Hold my beer—I mean—Bluetooth speaker.
There are a lot of ways to be loud and annoying. For example, there’s snoring—a timeless classic that is not only loud, but also deprives you and others of sleep, killing two very depressing birds with one stone. Then there are more vestigial and niche forms of being obnoxious, like yodeling, which, if done outside of the Swiss Alps, feels like more of a cry for attention than anything else.
But those are nothing when you enter Bluetooth speakers into the equation. In the year of our lord, 2025, thanks to Bluetooth connectivity and LTE, there are hundreds of ways to be loud and annoying, and a lot of them will cost you. You’ve got premium options like Bose’s SoundLink Plus, which bring style and finesse to the Bluetooth speaker game, and then there are more rugged options like the Soundcore Boom 3i that you can literally throw in a pool. But what if style, durability, or even sound aren’t your top priority? What if you’re looking for a small way to sound really big? Well, if that’s your jam, JBL’s $100 Grip might have just what you need.The tall boy of Bluetooth speakers
When I first saw JBL’s Grip, I dubbed it the “tall boy of Bluetooth speakers,” and now, having held the Grip in my hand and having laid eyes on it for myself… I stand by that claim. The Grip is all about the size, which in this case, is similar to a “can of seltzer” according to JBL, or if you’re a hoodlum like me, then a tall boy. For proof of its tall boy-ness, I put the Grip side-by-side with a can that equals one pint. Here’s the Grip next to a Narragansett for your viewing pleasure:
While the Grip resembles a tall boy in size, it actually weighs less—this speaker is only 385g, which makes it both lightweight and compact, which is good because portability is what JBL is going for here. That’s also why there’s a loop on the top of the speaker so you can strap the Grip to a belt, or a bag, or maybe clip it to your bike to blast tunes while you get some cardio in. I didn’t strap the Grip to anything for my testing, but I did carry it around Manhattan and can confirm that it’s not very burdensome.
Don’t let the size and portability fool you, though; the Grip is no slouch in the volume department. The first thing I noticed when I played the Grip out loud in my office was that it really cranks. There’s 16W of power in this tiny speaker, which doesn’t sound like a ton, but believe me when I say it holds its own. While using the Grip in the park, I was able to drown out music from some live jazz being played in the vicinity.
