The industry and consumers alike have been watching JBL closely over the last 12 months, many eager for upgrades to their popular flagship speakers. A lot of people, including myself, were convinced that this year’s CES (Consumer Electronics Show) would see the announcement of the JBL Flip 7, Charge 6, or potentially even the Boombox 4. After all many of these speakers are now starting to show their age:
Flip 6 Release Date: December 2021
Charge 5 Release Date: February 2021
Boombox 3 Release Date: September 2022
The omission of upgrades to these models at CES 2025 was a surprise, with JBL instead announcing a brand new line of PartyBox, the PartyBox 520, and upgrades to both the Encore and Encore Essential.
So it’s not surprising that a recent TikTok posted by JBL’s official account has got forums abuzz with speculation about what appears to be a new, unannounced release.
@jblaudio Replying to @Dee bigger bass on the way?👀 #JBL #JBLspeaker ♬ original sound – JBLAudio
We don’t typically cover leaks here, but when the brand themselves are teasing a new release, it’s something worth looking at. Looking at the comments, one can also see that this tease is intentional, and JBL are remaining tight-lipped on what model it is.
Although the video is limited in what it reveals, there are a few hints at what it could be. One of the most identifiable features is what appears to be a detachable carry handle that’s being held together by a screw or Allen key bolt.
We can also see that the speaker is covered in water, indicating that this isn’t likely to be part of a home-centric speaker, and instead focused more on outdoor use.
Unlikely To Be The JBL Xtreme 5
From a design perspective, this leak most closely resembles the JBL Xtreme 4, which has a distinctly wide base for stability and a detachable carry strap with anchors on either side. However, the Xtreme 4 was released last year and it is highly unlikely to see another Xtreme release in 2025.
Could It Be The Flip 7?
A lot of TikTok users are suggesting that this leak may be the much anticipated Flip 7, but I wouldn’t bet on JBL including a built-in carry handle on what is otherwise an easy to carry speaker, where a basic carry loop has been effective in past models.
Furthermore, some less reliable leaks around the Flip 7’s design were released earlier this year, and while they come from third parties – the design appears to be closer in-line with what I’d expect from a new Flip 7 release.
I think the odds are low of this being the new Flip 7.
Or, is it the Boombox 4?
Although the design is most similar to the existing Boombox model, there are some inconsistencies with what we’d expect from the Boombox 4. If anything, the Boombox has evolved over the years to adopt a sleek and classy design, with more focus given to the soft edges, rounded design elements and smoothing of the angles. The teased image, in contrast, has almost an industrial feel to it. The speaker in the video also appears smaller than the Boombox series.
Again, unlikely that this is the new Boombox model.
What About The Charge 6?
Perusing through the comments on the post, most people seem to think that this could be the new JBL Charge 6, which we had expected to see announced at CES earlier in the year. When it comes to flagship releases, the Charge most closely matches the size in the video.
It also seems more likely that the Charge would include some form of carry handle, as it’s one of the only JBL flagships in that size range not to include some form of carry assistance. At this point it’s been 4 years since the release of its predecessor, the JBL Charge 5.
What Else Could It Be?
Another possibility is that the speaker being teased by JBL isn’t a new version of an existing release, and instead is an entirely new range of speakers that the company is looking to release soon.
