Thursday, March 25, 2021

JBL Xtreme 3 Portable Bluetooth Speaker Hands-on

Partying is discouraged right now because of the pandemic. However, that doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy your tunes. While you can start with as small as the JBL Clip 4, sometimes you need something bigger but still portable. That’s where the JBL Xtreme 3 Portable Bluetooth Speaker comes in. Find out what we think of this device below.

The JBL Xtreme 3, as the name suggests, is the third iteration of JBL’s Xtreme line of splashproof portable speakers. Measuring 11.73 x 5.4 x 5.24″ and 1.83kg in weight, it’s a pretty chunky and hefty device that would require holding it with two hands.

It’s got the metallic JBL logo on the front with the LED indicator below it to let you know its battery level. Hiding behind it are four drivers.

Up top are two metal hooks for the strap, the PartyBoost button that lets you link it to other JBL speakers with the same function, the volume down and volume up buttons, the Play button, and illuminated power and Bluetooth pairing buttons.

Speaking of the strap, it has metal carabiners with a built-in metal bottle opener, great for drinking parties. It’s cool that you can easily carry this around if there’s no place to place it safely.

At the back is a cover is a USB Type-A port for charging other devices, USB-C for charging the speaker and other devices, and a 3.5mm aux port.

At the bottom are rubber ribs to keep the speaker stable on a flat surface.

Found on both sides of the speaker are the dual-passive radiators to enhance the lows. Surrounding it are hard plastic nubs that also serve its feet when positioned vertically.

The JBL Xtreme 3 is a pretty well-made device with fabric tight wrapped around it, while the rest of the body is made of high-quality plastics. JBL doesn’t say that it’s shock-resistant, but it feels like it could handle some minor bumps.

What it’s good at is resisting water dust, thanks to its IP67-rated body so that you can take it with you to the pool or beach, and you won’t have to worry about the elements damaging it.

Pairing is easy. Upon switching on, the speaker is already ready for pairing via Bluetooth 5.1. Just go to your smartphone’s settings and select the JBL Xtreme 3.

When it comes to audio quality, as expected, it’s loud. The bass is deep, clean, and very audible. In higher volumes, you can feel it rumbling. However, we noticed that it puts more emphasis on the mids and highs, which means vocals, strings, and percussions are crisp and well-detailed. However, it tends to overpower the lows in higher volumes. Still, it’s a good speaker for indoor use or small outdoor parties.

When it comes to battery, the JBL Xtreme 3 has a 3.63Wh battery and can provide 15 hours of playtime, which is really good. Charging the battery will take 2.5 hours.

Although the JBL Xtreme 3 is a perfect speaker for outdoor parties, we still see it as a great indoor speaker. Aside from using it to play our favorite tunes, we also used it to boost the audio of our TV, smartphone or tablet, when we’re watching Netflix. We’re pretty sure that this speaker will survive the pandemic and be ready for the time that we can party again outdoors.

The JBL Xtreme 3 is now priced at PHP 16,149. See the listing here.

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