JBL CLIP 3 – Waterproof Portable Bluetooth Speaker – Black

Let me start by saying I love this speaker. I work at Walmart and we have these for $59, and only in black, camo, and silver. I’ve been wanting one for a while so I decided to go on here and check for cheaper prices first. Boy, am I glad I did! Not only was I able to get these for a good $20 cheaper, but in my favorite color; pink!

These are very good quality speakers, the first thing I did when I got mine was throw it in the pool to see if it was really waterproof like it says. I only left it in there for about a minute because I just wanted to hurry up and listen to music, but it does indeed float and no piece of hardware seems to have suffered as a result (there’s a rubber piece that covered the aux and charging port, and I worried that water might deep in after so long. But that appears to have not been the case). So if you’re thinking of taking one of these to go casually canoeing or kayaking, I would definitely recommend it, just so long as you’re not going white water rafting or anything intense (the speaker is pretty small and can fit in the palm of your hand, so it might get lost a bit too easily in rapids even if it does float).

Now, onto the sound. The sound quality itself is – in my opinion – about what you’d expect from JBL. Very pristine and clear, no lags or sudden disconnections from Bluetooth like some speakers have. The volume honestly doesn’t get all that high, even with your phone and the speakers’ volume at full max. However, it’s plenty loud enough for normal folk to enjoy while you’re swimming, hiking, boating, working, or whatever. Though when you take into consideration its small size, I am honestly impressed with how loud it gets. So if you’re wanting something compact that you can blast the neighbors out of house and home with, this definitely isn’t for you.

Now the clip. Let’s face it, the thing that probably attracts us most about this speaker is the fact it has a built-in clip for you to take it wherever you want; portable music! And it honestly accomplishes that feat really really well. A lot of cheaper clips won’t stay straight when you try to hook them onto things, and you have to physically move it back into place to fully ‘hook’. Not this thing. I’ve hooked it onto doorknobs, backpacks, the belt loops of my jeans…I’ve never had to readjust. Just clip and go. And for that reason alone I feel this thing is a keeper.

The battery life is supposed to be around 10 hours, and I honestly haven’t used it a WHOLE lot so far but it feels like it lasts longer to me. That may be just because I’ve been using it for a few hours on and off and not for the 10 hours straight, but the battery still lasts a good while. I got about 8-9 hours right out of the box alone, with no charging.

The ONLY thing that bugs me about this thing are the tiny, almost microscopic rubber nubbies on the bottom. I know they’re probably there for traction or whatever if you set it down on something, but they really irritate me to feel against my skin when I’m holding or carrying it. However it’s a small thing that’s definitely not a dealbreaker, and 90% of the time it’s gonna be hooked to something and not rubbing against my skin anyways. So other than that little thing this speaker is 100% gold to me!

Basics overall:

1. Sound quality: 9/10
2. Volume: 7/10
3. Portability: 10/10
4. Waterproofness: 10/10 (though granted, I haven’t extensively tested this one, how long are you really gonna leave this thing in the water?)
5. Battery life: 10/10
6. Color: 10/10 (I know the pink looks terrible in the photos I provided, but I took them at nighttime under a *very* yellow light. Under normal lighting conditions it looks just like the stock photo)

I was planning on giving this 5 stars, but after about a week of use the clip doesn’t close completely any more. I usually have it clipped on my bag or cooler tote and love how light weight and portable it is, and it has great sound quality. With how fast the clip loosened I’m nervous it will continue to over time.

De peso ligero y tamaño adecuado, se puede enganchar fácilmente del pantalón o la mochila. Su certificado IPX7 y sus 10 horas de carga me dan tranquilidad para usarlo durante el día.

Buena relación costo-beneficio. ($770 Pesos al momento de la reseña)

For those who expect to have loud low frequencies, it is the size of a google mini then it comes with restrictions. But it performs very well, it has a loud volume and last up to 10 hours, I am very pleased with it, it follows me outside even on rainy days because it is sealed. The first one I got, the latch broke the first day, but the second one is perfect and I used it on a regular basis. I recommand it, but if you are looking for a boum box than it is not the first choice.

Update november 15 2020: the pin retaining the moving part of the clip felt off and got lost on this unit as well. I fixed it by inserting a screw where the pin used to be and glued it in place, hopefully it will last. For that part it is a poor design.

For years, I would carry a large portable radio to the Volleyball Court on the beach. It was heavy and took up a lot of room. Last year, I switched to a small bluetooth speaker, but it didn’t have the power I needed, and the battery crapped out after about two hours. THIS year, I bought the Clip 3, with 1000 mAh, and had it cranked on high for over three hours. Great sound out of such a small package and it clips right to the bottom of the net or a beach umbrella. I couldn’t be more pleased.

I am disappointed in this purchase. I bought this portable speaker to play music while riding my bicycle. It performed well for about a week – good sound reproduction and healthy battery. BUT, after hitting a few bumps, the front cover fell off. (see photos) It will not go back on, so the speaker is no longer water proof. Also, it is vulnerable to dirt and street grease. If I can’t get the front fixed back on, I fear this was wasted money. Alas, the following week the arm broke off and I can’t use the clip to hold it on my bike. Terrible waste of money!