A Tiny Way to Be Big Loud

There are a lot of ways to be loud and annoying. For example, there’s snoring—a timeless classic that is not only loud, but also deprives you and others of sleep, killing two very depressing birds with one stone. Then there are more vestigial and niche forms of being obnoxious, like yodeling, which, if done outside of the Swiss Alps, feels like more of a cry for attention than anything else.

But those are nothing when you enter Bluetooth speakers into the equation. In the year of our lord, 2025, thanks to Bluetooth connectivity and LTE, there are hundreds of ways to be loud and annoying, and a lot of them will cost you. You’ve got premium options like Bose’s SoundLink Plus, which bring style and finesse to the Bluetooth speaker game, and then there are more rugged options like the Soundcore Boom 3i that you can literally throw in a pool. But what if style, durability, or even sound aren’t your top priority? What if you’re looking for a small way to sound really big? Well, if that’s your jam, JBL’s $100 Grip might have just what you need.

The tall boy of Bluetooth speakers

When I first saw JBL’s Grip, I dubbed it the “tall boy of Bluetooth speakers,” and now, having held the Grip in my hand and having laid eyes on it for myself… I stand by that claim. The Grip is all about the size, which in this case, is similar to a “can of seltzer” according to JBL, or if you’re a hoodlum like me, then a tall boy. For proof of its tall boy-ness, I put the Grip side-by-side with a can that equals one pint. Here’s the Grip next to a Narragansett for your viewing pleasure:

While the Grip resembles a tall boy in size, it actually weighs less—this speaker is only 385g, which makes it both lightweight and compact, which is good because portability is what JBL is going for here. That’s also why there’s a loop on the top of the speaker so you can strap the Grip to a belt, or a bag, or maybe clip it to your bike to blast tunes while you get some cardio in. I didn’t strap the Grip to anything for my testing, but I did carry it around Manhattan and can confirm that it’s not very burdensome.

See JBL Grip at Amazon

Don’t let the size and portability fool you, though; the Grip is no slouch in the volume department. The first thing I noticed when I played the Grip out loud in my office was that it really cranks. There’s 16W of power in this tiny speaker, which doesn’t sound like a ton, but believe me when I say it holds its own. While using the Grip in the park, I was able to drown out music from some live jazz being played in the vicinity. To be honest, I didn’t even know there was live music happening near me until I decided to pause the Grip momentarily.

Sound-wise, you’re not going to get the same nuance as a bigger Bluetooth speaker from Bose or even a bigger portable speaker like JBL’s Charge 5 (which I also own), but that’s not really the point of a speaker this size. What you want out of a speaker like the Grip is portability with a sound that is good enough, and I’d say that’s exactly what the Grip brings to the table. It does a decent job with treble (vocals are clear), though you won’t catch much complexity in the midrange where guitars live. Bass isn’t particularly booming, obviously, but I played some Daft Punk while walking around outside, and it didn’t sound bereft of low end. Overall, I’d say this speaker did better in a rock genre (I played a few of my favorite tracks by Geese), but your mileage may vary.

Needless to say, this isn’t the speaker you want if you’re trying to fill a room with sound, but if you’re just trying to grab a speaker to bring on a hike, or a picnic, or to the beach/park for a casual hang, there’s no reason not to grab a Grip—especially if you’re low on space.

Tall boy, smaller battery

As is the case with any gadget that emphasizes portability, battery life is always in question. The JBL Grip is rated for 14 hours of battery, though that will depend on the volume. I wasn’t able to test the Grip battery life extensively, but in my usage, the Grip seems to hold up as advertised, if not better. I tested the Grip, using the speaker at about 50% volume for an hour. I started my test at 40% battery, and by the time I was done listening, I was only at about 37%. Obviously, 50% volume is a little lower than what most people will be listening to out in the wild, but it’s still a decent showing from a small speaker. If you’re blaring this thing, you can obviously expect less.

The Grip has some character outside of the portability, too. There’s (of course) a companion app that you can use to fine-adjust EQ (seven whole bands) and switch between EQ presets. You can also monitor battery life using the JBL Portable app and use your phone to choose the color of the LED on the back of the speaker. One nice touch is being able to set the LED component to have different lighting effects via the app. There’s nothing super practical about being able to do any of that, but I guess if you were worried about losing your speaker in the dark, it might actually come in handy. I would have loved to see that feature turned into a battery indicator so you can tell how much juice you have left in the Grip at a glance, but using it for a little extra personalization is fine. I like being able to toggle lighting effects in particular, to give it some extra flair.

Another nice-to-have feature is an IP68 water and dust rating, which means this speaker is basically as water-resistant as an actual can of beer. To test that out, I gave the Grip a nice little shower in the sink, running it under water for a couple of minutes. Luckily, the Grip survived my test and came out a little soggy, but fully functional and able to play music just as well as before. It doesn’t float or anything like Soundcore’s Boom 3i speaker, which I tested not long ago, but you definitely don’t have to worry about dropping the Grip in a pool or leaving it out in the rain by accident.

Nothing to write home about the button selection here. On the front, there’s a play/pause button and a volume up and down. On top, there’s a Bluetooth button for pairing, a power button, and a button for Auracast, which lets you pair multiple speakers together, if that’s something you’re interested in.

Should you get a Grip?

JBL’s Grip isn’t for everyone. If you’re an audiophile looking for the best possible sound, this is not your pick. Nor is this the best pick if you’re looking for the most of lots of things, including features, battery, or even use in water. That being said, it does strike a solid balance of all of those arenas that should be on the radar if you’re looking for a speaker that’s very portable.

I do wish the price was a little lower than $100, considering speakers like the Soundcore Boom 3i, which do a few things very well and only cost $30 more. Sure, maybe Soundcore’s floatable speaker isn’t quite as small, but it’s still pretty damn portable, a lot more durable, and comes with more features than you would ever expect in that price range. I’m left wondering after testing the JBL Grip if the difference in size is really all that special. If you’re carrying a backpack around with enough room, will you really need the space? If you’re hiking, and every gram counts, that’s a different story.

So, if you’re emphasizing size above all else and you want something that sounds decent and won’t be overpowered by environmental noise, then you might want to look JBL’s way and grab a nice tall glass of Bluetooth audio. And if size doesn’t matter to you, then there are tons of other options out there, though maybe none quite as beer-like.

See JBL Grip at Amazon