1.   Try searching by:
    1. Category (Best $100 Headphones, Best 50 Inch TVs, …)
    2. Brand (Sony, Samsung, LG, Bose, …)
    3. Model (S405, QC 35 II, …)
    4. Etc...
Get insider access
Get insider access
Preferred store
Notice: Your browser is not supported or outdated so some features of the site might not be available.
Best
Bluetooth Portable Outdoor Bose Loud Home Shower Parties Alexa Small JBL Brands Budget And Cheap Bluetooth For Bass Waterproof Bluetooth Golf Bluetooth For Sound Smart iPhone Karaoke
Tools
Compare Table Review List Review Index Graph Custom Ratings
Popular
JBL Boombox 3 JBL Charge 5 JBL Authentics 500 JBL Flip 6 Bose SoundLink Max Bose SoundLink Flex (2nd Gen) Harman/Kardon Go + Play 3 Sonos Move 2 Ultimate Ears WONDERBOOM 4 JBL PartyBox Stage 320 Sonos Era 100 JBL PartyBox 310 Sony SRS-XB100 Ultimate Ears MEGABOOM 4 JBL PartyBox Club 120 Ultimate Ears HYPERBOOM Sonos Era 300 Ultimate Ears EPICBOOM JBL Xtreme 4 Bose SoundLink Flex
166
Speakers bought and tested
Supported by you via insider access, and when you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Driven by data, run by a passionate team of engineers, testers, technical writers, developers, and more.
We are hiring!
  1. Home
  2. Speaker
  3. Compare
Notice: Big Spring Sale Deal: The Amazon Echo Pop has dropped by 25% on Amazon.com. See all Speaker Big Spring Sale deals.
  1. Table of Contents
  2. Top
  3. Main Differences
  4. Design
    1. Pictures
    2. Style
    3. Portability
    4. Build Quality
    5. Controls
    6. In The Box
  5. Sound
    1. Frequency Response Accuracy
    2. Raw Frequency Response
    3. Soundstage
    4. Dynamics
  6. Active Features
    1. Battery
    2. Voice Assistant
    3. App
  7. Connectivity
    1. Wired
    2. Bluetooth
    3. Wi-Fi
  8. Comments

Bose SoundLink Color II vs JBL Flip 5

Side-by-Side Comparison

Products

Bose SoundLink Color II
JBL Flip 5

Tested using Methodology v0.8

Updated Feb 26, 2024 02:36 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com

Tested using Methodology v0.8

Updated Sep 09, 2024 05:25 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Bose SoundLink Color II Picture
JBL Flip 5 Picture
Bluetooth
Yes
Wi-Fi
No
Speakerphone
Yes
Voice Assistant
Yes
Battery Powered
Yes
Bluetooth
Yes
Wi-Fi
No
Speakerphone
No
Voice Assistant
No
Battery Powered
Yes

Variants

  • SoundLink Color II (Aqua Blue)
  • SoundLink Color II (Citron)
  • SoundLink Color II (Coral Red)
  • SoundLink Color II (Polar White)
  • SoundLink Color II (Soft Black)
  • Flip 5 (Black)
  • Flip 5 (Black Camo)
  • Flip 5 (Blue)
  • Flip 5 (Camo)
  • Flip 5 (Gray)
  • Flip 5 (Green)
  • Flip 5 (Pink)
  • Flip 5 (Red)
  • Flip 5 (Sand)
  • Flip 5 (Teal)
  • Flip 5 (White)
  • Flip 5 (Yellow)

Review

See Bose SoundLink Color II Review
See JBL Flip 5 Review
0 
0 

Our Verdict

Bose SoundLink Color II

JBL Flip 5

The JBL Flip 5 is a better speaker than the Bose SoundLink Color II for most uses. The JBL has a more balanced sound profile, and its soundstage has better directivity. It also has an IPX7 rating for water resistance, while the Bose has an IPX4 rating. That said, only the Bose has voice assistant support, and it can play stereo content without downmixing it into mono.

