Solid Sound in the Palm of Your Hand

Summary

• The JBL Go 4 offers big JBL sound and punchy bass in a small package.
• Enjoy up to 7 hours of playtime on a single charge with the JBL Go 4.
• Available in 9 colors for $50, it’s a portable and affordable option, too.

The JBL Go 4 may not be the biggest, loudest, or most feature-packed Bluetooth speaker I’ve ever tested, but I didn’t think twice about immediately buying one for a family member when I finished my review. It’s hard to beat the price of this one, friends!

Price and Availability

The JBL Go 4 sells for $50 and is available in nine colors, including Black, Black & Orange, Blue, Pink, Purple, Red, Sand, Squad, and White. You can purchase the Bluetooth speaker through retailers like Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart, and directly through JBL.

Designed to Go Anywhere

I always like it when a Bluetooth speaker is available in numerous colors, and the bite-sized JBL Go 4 doesn’t disappoint. There are nine colorways to choose from, making it easy to score one of these small audio devices for a picky family member. JBL sent me the black unit to demo, which includes red trimming around the JBL logo on the front of the speaker.

Most of the Go 4 is wrapped in recycled canvas material, with silicone stoppers located on the sides and back of the speaker. You’ll find playback and volume controls at the top of the Go 4 in the form of tactile buttons. Recessed buttons on the left include power, Bluetooth pairing, and Auracast pairing, plus a status LED. The right side of the speaker contains a built-in lanyard loop and a USB-C charging port.

Out of the box, my test unit was ready to use in literally seconds. All I had to do was power the speaker, press the Bluetooth pairing button, and pair my iPhone 12 to the Go 4. I was also glad to see that the JBL Portable app (available on Android and iPhone) was able to detect the speaker right away.

Additional box contents include a USB-A to USB-C charging cable and a quick start guide. The JBL Go 4 also has an IP67 ingress protection rating, making it dust-tight and submersible in up to three feet of water for 30 minutes or less.

Plenty of Punch

Running Bluetooth 5.3 and capable of outputting just over 4 watts, the JBL Go 4 delivers a bass-forward sound signature that doesn’t trample over the treble range. And while 4 watts may not sound like much on paper, I was pleasantly surprised by the speaker’s sound quality.

Tracks like Untethered Angel by Dream Theater are packed with the kind of sonic punch and crunchy rock guitars that just beg to be played loudly. At max volume (and a rung or two below that), you may find that certain tracks start losing details you’ve heard a million times before. This mostly has to do with how small the Go 4 is, though I also noticed a significant drop-off in the soundstage when the speaker wasn’t facing me directly.

It’s also worth mentioning that because the Go 4 only has a single 1.75-inch woofer, all stereo signals are downmixed to mono. The only way you’ll be able to experience an accurate stereo soundstage is by linking two Go 4 speakers together.

While big backyards may not be the best for the Go 4’s moderate projection capabilities, smaller to medium-sized outdoor spaces are more the Go 4’s speed.

If you’re not a fan of the default sound, you’ll be able to pop into the JBL Portable app to cycle between a few EQ presets. You’ll even have the option to create your own!

Lots of Life

JBL claims that the Go 4 should last up to seven hours on a full charge. While I never had to recharge the speaker completely, I was glad to use the speaker’s Playtime Boost feature, which automatically adjusts the Go 4’s EQ for optimized battery life.

It should take just over two hours to charge the JBL Go 4 from zero to 100%.

There’s an App for That

The JBL Portable app is available for iPhone and Android devices and is brand-new for the JBL Go 4. I’m a big fan of simple, smooth, and intuitive AV companion apps, especially when it comes to audio devices. Not only did I think the JBL Portable app ran like a charm on my iPhone 12, but I also enjoyed the small batch of extra features it introduced, too.

The main dashboard shows you how much battery life your speaker has left, along with EQ presets, the Playtime Boost toggle, a button for stereo grouping, and a product information tab. Tap the latter to access additional settings, as well as a digitized version of the quick start guide that comes in the box.

Should You Buy the JBL Go 4?

If you’ve got $50 burning a hole in your pocket, get yourself (or someone you love) a JBL Go 4 speaker right now! As I’ve indicated, I did just that the moment I finished typing up my review, and I couldn’t have been happier.

Yes, there are Bluetooth speakers that cost more and sound far bigger and better than this pocket-sized device, but it’s hard to say no to the performance, portability, and price of this JBL product. I also recommend checking out our reviews of the JBL Charge 5 and the Bose SoundLink Home if you’re looking for a slightly larger Bluetooth speaker.