The compact and light JBL GO 3 is meant for carrying anywhere, while it still promises powerful sound. Building upon prior successes, this little speaker boasts several improvements over its predecessors, making it quite a great choice for anyone trying to balance portability with performance.

JBL GO 3: Design and Build

    The JBL GO 3 comes with a tough and stylish look. It has a tough fabric cover with a rubberized chassis, giving it an appealing look and also making it tough enough to take standard wear and tear. This speaker is available in various bright colors that will surely appeal to any style desire.

    Volume control and play/pause buttons are placed on the top of this speaker. Another double tap of the play/pause button skips forward, while there is no option to skip back - an opportunity that feels like a missed one. Another arguable negative factor is the lack of speakerphone capabilities, which is a bit more understandable considering this device's budget nature. Power button and Bluetooth pairing button become handy on the right side panel. 

🔸Dimensions: 87.5 x 75 x 41.3 mm  

🔸Weight: 209 grams

JBL GO 3: Audio Performance

    With its compact size, the JBL GO 3 sounds great. It features a 43.5mm driver capable of producing clear, balanced audio with emphasis on mid-range frequencies. The speaker is loud enough for personal use and small groups; however, this is not meant to replace larger, more powerful speakers in a louder environment.

    The JBL GO 3 isn't going to win any prizes for high fidelity, and that isn't really the point. It's not going to capture every little nuance in your music, but it's good enough that you'll have no problem enjoying it on the patio or around casual outdoor use. This speaker trades off a little audio fidelity for convenience outdoors, the finer details are lost in the background noise, distance, or because of the environment. You'll basically hear the general tones, not the intricate nuances, but that's to be expected from a portable speaker of this design. 

JBL GO 3: Battery Life

    The JBL GO 3 features a built-in 4.2V lithium-ion battery that gives as many as 5 hours of playtime from a single charge and is good to go for day trips or extended use throughout the day. It can attain about 2.5 hours of charging through USB-C.

    This speaker can only manage a meager five hours of playing time off a single charge, and that's probably not enough to get you to take it out into the open, but that may vary in a real situation depending on your usage. On this ground, it automatically switches off when it has been unused for some approximately 20 minutes to save power. If you would want something more from this Sony portable speaker as far as batter life is concerned, then you need to have another look at the Sony SRS-XB01.

JBL GO 3: Connectivity

    Some of the special features of the JBL GO 3 include Bluetooth 5.1, this enabling it make a stable and standard connection with the various devices. This provides a support of up to 10 meters enabling the users to enjoy the beautiful music without the worry of cords.

    The JBL Go 3 does not offer multipoint support, so only one device can connect at a time. Also, unlike Charge 5, it does not offer options to create a stereo pair or link several Go 3s using PartyBoost, which is a slight bummer for some users. But whereas the Go 3 is designed for use on-the-go and not really part of a multiroom or desktop setup, its real value lies in its portability and outdoor performance.

JBL GO 3: Additional Features

    The JBL GO 3 features an IP67 rating for dust and water resistance; that means it's very well-protected against dust and is able to support submersion up to one meter deep in water for a timeframe of up to 30 minutes. Though pretty durable, since it handles wetness and still can play when its cloth covering gets wet, it's not suited for use as a pool speaker. The speaker does not float, so if it falls into the pool, it will sink and take your music along with it.

🔸Speakerphone: This JBL GO 3 does not have an integrated microphone for hands-free calling.

🔸Controls: Simple, intuitive controls-power, Bluetooth pairing, and volume adjustment-are on top of the speaker.

🔸Accessories: Comprehensively has a detachable strap to hold it conveniently.

JBL GO 3: Price and Availability

    The JBL GO 3 is quite affordable, costing anything between 30 and 40 USD; prices may however fluctuate due to stockists and special offers. Overall, it can be concluded that it has very good quality for price and it will certainly be worth investing in this product because it’s very durable and reproduces sound in a very satisfactory manner.

    The Bose SoundLink Micro is $99 compared to competing products, though it often dips as low as $79 on sale. For comparison, the Tribit StormBox Micro, our top value pick in the micro Bluetooth speaker category, comes in at about $40, while JBL's own Clip 4 is $70. All of these speakers manage comparable sound with some minor differing characteristics. The Bose SoundLink Micro provides a bit deeper bass and an appealing design, though it is a bit more expensive and due for an update; this has been in the market for a couple of years.

    The competition, the Tribit StormBox Micro, pushes 9W-a rating to be taken with a grain of salt-and offers moderately superior sound quality to the JBL Go 3, allowing the pairing of two speakers for stereo playback. It also boasts longer battery life-up to 8 hours compared to the Go 3's 5 hours-but the Go 3 still has the edge in terms of design and portability.

Is The JBL GO 3 Worth Buying in 2024? 

    For users who would like a compact portable speaker for multiple uses at an affordable cost the JBL GO 3 would be an ideal choice. Priced at $39. at $99, it brings out a portable yet highly integrated Bluetooth speaker suitable for backyard parties as well as other outdoor activities. It is easy to navigate and as an improvement on legacy JBL GO 2 Bluetooth speaker, it suits the outdoors. Nevertheless, there are only a few drawbacks, which are quite insignificant if compared to the benefits mentioned above. 

    Therefore, for those seeking for a portable, waterproof speaker of high-end quality and resolution, JBL GO 3 is the perfect choice. It has good durability, powerful sounds, and transportability and therefore suitable for use in different occasions such as time spent at the beach or daily commuting. In general, for anyone who wants to get an affordable yet decent portable speaker, the JBL GO 3 should not be disregarded.