The Tiny JBL Clip 5 Bluetooth Speaker Hasn’t Been This Cheap Since Christmas

If I only had a quarter every time I saw one of these clipped to some person’s backpack or dangling from their bicycle’s handlebars. This isn’t a speaker meant to light up the sound waves of a house party, or even a pool party.

This is a speaker for providing a personal soundtrack for you as you move about town or relax on a quiet beach with a blanket, or clipped to your backpack on walks across campus.

And right now, ahead of Memorial Day and all the beach hangouts and backyard barbecues that entails, it’s on a deal that I haven’t seen since the buying season leading up to Christmas 2024.

the jbl clip 5’s features

All the Bluetooth speakers I’ve used have, sooner or later, been exposed to dust and water. That means beach sand, campsite grit, and floating backyard dander, not to mention errant pool splashes and sprinkler jets.

The Clip 5 is IP67-rated, meaning it’s completely sealed against dust and can survive submersion in water a meter deep for up to 30 minutes. Worn on the outside of your backpack, as is common with these Clip 5 speakers, it’ll survive a surprise rainstorm. Or fumbled into the shallow end of a pool, it’ll be just fine.

JBL says you should expect up to 12 hours of playback between recharges of its internal battery (via a USB-C cable). Any speaker’s stated battery life varies based on usage, though, so if you like your music loud, expect to drain the electric juice more quickly.

Twelve hours of playback isn’t bad for such a compact device. It measures just 3.4″ across. For anyone who’s tired of always having to pop in earbuds to pass the time listening to tunes, audiobooks, or podcasts, the Clip 5 is an ideal alternative.

Just don’t listen to it on a crowded train, I beg you.