0 

Check Price

Aqua Blue
SoundLink Color II
Searching
Finding store
Black
Flip 5
Searching
Finding store
Citron
SoundLink Color II
Searching
Finding store
Black Camo
Flip 5
Searching
Finding store
Coral Red
SoundLink Color II
Searching
Finding store
Blue
Flip 5
Searching
Finding store
Polar White
SoundLink Color II
Searching
Finding store
Camo
Flip 5
Searching
Finding store
Soft Black
SoundLink Color II
Searching
Finding store
Gray
Flip 5
Searching
Finding store
 
Green
Flip 5
Searching
Finding store
 
Pink
Flip 5
Searching
Finding store
 
Red
Flip 5
Searching
Finding store
 
Sand
Flip 5
Searching
Finding store
 
Teal
Flip 5
Searching
Finding store
 
White
Flip 5
Searching
Finding store
 
Yellow
Flip 5
Searching
Finding store

Main Differences for
Music

Threshold 

0.10

Music 

6.0
6.0

Frequency Response Accuracy 
 

5.9
6.3

Soundstage 
 

6.9
6.3

Full Comparison

Design

Style  

Style Photo  

Bose SoundLink Color II Style Photo
JBL Flip 5 Style Photo

RGB Lights  

No
No
Show Text 

Portability 
 

9.3
9.3

Dimensions Photo  

Bose SoundLink Color II Dimensions Photo
JBL Flip 5 Dimensions Photo

Volume 
 

56 in³ (917 cm³)
47 in³ (771 cm³)

Weight 
 

1.1 lbs (0.5 kg)
1.2 lbs (0.5 kg)

Power Source 
 

Battery & USB
Battery & USB

One-Hand Carry 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

Build Quality 
 

7.0
7.5

Build Quality Photo  

Bose SoundLink Color II Build Quality Photo
JBL Flip 5 Build Quality Photo

Material Quality 
 

Good
Great

Water Resistance 
 

Water-resistant (IPx4)
Submersible (IPx7)

Dust Resistance 
 

Unspecified
Unspecified

Impact Resistance 
 

Unspecified
No

Floats In Water 
 

Unspecified
No
Show Text 

Controls 
 

8.0
6.6

Controls Photo  

Bose SoundLink Color II Controls Photo
JBL Flip 5 Controls Photo

Controls Photo 2  

Bose SoundLink Color II Controls Photo 2
JBL Flip 5 Controls Photo 2

Ease Of Use 
 

Great
Great

Feedback 
 

Great
Good

Music Play/Pause 
 

Yes (Physical)
Yes (Physical)

Call Answer/End 
 

Yes (Physical)
No

Volume Up/Down 
 

Yes (Physical)
Yes (Physical)

Track Next/Previous 
 

Yes (Physical)
Forward Only (Physical)

Microphone On/Off 
 

No
No

Additional Controls 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

In The Box 
 

In The Box Photo  

Bose SoundLink Color II In The Box Photo
JBL Flip 5 In The Box Photo
Show Text 
Sound

Frequency Response Accuracy 
 

5.9
6.3

Frequency Response Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Slope 
 

0.15
-0.31

Std. Err. 
 

3.11 dB
3.76 dB

Low-Frequency Extension 
 

88.5 Hz
68.3 Hz

High-Frequency Extension 
 

7.1 kHz
13.7 kHz
Show Text 

Raw Frequency Response 
 

Raw Frequency Response Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Binaural Recording @ 1m 
 

Binaural Recording @ 2m 
 

Soundstage 
 

6.9
6.3

Directivity Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Directivity Index 
 

