get greeted with the JBL logo and some nice powder paints in various colors which is pretty nice to look at. Inside the box, you get some usual books, a quick start guide, your micro USB charging cable, and your speaker themselves. The box actually has lots of soft foam so that the speaker remains secured inside the box, and it looks actually like the box itself is actually quite premium.

The paring process is really simple, you need to turn it on and it will start making a noise. You can see four LEDs on there on the speaker and there is a white button. They do flash different colors, flashing white means that it’s on standby, just solid white means it’s on, and flashing blue means that is going to be pairing. Then you need to go to the Bluetooth settings and turn the Bluetooth on. Once, you’ve turned the Bluetooth on, press the Bluetooth button on your speaker and it’s gonna make a noise wanting to pair with the device. Then find the JBL Flip 4 from the available devices click that and you are done. that’s really it that’s how simple is to After paring you can control the volume obviously from your phone but you can also control it from the actual speaker itself.

Ultimate Ears Boom 2

SOUND QUALITY:

Ultimate Ears Boom 2

This speaker has two 45 millimeter active drivers, and two 45 by 80-millimeter passive radiators, so the audio quality produced by the speaker is very nice. This speaker also gets extremely loud and it’ll fill a whole room if you’re having a get-together. You’re not gonna have any issues with this speaker, it sounds almost as loud as some of the stereo systems. So, for a portable Bluetooth speaker I’m extremely impressed with how loud this gets, and how good the audio quality is even when it’s at some of the louder volumes. They’ve really done a good job with the audio quality of the speaker, I think it sounds fantastic and it’s honestly one of the best sounding portable Bluetooth speakers I’ve ever used.

JBL Flip 4

As long as you don’t use the speaker at a higher volume, this actually produces a very clear and rich sound experience. Sure for a small size speaker, don’t expect this thing to shake the floor or anything like that but placing this in a corner, or a bathroom, somewhere echoes, you can actually experience more bass coming out of the little can. So for the size I think is a wonderful little speaker for a small room.

JBL Flip 4

WHICH ONE IS WORTH BUYING?

In my opinion, the Ultimate Ears Boom 2 is top worth buying than the JBL Flip 4. The built-in app is something I really liked in the Boom 2, you’re able to control two at the same time, and their app is very easy to use especially with those built-in audio presets. Just based on purely audio quality and design, I think Boom 2 is the top portable Bluetooth speaker. It’s definitely worth buying, it is a little bit pricey but in the end, I think that, if you want a portable Bluetooth speaker that’s gonna last and sound amazing then this is definitely the best choice in my personal opinion.

Expert Reviews of Ultimate Ears Boom 2:

By techPowerUp!
The UE BOOM 2 sells for $199! Great design – Reka One artwork! Lots of color and graphics options Good sound quality Portable and lightweight Rugged Long playtime (15 hours) IPX7 rated Expensive at $199 9.0 UE’s many color and design options…

By Wired
For the last few years, our favorite Bluetooth speaker here at WIRED—really, one of our top tech products overall—has been the UE Boom. The compact $200 speaker sounds amazing and goes more than 15 hours on a charge. It stands vertically, spreading…

By GoodHouseKeeping
The Ultimate Ears Boom 2 packs a lot of punch into a small package. It’s about the size of a water bottle (significantly smaller than the Ultimate Ears Megaboom), but still produces a lot of sounds. You can access the UE added features like “Block…

By SoundGuys
The UE Boom 2 is slightly better sounding than the original but is still not impressive us to turn us into…

By AndroidGuys
UE has a fabulous Bluetooth speaker here. In my opinion, this one is gonna be hard to beat. I love how ruggedized the build is. A portable speaker should be able to withstand life’s perils. The 360-degree sound output is also well-thought; it just makes…

Expert Reviews of JBL Flip 4:

By TheStreamingBlog
After we’ve tested the Flip 4 Bluetooth Speaker from JBL, we can definitely say that it gives off impressive quality sounds with big and full bass, plus crystal-clear vocals. Not only that, but the other great thing about the speaker is that it’s now…

By Gadget360
The Flip 4 is a mighty performer given its tiny size and is another solid option in the sub-Rs. 10,000 segment. Its sound isn’t perfect, as the mid-range isn’t distinct enough, and vocals can be overpowering. However, it does deliver good bass,…

By Digit
The JBL Flip 4 is a more mature product, offering better-balanced sound than its predecessor, the Flip 3. However, its bass delivery is still a bit weak, and it is here that the UE Wonderboom plays better. Nevertheless, the JBL Flip 4 offers great…

By IndianExpress
JBL has for long been the go-to audio device for a lot of people. The company has been offering very dependable and affordable personal audio products and this means it has been able to create a dedicated user base over time. Its latest is the JBL Flip…

By Pocket-lint
If you’re looking for a decent and relatively affordable speaker that you can throw in your bag, take to the beach, or wherever, then the JBL Flip 4 is a convenient solution. At the right volume, it delivers a decent sound that can fill small/medium size…