It’s A Better Choice To Go With The New Clip 5 Over The JBL Clip 3 and 4
Given that the JBL Clip 5 is already a year old, the JBL Clip 3 and 4 are considered outdated, and given how close their pricing is, it’s a good idea to go with the Clip 5. However, if you’ve found great deals on the Clip 3 or 4 – I’d recommend going with the older Clip 3 over the Clip 4, especially if having an aux input is important to you.
Key Takeaways:
- Despite being the older speaker the Clip 3 has more to offer.
- Aux input is only available on the Clip 3, being dropped from the Clip 4 onwards.
- The Clip 3’s battery life is more than 50% more than the Clip 4.
- The bass is heavier and the sound is clearer on the JBL Clip 4.
Winner
JBL Clip 3
Despite its older technology, the Clip 3 outperforms the Clip 4 in battery life, features, and connectivity.
Comparatively, the two speakers share the same approach. They provide portability and durability at the forefront. Still, the Clip 4 saw some noticeable changes made. Let’s compare how these two speakers stack against each other and see whether upgrading your Clip 3 to the more recent Clip 4 is worth upgrading.
If you’d like to see the JBL Clip 4 covered in more detail, we have a full JBL Clip 4 review published.
Our Pick  |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | 3.58 x 3.38 x 1.81″ | 3.39 x 3.72 x 2.14″ |
| Weight | 204g | 239g |
| Water Resistance | IPX7 | IP67 |
| Battery Life | Up to 10 Hours | Up to 10 Hours |
| Bluetooth | 4.1 | 5.1 |
| Frequency Response | 120Hz – 20kHz | 100Hz – 20kHz |
| Power | 3W | 5W |
| Inputs | Bluetooth, Aux | Bluetooth |
| Built-In Mic | Yes | No |
| Release Date | June 2018 | December 2020 |
Design, Build, & Durability
- The JBL Clip 4 has slightly better weather resistance with the addition of dust protection on top of the IPX7 waterproofing offered by the Clip 3.
- Both speakers feature similar playback controls.
- The Clip 4 has more carabiner clearance than the Clip 3.
- JBL has moved away from a circular design to a more oval shape.
Design: Style, aesthetics and how they differ
Winner: Clip 4
Clip 3
Clip 4
Both speakers are relatively small and compact Bluetooth speakers, with the Clip 4 only weighing 25g more.
Design-wise, the most noticeable difference is the shape of the speaker. The Clip 3 has a round shape with a narrow carabiner, while the Clip 4 is closer to a square with rounded edges. The carabiner on the Clip 4 is wider and offers more clearance, letting you attach it to thicker objects. This is an often-overlooked change between these two speakers.
JBL’s Clip 4 has several color designs with a toned-down appearance, while the Clip 3 is available in more vibrant color options.
Durability & Waterproofing: Now with dust protection
Winner: Clip 4
The construction of the speaker shell varies a lot in the materials used. Both speakers have a fabric wrap, but the Clip 3’s is only on the face of the speaker, while the Clip 4’s fabric extends across most of the surface. This adds more durability to the Clip 4, reducing the chances of scratches on the speaker’s surface.
Both the Clip 3 and 4 have durable designs intended for outdoor use, with both speakers having IPX7 waterproofing, but the Clip 4 has the benefit of dust resistance as well, changing its specification to an IP65 rating.
Controls: Pretty much the same on both models
Winner: Clip 4
Clip 3
Clip 4
Both of the Clips have the same buttons. Volume up, volume down, play/pause, Bluetooth, and power. The Clip 4’s controls are easier to press while on the move. The Clip 3 has indented buttons, which can be challenging for those with large hands. Both speakers only support forward track skipping and cannot skip backward, for that, you’ll need to upgrade to the Clip 5.
Features & Connectivity
- Only the Clip 3 has a built-in microphone.
- The Clip 4 has better Bluetooth, with support for Bluetooth 5.1 compared to 4.2
- A notable selling point for the Clip 3 is it’s inclusion of an aux input, which the Clip 4 lacks.
