[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] When I received my speaker it looked similar to the other JBL speaker I have. I will tell you that it is not. The sound is amazing. You can hear this speaker from more than 5 houses away. We have used this speaker while doing yard work. We also take it on the golf cart when we are driving. The battery lasts for days, and it took about 4 hours to charge. This is a good speaker for the beach as it is waterproof. It can also be used for family picnics because the sound is loud enough for all to hear. We have also used it for small drive way get togethers. It is a little heavy so its not good for walking or hiking. When I go walking I use my JBL ear buds and my phone.

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] The Charge Essential 2 was super easy to pair with my iPhone and get started. As will all JBL gear, I found the sound quality to be clear, well-balanced and natural out of the box. I expected a little more beef on the low end for the speaker size, but it's still pretty good. As expected, the speaker volume is a notch louder and more present than the smaller JBL speaker models, like the Flip. But I was disappointed to find that turning the volume up past about half way on my iPhone quickly degraded the sound quality. The up-tempo Rock I was playing sounded increasingly unbalanced and shrill in the mids at the louder volume. Below the halfway volume point the sound quality is very good, but that's a lot of unusable volume range. For ambient music or background music while you work, that is acceptable. But if you want to crank the volume to fill the room with party music, this speaker will likely disappoint. As for features, this "essential" version of the Charge really is no frills, with no ability to link with other speakers for stereo playback or PartyBoost, no call answering, and no app integration to customize EQ. By design, it's just a Bluetooth speaker with an output charging port. However, The lack of app integration to customize the EQ is really missed as I consider that feature essential to tailor the right sound from any speaker and to match the music style and audio tastes of the listener. In the case of the Charge Essential 2, it might be even more critical to help achieve an EQ profile that would allow for louder volumes with a more balanced sound. With such limited features, this speaker's remaining value proposition needs to be killer sound quality, especially at the price point. But on this mark it just falls short. I honestly think I'd rather have the Flip 6 for almost half the price and have the EQ feature since the sound quality of the Charge Essential 2 over the Flip 6 at lower volumes is just not that different. If the charging output feature or higher volume are must-have features for you, I'd recommend skipping the Charge Essential 2 and springing for the full-featured Charge 5 to get EQ capability.

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] Easy and intuitive to use straight out of the box. This speaker has quickly become one I take with me to hangout with friends in the backyard. Perfect for playing some music while playing disc golf or sitting around a fire. The size, volume, and battery life make this speaker a must have when hanging out at home or with friends.

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] Another excellent portable speaker from JBL. I have several JBL portable Wi-Fi speakers. They come in different sizes. I would say this is one of the larger ones. I took a picture next to a set of headphones and a quarter for size comparison. Like all JBL speakers the sound is excellent. The base is deep and the highs are very clear. It maintains good clarity even at high volumes and it usually fills a large room. Would have no problem bringing this out for a party in my house. The beauty of the speaker is that it's not too big to take along with you on vacation or to the beach. Hooks up to your phone via Bluetooth almost instantly it doesn't lose the connection. You can't go wrong with this speaker. Highly recommend.

package went to wrong house

Excellent speaker. Not surprised by the sound.

What happens when battery stops charging?

Great sound for a small speaker.

Great sound in small device.

Loud and deep full sound.