Outrageous Prime Day wireless speaker deal sees five-star JBL hit its lowest-ever price

How do you improve the Charge 5? Add wi-fi and cut the price!

The standard JBL Charge 5 is easily one of our favourite portable products, consistently featuring on our list of the best Bluetooth speakers and earning its place as a modern classic of the genre. We love it and, if you're hunting for a portable pal during October Prime Day, it should definitely be on your radar.

An alternative option, however, should also be considered. The excellent Charge 5 received a rather super spin-off last year in the shape of the Charge 5 Wi-Fi, with the new twist adding a slightly larger woofer than the original and, as the name suggests, the considerable boon of wi-fi connectivity.

Those updates saw JBL charge £230 for the Charge 5 Wi-Fi, around £60 more than the launch price of the standard model. Happily, that figure has plummeted to just £158 at Amazon thanks to a generous 30 per cent discount, the lowest price we've seen thus far.

JBL Charge 5 Wi-Fi Bluetooth speaker deal

JBL Charge 5 Wi-Fi was £230 now £158 at Amazon (save £72)
The lowest-ever price yet on this superb, five-star take on one of our favourite Bluetooth speakers. The JBL Charge 5 Wi-Fi takes everything we love about the Bluetooth-only original and adds wi-fi connectivity as well as a slightly sharpened sonic profile. Want Airplay 2, Spotify Connect and Alexa Multiroom added to an all-time classic, plus over 30 per cent off? Of course you do. Five stars

View Deal

We didn't think that the JBL Charge 5 could be improved all that much when we tested it a few years back, yet we're just as enamoured with the newer model as we were by the original. The Charge 5 Wi-Fi is an outstanding spin-off of a multi-Award winner, adding wi-fi-boosted features, a cleaner sound and a few aesthetic tweaks to one of our favourite – and one of the most popular – Bluetooth speakers.

The solidity, ruggedness and durability all remain (the Wi-Fi winner is IP67-rated for dust and water resistance), yet the true differences are revealed in the name. This 2023 model adds Spotify Connect, AirPlay 2 and Alexa Multiroom to the party, not to mention the bonus of JBL self-tuning which calibrates and optimises the speaker's sound given its location in a given environment. And yes, it can still charge your phone via the provided USB-A port.

Sonically, the Charge 5 Wi-Fi is just a little more refined than its classic counterpart, and while it isn't night and day, that slightly larger woofer gives a little more forthrightness and spark to proceedings than when played via standard Bluetooth. Hook up to the speaker via wi-fi and you'll receive more clarity and cleanliness from your tunes, as though they've all been polished and buffed for that extra sonic sparkle. 

While we await the arrival of a sequel to the 'standard' Charge (the next-gen JBL Charge 6 is surely coming next year), the Wi-Fi update is sure to stand the test of time as a premium variant. Check it out at Amazon if you're keen on a bargain.

Get the What Hi-Fi? Newsletter

The latest hi-fi, home cinema and tech news, reviews, buying advice and deals, direct to your inbox.

Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors

MORE:

Check out our JBL Charge 5 Wi-Fi review

These are the best Bluetooth speakers around

JBL Charge 5 vs JBL Charge 5 Wi-Fi: which five-star JBL speaker should you buy?

I've covered 11 Prime Day sales – these are the 4 deals I'd genuinely buy myself