Phone speakers have improved over the years, moving from completely terrible to tolerable to, in some cases, even enjoyable.
However, they still sound tinny and distorted compared with a dedicated Bluetooth speaker, which is why I have been looking for a quick, low-cost replacement for my phone speakers. The JBL Go 4 for £28 at Amazon caught my eye.
It packs more wallop and musicality than my measly built-in phone speakers could hope to achieve, and, thanks to its small size, it’s just as portable as any mobile.
The JBL Go 4 was clearly designed with portability in mind. Our test team described the speaker as similar in size to a bar of soap, making it the perfect compact companion to take to the park, a BBQ or whatever holiday destination you travel to this summer.
It's just as durable as it is portable, too – the IP67 rating means it is waterproof enough to use in the shower and rugged enough to handle the strains of the outdoors. Our review sample was certainly put through its paces and showed no signs of wear and tear despite being sprayed with a hose and dropped on various surfaces.
And the all-important sound? When compared with phone audio, there’s simply no contest.
“In a straight sonic competition with the best that your phone can handle, and quite a few larger Bluetooth competitors, the Go 4 is supreme,” our JBL Go 4 review reads.
“We’re still so impressed by how the JBL's taut bass, restrained trebles and smooth mids combine to craft a marvellously coherent sonic picture.”
To top it all off, battery life is a solid seven hours – rising to nine if you use the Playtime Boost feature – while Auracast compatibility lets you pair two Go 4s together in stereo or hook up multiple compatible JBL speakers.
Bluetooth Multipoint lets you connect the Go 4 to two sources simultaneously, and there is also app support with a five-band customisable equaliser.
For a pocket-sized upgrade to your phone speakers, it won't get much better than this – especially for only £28 at Amazon.
If you are willing to shell out a tad extra for more openness and refinement, we also recommend these tried and tested alternatives below:
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