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  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

JBL Charge 5 vs Beats Pill

Side-by-Side Comparison

Products

JBL Charge 5
Beats Pill

Tested using Methodology v0.8

Updated Apr 14, 2025 08:40 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com

Tested using Methodology v0.8

Updated Mar 21, 2025 04:01 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
JBL Charge 5 Picture
Beats Pill Picture
  1. Recommended in 1 article:
  2. JBL

Variants

  • JBL Charge 5 (Black)
  • JBL Charge 5 (Blue)
  • JBL Charge 5 (Camo)
  • JBL Charge 5 (Gray)
  • JBL Charge 5 (Green)
  • JBL Charge 5 (Pink)
  • JBL Charge 5 (Red)
  • JBL Charge 5 (Teal)
  • JBL Charge 5 (White)
  • Pill (Champagne Gold)
  • Pill x Kim Kardashian (Dark Gray)
  • Pill x Kim Kardashian (Light Gray)
  • Pill (Matte Black)
  • Pill (Statement Red)

Our Verdict

JBL Charge 5

Beats Pill

The JBL Charge 5 and the Beats Pill are both lightweight, portable speakers, although the Beats has a smaller form factor. The Beats is a great choice for those that need voice assistant support and own an Android or iOS device, as it works with Siri and Google Assistant via a compatible device. It's also capable of playing back audio via a wired connection, including lossless audio, if you have the right streaming service subscription. The JBL is a better choice for those that want control over their sound though as it features a graphic EQ and presets in the companion app. It also has a substantially longer battery life that may sway users that want to take it on longer trips. 

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Black
JBL Charge 5
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Champagne Gold
Pill
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Blue
JBL Charge 5
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Dark Gray
Pill x Kim Kardashian
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Camo
JBL Charge 5
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Light Gray
Pill x Kim Kardashian
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Gray
JBL Charge 5
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Matte Black
Pill
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Green
JBL Charge 5
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Statement Red
Pill
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Pink
JBL Charge 5
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Red
JBL Charge 5
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Teal
JBL Charge 5
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White
JBL Charge 5
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Main Differences for
Music

Threshold 

0.10

Music 

6.5
6.4

EQ 
 

Graphic
No

Frequency Response Accuracy 
 

6.7
7.0

Full Comparison

Design

Style  

Style Photo  

JBL Charge 5 Style Photo
Beats Pill Style Photo

RGB Lights  

No
No
Show Text 

Portability 
 

9.1
9.2

Dimensions Photo  

JBL Charge 5 Dimensions Photo
Beats Pill Dimensions Photo

Volume 
 

121 in³ (1,982 cm³)
65 in³ (1,068 cm³)

Weight 
 

2.0 lbs (0.9 kg)
1.5 lbs (0.7 kg)

Power Source 
 

Battery & USB
Battery & USB

One-Hand Carry 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

Build Quality 
 

8.3
7.9

Build Quality Photo  

JBL Charge 5 Build Quality Photo
Beats Pill Build Quality Photo

Material Quality 
 

Great
Good

Water Resistance 
 

Submersible (IPx7)
Submersible (IPx7)

Dust Resistance 
 

Dust-Proof (IP6x)
Dust-Proof (IP6x)

Impact Resistance 
 

Unspecified
Unspecified

Floats In Water 
 

Unspecified
No
Show Text 

Controls 
 

6.6
7.9

Controls Photo  

JBL Charge 5 Controls Photo
Beats Pill Controls Photo

Controls Photo 2  

JBL Charge 5 Controls Photo 2
Beats Pill Controls Photo 2

Ease Of Use 
 

Great
Great

Feedback 
 

Good
Good

Music Play/Pause 
 

Yes (Physical)
Yes (Physical)

Call Answer/End 
 

No
Yes (Physical)

Volume Up/Down 
 

Yes (Physical)
Yes (Physical)

Track Next/Previous 
 

Forward Only (Physical)
Yes (Physical)

Microphone On/Off 
 

No
No

Additional Controls 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

In The Box 
 

In The Box Photo  

JBL Charge 5 In The Box Photo
Beats Pill In The Box Photo
Show Text 
Sound

Frequency Response Accuracy 
 

6.7
7.0

Frequency Response Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Slope 
 

0.29
0.98

Std. Err. 
 

3.90 dB
3.17 dB

Low-Frequency Extension 
 

58.2 Hz
56.6 Hz

High-Frequency Extension 
 

18.5 kHz
19.6 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 
 

5.8
5.8

Directivity Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Directivity Index 
 

4.27 dB
4.10 dB

Stereo 
 

No (mono)
No (mono)
Show Text 

Dynamics 
 

6.5
6.4

Dynamic Range Compression  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

SPL @ Max Volume 
 

88.9 dB SPL
86.1 dB SPL

DRC @ Max Volume 
 

3.16 dB
2.69 dB
Show Text 
Active Features

Battery 
 

8.7
6.8

Battery Life 
 

14.5 hrs
7.6 hrs

Charge Time 
 

3.8 hrs
3.5 hrs

Power Saving 
 

Yes
Yes

Charging Port 
 

USB-C
USB-C

Battery Powered 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

Voice Assistant 
 

0.0
7.1

Alexa 
 

No
No

Google Assistant 
 

No
Yes (Requires Smartphone)

Speakerphone 
 

No
Yes

Siri 
 

No
Yes (Requires Smartphone)

Voice Assistant 
 

No
Yes

Voice Activation 
 

No
No

Microphone Mute 
 

No
Yes

Far-Field Performance 
 

No Microphone
Excellent

Ambient Noise Performance 
 

No Microphone
Excellent
Show Text 

App 
 

7.9
6.6

App Picture  

JBL Charge 5 App Picture
Beats Pill App Picture

App Name 
 

JBL Portable
Beats

iOS 
 

Yes
Yes

Android 
 

Yes
Yes

EQ 
 

Graphic
No

Stereo Pair Mode 
 

Yes
Yes

Party Mode 
 

Yes
Yes

Multi-Room 
 

No
No
Show Text 
Connectivity

Wired 
 

Aux Input 
 

No
No

USB Audio 
 

No
Yes

Other Ports 
 

Yes
No
Show Text 

Bluetooth 
 

8.5
8.1

Bluetooth 
 

Yes
Yes

Bluetooth Version 
 

5.1
Unspecified

Bluetooth iOS Latency 
 

125 ms
43 ms

Bluetooth Android Latency 
 

102 ms
111 ms

Bluetooth Range 
 

328.1 ft (100.0 m)
334.6 ft (102.0 m)

Multi-Device Pairing 
 

2 Devices
No
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

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Black
JBL Charge 5
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Champagne Gold
Pill
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Blue
JBL Charge 5
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Dark Gray
Pill x Kim Kardashian
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Camo
JBL Charge 5
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Light Gray
Pill x Kim Kardashian
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Gray
JBL Charge 5
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Matte Black
Pill
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Green
JBL Charge 5
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Statement Red
Pill
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Pink
JBL Charge 5
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Red
JBL Charge 5
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Teal
JBL Charge 5
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White
JBL Charge 5
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JBL Charge 5

Beats Pill

Comments

  1. Comparison

JBL Charge 5 vs Beats Pill: Main Discussion

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