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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 Ultimate Ears MEGABOOM 4

Side-by-Side Comparison

Products

JBL Charge 5
Ultimate Ears MEGABOOM 4

Tested using Methodology v0.8

Updated Oct 31, 2024 02:51 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com

Tested using Methodology v0.8

Updated Mar 06, 2025 03:42 PM

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Amazon.com
JBL Charge 5 Picture
Ultimate Ears MEGABOOM 4 Picture

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)
  • MEGABOOM 4 (Active Black)
  • MEGABOOM 4 (Cobalt Blue)
  • MEGABOOM 4 (Enchanting Lilac)
  • MEGABOOM 4 (Raspberry Red)

Our Verdict

JBL Charge 5

Ultimate Ears MEGABOOM 4

The JBL Charge 5 and Ultimate Ears MEGABOOM 4 are toe-toe in many respects, tilting the scales at the same weight and IP67 ratings. Which is better depends a bit on how you use them, but by default, the Ultimate Ears is bassier, while the JBL is a bit brighter and more balanced. Both have equalizers, though the Ultimate Ears app's EQ controls more frequencies. The JBL can get louder and has more conventional controls. It's also less likely to tip over on an uneven surface. However, the Ultimate Ears has impact resistance and a 360-degree design, ensuring your audio sounds the same across angles.

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Black
JBL Charge 5
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Active Black
MEGABOOM 4
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Blue
JBL Charge 5
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Cobalt Blue
MEGABOOM 4
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Camo
JBL Charge 5
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Enchanting Lilac
MEGABOOM 4
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Gray
JBL Charge 5
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Raspberry Red
MEGABOOM 4
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Green
JBL Charge 5
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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

Threshold 

0.10

Music 

6.5
7.1

Soundstage 
 

5.8
9.1

Full Comparison

Design

Style  

Style Photo  

JBL Charge 5 Style Photo
Ultimate Ears MEGABOOM 4 Style Photo

RGB Lights  

No
No

Show text

Portability 
 

9.1
9.1

Dimensions Photo  

JBL Charge 5 Dimensions Photo
Ultimate Ears MEGABOOM 4 Dimensions Photo

Volume 
 

121 in³ (1,982 cm³)
104 in³ (1,703 cm³)

Weight 
 

2.0 lbs (0.9 kg)
2.0 lbs (0.9 kg)

Power Source 
 

Battery & USB
Battery & USB

One-Hand Carry 
 

Yes
Yes

Show text

Build Quality 
 

8.3
9.0

Build Quality Photo  

JBL Charge 5 Build Quality Photo
Ultimate Ears MEGABOOM 4 Build Quality Photo

Material Quality 
 

Great
Great

Water Resistance 
 

Submersible (IPx7)
Submersible (IPx7)

Dust Resistance 
 

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

Impact Resistance 
 

Unspecified
Yes (IK rating unspecified)

Floats In Water 
 

Unspecified
Yes

Show text

Controls 
 

6.6
5.8

Controls Photo  

JBL Charge 5 Controls Photo
Ultimate Ears MEGABOOM 4 Controls Photo

Controls Photo 2  

JBL Charge 5 Controls Photo 2
Ultimate Ears MEGABOOM 4 Controls Photo 2

Ease Of Use 
 

Great
Good

Feedback 
 

Good
Good

Music Play/Pause 
 

Yes (Physical)
Yes (Physical)

Call Answer/End 
 

No
No

Volume Up/Down 
 

Yes (Physical)
Yes (Physical)

Track Next/Previous 
 

Forward Only (Physical)
No

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
Ultimate Ears MEGABOOM 4 In The Box Photo

Show text

Sound

Frequency Response Accuracy 
 

6.7
6.7

Frequency Response Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Slope 
 

0.29
-0.76

Std. Err. 
 

3.90 dB
3.96 dB

Low-Frequency Extension 
 

58.2 Hz
58.2 Hz

High-Frequency Extension 
 

18.5 kHz
17.7 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 
 

5.8
9.1

Directivity Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Directivity Index 
 

4.27 dB
1.67 dB

Stereo 
 

No (mono)
Yes

Show text

Dynamics 
 

6.5
6.1

Dynamic Range Compression  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

SPL @ Max Volume 
 

88.9 dB SPL
83.0 dB SPL

DRC @ Max Volume 
 

3.16 dB
2.49 dB

Show text

Active Features

Battery 
 

8.7
9.2

Battery Life 
 

14.5 hrs
≈ 20.0 hrs

Charge Time 
 

3.8 hrs
2.3 hrs

Power Saving 
 

Yes
Yes

Charging Port 
 

USB-C
USB-C

Battery Powered 
 

Yes
Yes

Show text

Voice Assistant 
 

0.0
0.0

Alexa 
 

No
No

Google Assistant 
 

No
No

Speakerphone 
 

No
No

Siri 
 

No
No

Voice Assistant 
 

No
No

Voice Activation 
 

No
No

Microphone Mute 
 

No
No Microphone

Far-Field Performance 
 

No Microphone
No Microphone

Ambient Noise Performance 
 

No Microphone
No Microphone

Show text

App 
 

7.9
7.9

App Picture  

JBL Charge 5 App Picture
Ultimate Ears MEGABOOM 4 App Picture

App Name 
 

JBL Portable
Ultimate Ears

iOS 
 

Yes
Yes

Android 
 

Yes
Yes

EQ 
 

Graphic
Graphic + Presets

Stereo Pair Mode 
 

Yes
Yes

Party Mode 
 

Yes
Yes

Multi-Room 
 

No
No

Show text

Connectivity

Wired 
 

Aux Input 
 

No
No

USB Audio 
 

No
No

Other Ports 
 

Yes
No

Show text

Bluetooth 
 

8.5
8.2

Bluetooth 
 

Yes
Yes

Bluetooth Version 
 

5.1
Unspecified

Bluetooth iOS Latency 
 

125 ms
19 ms

Bluetooth Android Latency 
 

102 ms
124 ms

Bluetooth Range 
 

328.1 ft (100.0 m)
341.2 ft (104.0 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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Active Black
MEGABOOM 4
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Blue
JBL Charge 5
Searching
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Cobalt Blue
MEGABOOM 4
Searching
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Camo
JBL Charge 5
Searching
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Enchanting Lilac
MEGABOOM 4
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Gray
JBL Charge 5
Searching
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Raspberry Red
MEGABOOM 4
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Green
JBL Charge 5
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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

Ultimate Ears MEGABOOM 4

Comments

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JBL Charge 5 vs Ultimate Ears MEGABOOM 4: Main Discussion

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