JBL Flip 7 brings bigger sound to a more rugged design
Improved sound, AI Sound Boost, more rugged, PushLock system, improved battery life, Auracast and Lossless audio, all come to the JBL Flip 7.
The Flip series represents a mid point in JBL’s portable Bluetooth speakers, which range from $60 to over $600. Generally speaking, as you work your way up the price ladder, you can expect bigger sound in a bigger package. At $150, JBL Flip 7 strikes a nice balance in portability and sound, plus with several new features, it’s a better value than ever.
What hasn’t changed massively is the shape, size and weight. The Flip 7 continues the cylindrical design established in previous generation. It measures 182.5 x 69.5 x 71.5 mm and weighs 560g, which is roughly the same as the Flip 6, if a little longer. There’s a USB-C port for charging and charge indicator, but unfortunately there’s no USB-C cable included in the box.
There are buttons on the speaker, including play/pause/skip/previous track, volume up, volume down, Auracast, power and Bluetooth.
One new addition to the external design is a PushLock system. This lets you install interchangeable accessories, such as a wrist strap and carabiner, which are both included in the box. It will be interesting to see if JBL or third-parties build out this system.
Flip 7 has a more rugged design than the Flip 6. Flip 7 is drop-proof, dustproof and waterproof, with an IP68 rating, covering up to 1.5 meters of submersion for up to 30 minutes. Drop-proofing has been tested at 1 meter onto concrete.
Under the hood, there’s a 45 x 80 mm woofer and new 16mm tweeter dome design. The Flip 7 supports JBL Pro Sound with AI Sound Boost to improve sound. AI analyzes music in real-time to reduce distortion at higher volumes. To further increase audio quality, the USB-C charge port can also be used as a lossless audio input, from compatible connected device and audio sources.
The Flip 7 connects to devices via Bluetooth 5.4. As with the last generation, you can connect to up to two devices simultaneously, but new for this year is the addition of Auracast. This allows you to use two Flip 7 speakers as a stereo pair for a wider soundstage, or connect multiple Auracast enabled JBL speakers. JBL started rolling out Auracast to its speakers last year, including JBL Xtreme 4, Clip 5, or Go 4.
The JBL Portable app can be used to access support, updates and customize audio controls to get the speaker sounding just how you like.
The final big update compared to the previous generation is the battery life. Flip 7 claims 14 hours on a single change, with an extra 2 hours when Playtime Boost is enabled. Similarly to low power mode in phones, this feature turns on an EQ preset that reduces bass frequencies and lowers sound quality in favor or juice. The speaker charges via USB-C.
