JBL pulled the covers off of its new lineup of portable Bluetooth speakers and booming PartyBox party speakers at CES 2024 in Las Vegas.
Seminal speaker maker JBL has taken the veil off of its 2024 lifestyle lineup, which includes three new portable speakers and two new party speakers, all with upgrades that include more power, new colors, improved Bluetooth connectivity, recycled materials, and multi-speaker connectivity with Auracast.The new JBL portables
JBL announced three new portable Bluetooth speakers today at CES 2024 in Las Vegas — the football-sized JBL Xtreme 4, the compact and clippable JBL Clip 5, and the smallest of the bunch, the JBL Go 4. All of the new speakers maintain their rugged IP67 ratings, but feature improved battery life, more power, and better bass, as well as an upgrade in their Bluetooth connectivity to version 3.5 LE (Low Energy), which means lower latency, lower power consumption, and better audio quality. But more importantly, it allows all three new JBL speakers to be Auracast-enabled, which allows multi-speaker connectivity with an unlimited number of other JBL Auracast speakers, regardless of whether they’re the same model of speaker or not.
The JBL Xtreme 4 gets a handful of upgrades of its own, including better bass response and a 20% boost in volume capability by way of what JBL is calling AI Sound Boost (of course, AI), which “analyzes audio in real time with an AI algorithm to optimize the acoustic output level, leading to more powerful and crystal-clear sound,” according to a press release. Battery playtime has been extended by nine hours compared to the Xtreme 3, topping out at 24 hours, with an additional six hours in the speaker’s Playtime Boost mode.
But the neatest battery trick the Xtreme 4 has (and this is a first for JBL) is its replaceable battery (not included) that means you can extend the life of the speaker once the battery kicks the bucket. The JBL Xtreme 4 will retail for $380 and will be available in three colors in June 2024.
JBL’s popular, go-anywhere compact Clip 5 has an upgraded carabineer clip that’s wider and easier to open, which will delight fans of the JBL Clip 4 who like to attach the rugged speaker to things.
