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Portable outdoor speakers are meant to be thrown in a bag and dragged along for the ride, and JBL’s Flip line has always leaned into that idea. The Flip 7 is currently $99.95 on Woot for the next week or until it sells out, a significant drop from Amazon’s $149.95 listing and even cheaper than its all-time low of $129.95, according to price-trackers. Plus, Prime members get free shipping (while everyone else pays $6), and it comes with a 90-day Woot warranty. For a rugged little speaker designed to tag along on hikes, bike rides, or just backyard hangs, the deal feels fair.
The Flip 7 doesn’t look much different from the Flip 6, but it has a few small quality-of-life upgrades. The woofer is a little larger, so the bass has more punch without drowning out everything else, and the 35 watts of total power give it more presence than you’d expect from something the size of a soda can. Also, at just over a pound, it’s easy to carry, and JBL makes it even easier by including a carabiner that clips onto a bag strap or belt loop so you don’t have to jam it into a pocket. A new Auracast button makes it easy to link with other compatible speakers, and the rubberized shell has been beefed up for IP68 durability, which means full dust protection and survival under five feet of water for half an hour. JBL also claims drop protection for up to three feet.
What do you think so far?
That said, the Flip 7 isn’t perfect. At higher volumes, especially above 70%, the treble can get sharp and fatiguing, according to this PCMag review. JBL also skipped extras like a speakerphone, a 3.5mm aux input, or high-res Bluetooth codecs. You do get lossless audio over USB-C, though the difference isn’t huge. One annoyance is that the box only comes with the speaker and a carabiner—no charging brick or cable—so you’ll need to bring your own USB-C setup. Battery life is a solid 14 hours, or 16 if you enable Playtime Boost in the app, which trims the low end to squeeze out more runtime. If you want something cheaper with more features, the Anker Soundcore Motion 300 is a great alternative.
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