JBL GO 3 review

JBL has made a real name for itself as one of the big contenders in the outdoor Bluetooth speaker market with its Flip, Clip, and Charge lines, among others. The JBL GO 3 represents a pretty significant aesthetic departure from its predecessor. Gone is the anonymous rectangular design, replaced with a rubberized, ruggedized, compact little unit, ready to go out on hikes or to the pool.

Is this refresh enough to set it apart?

Editors note: This article was updated on September 8, 2023, and again on August 22nd, 2024, to correct formatting and verbiage. 

What is it like to use the JBL GO 3?

Plenty of Bluetooth speakers make incremental changes with successive entries, so it’s surprising to see how much of a departure the JBL GO 3 represents. In many ways, this portable Bluetooth speaker has more in common with something like the UE WONDERBOOM line than with the plain plastic rectangle that is the GO 2.

The new GO 3 is a mostly plastic affair, as before, but it comes with quite a few new physical features. The speaker is rounded, ovalesque, and covered in tight-knit fabric and rubberized plastic. Like the GO 2, the sound comes out of one side (emblazoned with the JBL logo), with the other covered in a plastic patch so the speaker can lay flat without sliding around. The fabric covering most of the JBL GO 3 has just the right texture, so it’s always easy to grip.

Also new to the JBL GO 3 is a fabric loop for hanging the speaker from a hook or clipping it to a bag. The loop is permanently affixed to the speaker and is convenient if you want something you can hang up and forget about for an afternoon. Though the loop is small, it’s big enough to hang off a shower caddy.

Using the JBL GO 3 is a cinch. The cloth edge above the JBL logo sports three rather high-profile buttons for adjusting the volume and playback. Because they’re big and distinctively shaped, making volume adjustments by feel is easy. Apart from that, the speaker also has two buttons on the end opposite its strap for power and Bluetooth pairing — just tap the pairing button, and once you hear the guitar strum, select the speaker from your device’s Bluetooth menu. The speaker isn’t compatible with the JBL Portable app, so what you see initially is all you get.

Is the JBL GO 3 waterproof?

The JBL GO 3 is IP67 rated for dust and water resistance, which means it’s reasonably dustproof and can handle full submersion in up to one meter of water for 30 minutes. While it’s plenty durable, this isn’t ideal for someone looking for a pool speaker because it doesn’t float. You can play music all you like, and even when the cloth covering is soaked through, the speaker sounds fine, but as soon as it goes in the pool, it’s going straight to the bottom and taking your tunes with it.

How different is the JBL GO 3 from the JBL GO 2?

The JBL GO 3 and GO 2 are very different products, with dramatically different looks and a handful of differences under the hood. As mentioned above, the JBL GO 3 brings an IP67 rating, a step up from the GO 2’s IPX7 rating, which guarantees a great degree of water resistance but offers no dust resistance. The JBL GO 3 also drops the micro-USB charging port for USB-C. The fabric loop is also a new addition.

However, it’s not all upgrades. The JBL GO 2 is priced similarly to the GO 3 and supports wired audio over 3.5mm. It also includes a speakerphone, so if you’re out at the beach and you get a call, you can take it without unpairing your devices (though everyone nearby will hear both sides of the conversation). The GO 2 also comes in many more colors, with 12 different options, compared to the Go 3’s five colorways.

How does the JBL GO 3 connect?

The JBL GO 3 is a Bluetooth speaker that uses the 5.1 firmware to connect to your device of choice. It only supports the SBC codec, which is disappointing but not terribly surprising — outdoor speakers rarely go in for high-quality codecs like aptX or AAC. This is fine seeing how the GO 3 serves as an adventure speaker, though you may run into some audio-visual lag if you watch videos while paired to it.

There is no 3.5mm port for wired listening, and you cannot use the USB-C charging port for audio. The speaker also doesn’t support Bluetooth multipoint.

How is the battery?

JBL claims the GO 3 can last up to 5 hours on a single charge, but our testing found that it exceeds that well. At a constant output of ~75dB, the JBL GO 3 lasted 10 hours and 14 minutes on a single charge, more than double what was advertised. If you’re out in the yard blasting some tunes, you’re almost certainly going to have the volume higher than that, which will impact battery life.

The speaker takes about two and a half hours to charge over USB-C. It doesn’t support fast charging.

How does the JBL GO 3 sound?

The JBL GO 3 isn’t the highest-fidelity speaker, but it doesn’t need to be. You won’t have trouble hearing most details in music on the patio, though nothing will sound perfect. If you’re using this in the places it’s designed to go, you’ll have to get used to sacrificing nuance for convenience. When you’re outside, many nuances that a very accurate frequency response will bring out are entirely lost. Maybe a car drives by, the wind picks up, or you’re just a little too far away — basically, you’ll only get the broad strokes, regardless of a portable speaker’s capabilities.

Lows, mids, and highs

The JBL GO 3 generally does an excellent job of ensuring vocals come through clearly. In Superfast Jellyfish by the Gorillaz, the rapping near the beginning of the song is clear and loud, though the bass guitar and kick drum fall a little to the wayside — they’re still both plenty audible. Still, they lack the typical oomph you’d hear listening over a pair of headphones.

However, the nature of outdoor speakers means that, apart from broadly decent sound (which the GO 3 has), the most important thing is volume. Given the size of the JBL GO 3, its volume output is impressive. This should be able to cover most patios and small backyards without issue.

Should you buy the JBL GO 3?

If you want a cheap speaker that works pretty much everywhere, with pretty much everything, you should consider the JBL GO 3. It’s a neat little device on-premise. For $39.99 USD, you get a loud, compact Bluetooth speaker well-suited to the backyard or the backwoods. This is easy to use and a big improvement over the JBL GO 2 as an outdoor speaker. However, that doesn’t mean it’s without quibbles.

It’s disappointing that this waterproof speaker doesn’t float, but that’s a minor issue. If it’s something you care about, the UE WONDERBOOM 2 offers pretty much all the same features, and it floats, though it is around $30 USD more expensive. Additionally, the fact that the JBL GO 3’s strap is so small limits where you can hang it, and the lack of any sort of clip makes attaching it to something like a backpack a little less convenient than it could be. (Then again, you can always add your own carabiner to the loop.) However, if you’re just looking for something cheap and easy for a trip to the beach, you could do much worse than the JBL GO 3.

What about the JBL Clip 4?

The JBL Clip 4 is an excellent alternative to the GO 3 for listeners who want an even louder output and a more robust, versatile carry system. The Clip features an integrated carabiner that’s easy to operate single-handedly when placing it onto a backpack. Sound quality is quite good for a speaker this small, and while the bass response won’t blow you away, it will satisfy you more than what the GO 3 offers. Like the GO 3, the Clip 4 has an IP67 rating and a USB-C charging port.

Unfortunately, the JBL Clip 4 still lacks software features, and if you want to sync multiple JBL speakers, you’ll need to upgrade to the larger JBL Charge or Flip series. You could also check out the Tribit Stormbox Micro, which is around the same price as the GO 3 and has almost all the same features. It also has a microphone so you can answer phone calls.

Frequently asked questions about the JBL Go 3