JBL Grip Bluetooth Speaker: Review

Another Bluetooth speaker comes hurtling into the marketplace and with it, the idea that really, there's no need for JBL to keep releasing speakers for their own range, given how great some of the prior releases are.

And yet, the Grip, with its smaller size and portability, makes a definitive case for having its place in the line-up, thanks to superlative sound from a small speaker.

Weirdly, JBL's decided that aesthetically, what this speaker needs on the back is a neon strip that lights up - sure, it sets it apart from the rest of the range, but it also feels like a strange design element to bring to the table. Yet it comes to the fore, once the app is used and you can set up a light show for it to play along with whatever tunes it is that you're choosing to play.

In terms of sound, this small stack delivers in spade. Bassy tunes such as Darude's SandStorm and Pulp's Common People all handled the jandal, delivering crisp audio that didn't distort at higher levels meant the Grip has more than enough to ensure the sound quality is consistent for whatever's being done.

Designed to stand tall, the Grip certainly doesn't stand out in any kind of line-up and has one of those simple designs that means it looks like it's just going to blend in anywhere as opposed to being the centre of attention. At just 385 grams, it's more than portable and feeling like the kind of material you get on a bike handlebar, the speaker is definitely solid enough to hold its own if you want to rough house it and take out on bikes, on walks or just leave it going.

Simple connection via Bluetooth means that you're up and running before you're even aware you need to connect and moving the device around hasn't caused any loss of latency either. Battery life is around 12 hours, which is a little on the short side, and the fact it's a USB-C connector without one out of the box does feel somewhat of a cheap move from JBL.

The thing to remember with the Grip is that it's a device that's all about just picking up and going, and while it does provide an excellent quality of sound for its size, it's not a device that's aimed at giving you an audiophile's experience of listening.

A rough'n'tumble speaker is no bad thing and in truth, the JBL Grip does its absolute best for its size - thanks to its sound output and solid design, it feels durable enough to last for a long time and never drops off any of what its ambitions should be - to blast out tunes and ensure that you've always got it to hand for when you're on the move.