Purchased JBL FLIP 5 on November 2020. I had high expectations because I have some JBL professional equipment. FLIP 5 arrived today; set it up almost instantly. 20 watts and it sounds really good. Plays my iPhone music very well and it's cute.
The only reason the price on this speaker is so low is because, while it's a great speaker, it has partyboost mode which means you can't connect to any other jbl speaker available. On top of that, it's still on bluetooth 4.2 and gives only slightly more range. Once this is updated to offer connect+ I'll get one to go with my charge 4.
The sound is a definite upgrade for the Flip 4, however it DOES sound noticeably more compressed. I have 2 major complaints with this speaker, and ALL buyers should know: 1. THIS DOES NOT LINK WITH ANYTHING USING CONNECT+. Per their own tech support, none of the old speakers will pair with the new ones. The Flip 5 currently ONLY pairs with other 5s, the Pulse 4, and the Boombox 2. 2. The Bluetooth version is old, and there's no excuse for this is accordance with its release date.
Response from jbl.comBy Mario at Customer Service, Customer Support, November 18, 2020
We appreciate the feedback you've provided to us. We understand that our JBL Flip 5 did not meet your expectations. We're always looking for ways to improve so we'll make sure to submit your feedback to the right department.