JBL Go 5

Bluetooth 6.0 and IP68 in a 230g pocket speaker — new for 2026. At $49.95, JBL's 2026 model sits among the cheapest we cover — the bluetooth Speakers we compare run from $34.99 to $549.95. It scores 6.5/10 overall, calculated from published specifications across 8 categories rather than from a subjective impression.

Its strongest showing is Portability at 9.5/10 — weight, size and how easily it travels. The weakest is Loudness at 4.5/10, which is the trade-off to weigh before buying: if that is the specification you care about most, one of the alternatives below will serve you better.

Worth knowing before you buy: 8 rated hours is the shortest battery in this group by a wide margin; and 4.8W means limited volume and almost no bass. Every specification on this page comes from JBL's own documentation or a verified retail listing — where a figure is not published, the table says so rather than estimating it.