5.94 dB
3.29 dB

Stereo 
 

Yes
No (mono)
Show Text 

Dynamics 
 

6.3
5.8

Dynamic Range Compression  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

SPL @ Max Volume 
 

84.4 dB SPL
85.5 dB SPL

DRC @ Max Volume 
 

2.41 dB
3.74 dB
Show Text 
Active Features

Battery 
 

7.9
7.3

Battery Life 
 

9.7 hrs
8.2 hrs

Charge Time 
 

4.2 hrs
2.6 hrs

Power Saving 
 

Yes
Yes

Charging Port 
 

Micro-USB
USB-C

Battery Powered 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

Voice Assistant 
 

5.1
0.0

Alexa 
 

No
No

Google Assistant 
 

Yes (Requires Smartphone)
No

Speakerphone 
 

Yes
No

Siri 
 

Yes (Requires Smartphone)
No

Voice Assistant 
 

Yes
No

Voice Activation 
 

No
No

Microphone Mute 
 

No
No Microphone

Far-Field Performance 
 

Excellent
No Microphone

Ambient Noise Performance 
 

Great
No Microphone
Show Text 

App 
 

6.6
6.6

App Picture  

Bose SoundLink Color II App Picture
JBL Flip 5 App Picture

App Name 
 

Bose Connect
JBL Portable

iOS 
 

Yes
Yes

Android 
 

Yes
Yes

EQ 
 

No
No

Stereo Pair Mode 
 

Yes
Yes

Party Mode 
 

Yes
Yes

Multi-Room 
 

No
No
Show Text 
Connectivity

Wired 
 

Aux Input 
 

Yes
No

USB Audio 
 

No
No

Other Ports 
 

No
No
Show Text 

Bluetooth 
 

8.9
8.4

Bluetooth 
 

Yes
Yes

Bluetooth Version 
 

Unspecified
4.2

Bluetooth iOS Latency 
 

43 ms
154 ms

Bluetooth Android Latency 
 

118 ms
96 ms

Bluetooth Range 
 

334.6 ft (102.0 m)
219.8 ft (67.0 m)

Multi-Device Pairing 
 

2 Devices
2 Devices
Show Text 

Wi-Fi 
 

0.0
0.0

Wi-Fi Version 
 

No Wi-Fi
No Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi Frequency Band 
 

No Wi-Fi
No Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi 
 

No
No

Apple AirPlay 
 

No
No

AirPlay Latency 
 

N/A
N/A

Google Chromecast 
 

No
No

Chromecast Latency 
 

N/A
N/A
Show Text 

Check Price

Aqua Blue
SoundLink Color II
Searching
Finding store
Black
Flip 5
Searching
Finding store
Citron
SoundLink Color II
Searching
Finding store
Black Camo
Flip 5
Searching
Finding store
Coral Red
SoundLink Color II
Searching
Finding store
Blue
Flip 5
Searching
Finding store
Polar White
SoundLink Color II
Searching
Finding store
Camo
Flip 5
Searching
Finding store
Soft Black
SoundLink Color II
Searching
Finding store
Gray
Flip 5
Searching
Finding store
 
Green
Flip 5
Searching
Finding store
 
Pink
Flip 5
Searching
Finding store
 
Red
Flip 5
Searching
Finding store
 
Sand
Flip 5
Searching
Finding store
 
Teal
Flip 5
Searching
Finding store
 
White
Flip 5
Searching
Finding store
 
Yellow
Flip 5
Searching
Finding store
Back to Top

Bose SoundLink Color II

JBL Flip 5

Comments

  1. Comparison
 • Posted 1 year ago

Bose SoundLink Color II vs JBL Flip 5: Main Discussion

What do you think of these products? Let us know below.


Looking for a personalized buying advice from the RTINGS.com experts? Insiders have direct access to buying advice on our insider forum.

Follow Discussion0 followingSee All Soundbars & Speakers DiscussionsCopy link
0 
PreviewBack to editorFormat guide
No comments yet, refresh to see new ones
We make money directly from you via insider access (which gives you access to extra features) and when you buy a product after clicking a link to a retailer. Learn more about how we work.
We buy our own products, just like you, mostly from the United States. When a product is discontinued or no longer popular, we sell the review units locally. You can see what products we currently have for sale here.
© 2025 9298-5266 Quebec Inc. All Rights Reserved. Visit our corporate site.