Features & Functionality: These are small speakers with limited features
Winner: Clip 3
Both speakers lack the features and functionality of midrange and large Bluetooth speakers. The Clip 3 has more to offer with its inclusion of a built-in microphone that can be used for taking calls while the speaker is in use. The Clip 4 doesn’t offer additional functionality, as JBL dropped the microphone support for its release.
Connectivity Options: Aux input was dropped on the Clip 4
Winner: Clip 3
The Clip 3 has more to offer when it comes to connection types. It supports Bluetooth 4.1 and has an auxiliary input for wired connections. In line with modern Bluetooth speaker designs, the release of the Clip 4 had the aux input removed. The Clip 4 has the advantage of supporting Bluetooth 5.1, a more efficient version—however, the Bluetooth 4.1 offered by the Clip 3 is still a viable connection type today. The Clip 4 also introduced USB-C support, while the Clip 3 uses Micro-USB.
Sound Quality
- The Clip 3 is a bright sounding speaker, while the Clip 4 has a more bass-heavy sound.
- The dynamic range is better on the Clip 4, meaning it can be played louder while retaining more detial.
- The Clip 4 is a more powerful speaker with a 5 watt output, compared to 3 watt.
Audio Performance: Comparing bass, clarity and volume
Winner: Clip 4
When comparing the sound quality of these two speakers, the JBL Clip 4 comes out ahead. It has a wider frequency range than the Clip 3, and the additional bass extension is noticeable. One problem with the heavy bass presence is that the JBL Clip 4 sounds muffled and lacks vibrancy at moderate volumes, being overwhelmed by the lows. Conversely, the JBL Clip 3 sounds crisp and clear at moderate volume levels, with a bright sound.
When the volume is cranked to 80% on both speakers, the Clip 4 comes out on top because of its deeper bass and improved compression. The increased volume makes the Clip 4 sound more vibrant in the midrange and treble, while the Clip 3 sounds thin at this volume, lacking the depth found in the 4. Additionally, the JBL Clip 3 suffers from noticeable compression artifacts at high volume.
Both speakers can get relatively loud for their size, but the Clip 4 has a slight advantage, with a 5W driver, compared to the 3W driver found in the Clip 3.
Battery
- Despite both being advertised to produce the same playtime, the Clip 3’s battery lasts longer.
- The Clip 4 supports USB-C charging, for slightly faster charging speeds.
Playtime: The Clip 3 Outperforms The Advertising
Winner: Clip 3
Both models have the same manufacturer-specified battery estimate at 10 hours. However, when we tested these two speakers, we found that the Clip 4 could only deliver around 6 hours of playtime at 80%, while the Clip 3 impresses with up to 12 hours of playtime at the same volume level.
Charging: The Clip 4 is quicker, and supports USB-C
Winner: Clip 4
The Clip 3 and Clip 4 can both be charged in under 3 hours, but the Clip 4 is slightly quicker to do so, likely because of its upgrade to USB-C which facilitates faster-charging speeds. In contrast, the Clip 3 has a micro-USB charging port.
Conclusion
In summary, both speakers have value. The JBL Clip 3 is quite old now, and if you can still find it available, it has a lot to offer, with more connectivity options and battery life than the Clip 4, and better audio quality at lower volume. The JBL Clip 4 performs better at higher volume and has more bass. The wider clearance gap on the carabiner is also a noteworthy benefit of the 4.
If you’ve got the Clip 3 and you’re considering upgrading. Whether it’s worthwhile depends on how you use your speaker. It is worth upgrading if you want more bass and a little extra volume. But if you’re happy with how your Clip 3 is performing, you won’t see a significant upgrade advantage.
With that said, the JBL Clip 5 has been out for around a year now and it offers significant improvement to both the Clip 3 and Clip 4.
Winner
JBL Clip 3
Despite its older technology, the Clip 3 outperforms the Clip 4 in battery life, features, and connectivity.
