The JBL Clip 5 is expected to release around Q3-Q4 in 2024 and is due for a release this year, based on a 2-year release rolling cycle of the previous JBL Clip speakers (which is long overdue for a new release). The Clip 5 will be expected to replace the JBL Clip 4 and should come with new and improved specs including an overdue update to the latest Bluetooth 5.3 version.
Currently, the JBL Clip 4 is one of the most compact and portable JBL speakers that delivers 5Ws of output power with a wide frequency range from 100 Hz to 20 kHz. It is slightly louder than the JBL Clip 3 and comes with several improved features with a stronger carabiner clip. The Clip 4 also resolves some of the low-level hissing noises that we felt were present on the Clip 3 speaker.
| JBL Clip Series | Release Date |
| JBL Clip 5 | Q3-Q4 2024 |
| JBL Clip 4 | 6 December 2020 |
| JBL Clip 3 | 6 January 2018 |
| JBL Clip 2 | 5 January 2016 |
| JBL Clip 1 | 30 June 2014 |
Sound Performance
In terms of sound performance, the JBL Clip 4 speaker is designed to deliver really nice JBL sound performance with crisp highs and good punchy bass. It has a noticeable louder 5W sound output and a wide frequency range of 100 Hz to 20 kHz. Although the speaker does not deliver much bass considering its small and compact size, the Clip 4 does deliver some occasional nice bass beats that sound rounded and with some depth. We really liked how well the Clip 4 speaker can handle any variety of music genres that you throw at it including EDM, rock and hip-hop – the beats on the Clip 4 sound punchy and are never muddy even at higher volume levels. At full volume, the Clip 4 has enough power to fill a small room with crystal clear sound and it’s also the perfect shower speaker due to its full waterproof design.
The JBL Clip 4 currently delivers 5Ws of output power which is slightly more than the Clip 3’s 3W of output power. In this regard, we expect the JBL Clip 5 to deliver somewhere in the range of 7 to 10 watts of output power as an added improvement. We should also expect to see improvements in the lower bass-range of the frequency response of the Clip 5 from around 80-90 Hz to 20 kHz at the upper end. This means that the Clip 5 should deliver slightly deeper bass that feels tighter and more punchy, based on the improvements that the Clip 4 demonstrated over the Clip 3.
Both the Clip 4 and the Clip 3 have the same battery life of 10 hours (with the Clip 4 using 5V compared to the Clip 3’s 3.7V). We expect the Clip 5 to deliver improved battery life of up to 12-14 hours which should be a suitable improvement considering that the Clip 4 speaker was released back in 2024 – which is nearly 4 years ago.
Expected Improvements
We expect the JBL Clip 5 to deliver slightly louder sound performance than the Clip 4 with an estimated wattage output between 7 to 10 watts. The JBL Clip 5 should also deliver deeper bass notes and possibly come with an integrated bass radiator to help to extend the lower-end bass response. The Clip 5 is expected to retain the JBL signature carabiner clip which allows you to easily attach the speaker to a backpack on carry on, and also retain its front rubberized buttons which allow you to change volume and pause or play music on the go. Having said that, we hope that the JBL Clip 5 can improve on the design of the carabiner clip and make it more sleek, as the currently Clip 4 carabiner is slightly thick which may prevent it from being attached to compact openings.
The current JBL Clip 4 is also IP67 waterproof and dustproof, and we expect the JBL Clip 5 to retain its IP67 waterproof rating so that you can bring it virtually anywhere outdoors.
What we hope to see
We really hope to see the JBL Clip 5 bring back the built-in microphone that was present in the JBL Clip 3 but removed in the Clip 4. The built-in microphone would be useful for taking hands free calls on the go especially if you are on an outdoor hiking adventure and need to switch between taking calls and listening to music on the go. We hope that the JBL Clip 5 would come with an integrated microphone that supports hands free calls as well as smart assistants for you to operate Google Assistant or Siri on the go.
We also hope that the JBL Clip 5 would retain much of its IP67 waterproof feature and improve on the design of its carabiner clip for it to attach to more compact spaces and thicker objects such as a belt, strap or buckle.