The JBL Flip 4 comes from a line of previous Flips that have all been affordably priced and built solid. They’ve all had the same cylindrical design, reminiscent of a pencil box. To add a shot of pizzaz, they come in different colours, supposedly to make them teen-friendly. When I last looked on Amazon though, only black was available.

The moment you pick a Flip 4 up, you’ll realise that it’s not a cheap speaker pretending to deliver good sound. It’s got a reassuring weight that tells you it can deliver more than you’d expect from its size. And that’s exactly what it does.

Full on sound Turn volume on to medium, and you’ll find the Flip 4 really sounds rather good. It’s quite loud for its size and has a balanced bass that isn’t obnoxiously over-boosted. And yet the bass is deep enough to add some power to the music. The higher frequencies can get a little sharp and harsh, especially at high volume, and better full sound is needed in its mid-range; but overall, the speaker is great for a casual music experience. It even sounds pretty good at low volumes and playing background music, which is something you just can’t say for many affordable small speakers.

Head for the beach The Flip 4 is portable enough. Not so lightweight as to be thrown about and tossed around but easily carried when you put your hand through the attached string loop and march off with it. Eventually you have to set it down somewhere as it’s not for taking along on a run or anything. But you can go to the beach with it because it’s waterproof.

Though it can be submerged in water for a good 30 minutes, there’s little point in doing so as it doesn’t float and nor does it sound great underwater.

The water and dust proofing comes in more useful in case of accidental spillage, rain, and a drop into the water. The ruggedness makes it ideal for youngsters to use as they can go ahead and get a little careless with it. The Flip 4 also fits into a living room very nicely. I happened to spot it at someone’s house at a party where someone just dropped it into a pretty bowl and allowed it to play background music all through the evening. It’s got pretty good battery life — probably more than the claimed 12 hours, though it depends on how loud you tend to listen to your music.

The controls on the Flip 4 are straightforward. The buttons are sort of woven into the covering mesh. Play, volume up and down, and pairing are all the controls on the top. They can be used to skip tracks as well. You can also trigger Siri or Google Assistant.

On the bottom you have a power button and one to connect with other speakers, which means you could buy a few of these and set them up in different spots.

I wasn’t able to test how this feature works. The connectivity on this speaker held up pretty well despite the walls in my house coming in the way.

Overall, it’s a solid little speaker quite worth the price and makes for a nice gift.

Price: ₹ 9,999

Pros: Built tough, waterproof, great sound, powerful for its size, good battery life

Cons: Not wholly 360 degrees

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