So the new JBL Clip 4 is actually a very capable ultra portable booth speaker that sounds significantly better than its predecessor and its also been upgraded to USB C charging. And when compared to the rest of the competition… the Clip 4 fares pretty well. But if you’re someone that looking into getting an ultra portable bluetooth… today we’re going to compared the JBL Clip 4 to the Bose Soundlink Micro and Sony XB12. 

Now when it comes to pricing its a little all over the place. The Sony XB12 has a retail price of $60. Where as the JBL Clip 4 has a retail price of $70 and the Bose Soundlink Micro has a retail price of $100. Now if you’re someone that looking for a small bluetooth speaker for like your bedroom you’re better off just going with either the Sony XB23 or JBL Flip 5. They sound much better and they get significantly louder cause they’re 20 watt speakers where as these other speakers are like 5 watts or less. 

These small ultra portable Bluetooth speakers are for people who just want something tiny that they can clip on to their backpack or bike while they’re out exercising. Nonetheless if you want to pick any of these speakers up they’ll be linked down below. 

Now first off lets talk about the designs of these speakers. Now all of these speakers are tiny and they all have durability in mind. They’re all water proof so you don’t have to worry about them getting wet and they’re all rugged so you don’t have to worry about them getting scratched or roughed up. But objectively I do gotta say the sony has the lead durable feeling body here cause it does have a soft touch outside.  

Where as the JBL has a mostly fabric body with a metal outline so it does feel more durable than the Sony… but then there’s the bose which has a fully rubber body don’t not only feels super premium… it also feels the most durable here. But feel aside I think one of the major differentiating factors between these 3 speakers design wise is just going to be their ability to attach themselves to stuff. 

Now even though the Clip 4 has a new an improved carabiner thats significantly wider than its predecessors, so you should have an easier time clipping this speaker on to stuff… I do feel its the most limited here. Where as the Bose has this elastic strap on the back so you can attach it either to your backpacks shoulder strap or you can attach it to your bike’s handle bar. But just keep in mind this strap isn’t SUPER elastic. 

And then there’s the Sony which has this simple nylon loop. You can easily hand on this speaker on either a tree branch or fence… and if you need you can always just unbutton this and attach it to you back pack. The only thing is that if you were to attach this to your backpack or bike than this speaker is just going to be swinging around which could be annoying for some people. 

But now lets talk about tech specs, since the clip 4 is the newest speaker here thankfully it charge via a USB C port… where as since these other speakers are a little older they still charge via a micro USB port which I do feel is somewhat an inconvenience in 2021. 

Now when it comes to battery life it is a little all over the place… now the XB12 has the longest advertised battery life here of 16 hours… but it is a 3.5 watt speaker. Meaning that this speaker isn’t going to get as loud or have as much bass as like lets say the JBL Clip 4 which is a 5 watt and it has an advertised battery life 10 hours which I think is pretty decent. 

Now the Bose Sound link micro gets just as loud as the Clip 4 and has as much bass… but it only has an advertised battery life of 6 hours which I think is just way too little. So over all when it comes to battery life I think im going to have to give it to the Clip 4 cuase you get good sound along with decent battery life… But if you want something with the longest battery life than you could go with the Sony but you are going to sacrifice sound, which you’ll see during the sound test.

Now when it comes to connectivity… all of these speakers have solid bluetooth connections and they all have zero latency across the board when watching movies or videos on your phone which is great for podcasts. However only the Bose can be connected to 2 devices at the same time where as the JBL and Sony can only be connected to one device at a time. 

And only the Sony has an audio jack where as these other two speakers don’t have an audio jack. Now I don’t mind not having an audio jack on a speaker of this size… but I do think it something to keep in mind depending on your set up. 

But now lets talk about listening to music with these speakers. Like I mentioned earlier the Sony XB12 is a 3.5 watt speaker. So it does have the least amount of bass here and it also doesn’t get as loud as these other speakers. Cause the Sony is playing at Max volume here where as these other two speakers are playing at 95 percent volume. 

So like you may have just heard all three of these speakers sound very different from one another. The Sony sounds very narrow and very nasally when compared to these other two speakers. Now the Bose Soundlink Micro has an impressive amount of bass to it for its size… but it does sound a little shallow cuase the mids are a little recessed. 

But then there’s the clip 4 which I think is the best sounding speaker here. Just like the Bose Soundlink Micro, the Clip 4 has an impressive amount of bass for its size… but unlike the bose it doesn’t sound as shallow cause there is a slight emphasis on the mids and highs which I think is a good thing for a speaker like this that you’ll mainly be using while out doors cuase its sound is going to be able to travel out a little farther. 

But when it comes to max volume I gotta say the Bose and JBL are evenly matched… but the Sony is trailing behind here a little bit. 

But finally lets talk about pairing these speakers up with other speakers. Now unfortunately the JBL Clip 4 doesn’t have party boost so you can’t pair it up to any other JBL speakers that have party boost like either a JBL Boombox 2, an Xtreme 3, Flip 5 or JBL Pulse 4. And I do think this is unfortunate cause I was rallying hoping the Clip 4 would finally get party boost. 

Then there’s the Sony XB12 which you can wirelessly pair up with on other Sony XB12 and get lets and right stereo sound going. But you can’t wirelessly pair it up to any of Sony’s larger speakers like either a Sony XB41, XB32, XB22, XB32 or XB21. 

But then there’s the Bose Soundlink micro which you can pair it up to other soundlink speakers like either another Soundlink Micro, or a sound link color, or a sound link revolve. But you can’t pair it up to any of Bose’s newer products like either any of the Smart sound bars or portable smart speakers.

So with all the being said if you’re looking for an ultra portable Bluetooth speaker to take with you either for when you’re walking the dog, on a hike or to attach it to your bike… I think the Clip 4 is gonna give you the most complete package. It sounds good, it has a decent battery life and it charges via a USB C port. The only draw back is that its carabiner could be a little limited, it doesn’t have an audio jack, and you can’t pair it up to any other speakers. 

But I do think the Clip 4 is a better value than the Bose Soundlink Micro cuase for me I think a 6 hour battery life just isn’t going to cut it. Now even though the Sony XB12 has an advertised battery life of 16 hours… just keep in mind you’re really going to have to sacrifice on sound quality.