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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 Flip 5 vs Apple HomePod mini

Side-by-Side Comparison

Products

JBL Flip 5
Apple HomePod mini

Tested using Methodology v0.8

Updated Sep 09, 2024 05:25 PM

SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com

Tested using Methodology v0.8

Updated Feb 03, 2025 02:20 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
JBL Flip 5 Picture
Apple HomePod mini Picture
  1. Recommended in 1 article:
  2. Apple

Variants

  • 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)
  • HomePod mini (Blue)
  • HomePod mini (Midnight)
  • HomePod mini (Orange)
  • HomePod mini (Space Gray)
  • HomePod mini (White)
  • HomePod mini (Yellow)

Our Verdict

JBL Flip 5

Apple HomePod mini

The JBL Flip 5 and the Apple HomePod mini are designed for different uses. The JBL is a portable, battery-powered Bluetooth speaker with an IPX7 rating for water resistance that certifies it to be immersible in up to a meter of water for 30 minutes. It's designed to be taken along with you on the go and can get a bit louder than the Apple. The Apple is a Wi-Fi speaker with Siri built-in and is designed for use at home. It needs to remain plugged into an outlet to work. It has less compression present at max volume and offers a wider-sounding soundstage. Its Apple Home companion app is also only available with iOS devices.

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Yellow
HomePod mini
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Midnight
HomePod mini
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Black Camo
Flip 5
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Orange
HomePod mini
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Space Gray
HomePod mini
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Main Differences for
Music

Threshold 

0.10

Music 

6.0
6.4

Soundstage 
 

6.3
7.3

Frequency Response Accuracy 
 

6.3
6.5

Full Comparison

Design

Style  

Style Photo  

JBL Flip 5 Style Photo
Apple HomePod mini Style Photo

RGB Lights  

No
No
Show Text 

Portability 
 

9.3
5.8

Dimensions Photo  

JBL Flip 5 Dimensions Photo
Apple HomePod mini Dimensions Photo

Volume 
 

47 in³ (771 cm³)
48 in³ (790 cm³)

Weight 
 

1.2 lbs (0.5 kg)
0.7 lbs (0.3 kg)

Power Source 
 

Battery & USB
AC Only

One-Hand Carry 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

Build Quality 
 

7.5
6.4

Build Quality Photo  

JBL Flip 5 Build Quality Photo
Apple HomePod mini Build Quality Photo

Material Quality 
 

Great
Good

Water Resistance 
 

Submersible (IPx7)
No

Dust Resistance 
 

Unspecified
Unspecified

Impact Resistance 
 

No
Unspecified

Floats In Water 
 

No
No
Show Text 

Controls 
 

6.6
8.0

Controls Photo  

JBL Flip 5 Controls Photo
Apple HomePod mini Controls Photo

Controls Photo 2  

JBL Flip 5 Controls Photo 2
Apple HomePod mini Controls Photo 2

Ease Of Use 
 

Great
Great

Feedback 
 

Good
Great

Music Play/Pause 
 

Yes (Physical)
Yes (Tactile)

Call Answer/End 
 

No
Yes (Tactile)

Volume Up/Down 
 

Yes (Physical)
Yes (Tactile)

Track Next/Previous 
 

Forward Only (Physical)
Yes (Tactile)

Microphone On/Off 
 

No
No

Additional Controls 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

In The Box 
 

In The Box Photo  

JBL Flip 5 In The Box Photo
Apple HomePod mini In The Box Photo
Show Text 
Sound

Frequency Response Accuracy 
 

6.3
6.5

Frequency Response Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Slope 
 

-0.31
-0.41

Std. Err. 
 

3.76 dB
3.49 dB

Low-Frequency Extension 
 

68.3 Hz
70.3 Hz

High-Frequency Extension 
 

13.7 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 
 

6.3
7.3

Directivity Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Directivity Index 
 

3.29 dB
1.30 dB

Stereo 
 

No (mono)
No (mono)
Show Text 

Dynamics 
 

5.8
5.9

Dynamic Range Compression  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

SPL @ Max Volume 
 

85.5 dB SPL
76.7 dB SPL

DRC @ Max Volume 
 

3.74 dB
1.36 dB
Show Text 
Active Features

Battery 
 

7.3
0.0

Battery Life 
 

8.2 hrs
N/A

Charge Time 
 

2.6 hrs
N/A

Power Saving 
 

Yes
No

Charging Port 
 

USB-C
No Battery

Battery Powered 
 

Yes
No
Show Text 

Voice Assistant 
 

0.0
9.1

Alexa 
 

No
No

Google Assistant 
 

No
No

Speakerphone 
 

No
Yes

Siri 
 

No
Built-in

Voice Assistant 
 

No
Yes

Voice Activation 
 

No
Yes

Microphone Mute 
 

No Microphone
Yes

Far-Field Performance 
 

No Microphone
Excellent

Ambient Noise Performance 
 

No Microphone
Decent
Show Text 

App 
 

6.6
6.6

App Picture  

JBL Flip 5 App Picture
Apple HomePod mini App Picture

App Name 
 

JBL Portable
Apple Home

iOS 
 

Yes
Yes

Android 
 

Yes
No

EQ 
 

No
No

Stereo Pair Mode 
 

Yes
Yes

Party Mode 
 

Yes
Yes

Multi-Room 
 

No
Yes
Show Text 
Connectivity

Wired 
 

Aux Input 
 

No
No

USB Audio 
 

No
No

Other Ports 
 

No
No
Show Text 

Bluetooth 
 

8.4
0.0

Bluetooth 
 

Yes
No

Bluetooth Version 
 

4.2
No Bluetooth

Bluetooth iOS Latency 
 

154 ms
N/A

Bluetooth Android Latency 
 

96 ms
N/A

Bluetooth Range 
 

219.8 ft (67.0 m)
N/A

Multi-Device Pairing 
 

2 Devices
No
Show Text 

Wi-Fi 
 

0.0
8.2

Wi-Fi Version 
 

No Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi 4

Wi-Fi Frequency Band 
 

No Wi-Fi
2.4GHz & 5GHz

Wi-Fi 
 

No
Yes

Apple AirPlay 
 

No
Yes

AirPlay Latency 
 

N/A
11 ms

Google Chromecast 
 

No
No

Chromecast Latency 
 

N/A
N/A
Show Text 

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Yellow
HomePod mini
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Midnight
HomePod mini
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Black Camo
Flip 5
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Orange
HomePod mini
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Space Gray
HomePod mini
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JBL Flip 5

Apple HomePod mini

Comments

  1. Comparison

JBL Flip 5 vs Apple HomePod mini: Main Discussion

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