Key Takeaways
- JBL Go 3 is more portable with a handy carrying strap and smaller dimensions for easy beach outings.
- JBL Go 3’s IP67 rating makes it better outdoors with full dust-tightness and water immersion durability.
- JBL Go 3 delivers reliably loud music compared to Anker Soundcore, making it a great outdoor option.
With lots of Bluetooth speakers out there to choose from, there are always going to be some that are better than others in certain circumstances. So this summer, if you’re looking for an affordable, small, but powerful Bluetooth speaker to take with you for beach hangouts, you might be trying to choose between two tried-and-true choices, the JBL Go 3 and the Anker Soundcore Bluetooth speaker.
While both speakers are great in their own rights, I think the JBL Go 3 is the better speaker to take with you on a beach day, along with any other outdoor outing. For reasons relating to portability, dust- and water-resistance, and technical aspects, the JBL Go 3 does outperform the Anker Soundcore Bluetooth speaker in a variety of ways, making it a better option for outdoorsy folks.
0:45
I took the ultra-portable JBL Go 3 to the beach for a day and it didn’t disappoint
It’s affordable, dust-proof and water-resistant, and loud — what’s not to love?
1 The JBL Go 3 is more portable
The strap on the side makes it really handy to carry around
JBL Go 3
The JBL Go 3 is JBL’s most portable and affordable option.
When you’re heading to the beach, it’s important to consider how you’re carrying everything, and something as substantial as a speaker really matters. You don’t want to be carrying around something the size of a brick with no way of holding on to it easily, and you don’t want it to take up a ton of room in your bag.
0:41
This budget, waterproof Anker speaker is my perfect audio companion
At under $40, Soundcore’s original Bluetooth speaker delivers clear audio come rain or shine — and even in the shower.
In this case, the JBL Go 3 weighs less than the Anker Soundcore Bluetooth speaker, has smaller dimensions, and it also has a handy carrying strap, so you can hold it easily or attach it to a clip if you need to, making it significantly more portable. So if you want to walk around without worrying about dropping your speaker, or without having it take up too much space in your bag, the JBL Go 3 is a better option.
2 The Anker Soundcore speaker is only IPX5
IPX5, while great, isn’t enough to protect your speaker from the elements
If you’re planning on taking a Bluetooth speaker out and about, the JBL Go 3 is really the better option out of these two when it comes to durability. The Anker Soundcore speaker is IPX5, meaning it can withstand low-pressure streams of water from any angle but has no dust-resistance, while the JBL Go 3 is IP67, making it both fully dust-tight and able to withstand full immersion in one metre of water for up to 30 minutes. If you happen to accidentally drop your speaker into the ocean, you can be sure the JBL Go 3 will survive, while the Anker Soundcore speaker will likely suffer.
In the case of taking either of these speakers outdoors, especially to a place like a beach or a hiking trail, being dust-tight matters a lot. While a little bit of dust likely won’t harm most devices that aren’t technically dust-tight, you really don’t want to risk it with a speaker that will be set on the ground and likely around a lot of sand and dust. For that reason, the JBL Go 3 will fare much, much better than the Anker Soundcore speaker, since dust won’t get into or damage any of the internal components of the speaker.
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3 The JBL Go 3 can get a lot louder
When you’re outside, volume matters a lot
If you want your music loud, the JBL Go 3 is very reliably loud, especially for its size. When I was testing it out, I had a hard time setting it to max volume for the sake of my own ears and my neighbors’ ears. It really packs a punch, so for the outdoors, it’s a fantastic option if you want reliably loud music.
0:58
Soundcore’s clip-on earbuds are a cheaper Bose Ultra Open dupe
Bose’s Ultra Open earbuds are some of my favorite open-ears, and the Soundcore C30i delivers the same awareness for only $70.
In contrast, the Anker Soundcore speaker doesn’t really get loud enough outside to overcome other sounds around it. It’s fine if you’re right beside it, but beyond that, you’re not going to be able to hear much. So, if you’re outside with a group of friends, or having a larger outdoor gathering, the Anker Soundcore speaker might not suit your needs well, while the JBL Go 3 will.
4 The JBL Go 3 just looks better
Aesthetics don’t matter for everyone, but it’s still worthy of consideration
Okay, this one is a little more subjective, but I prefer the appearance of the JBL Go 3 a lot more than the Anker Soundcore speaker. The JBL Go 3 comes in four colors: blue, black, red, and gray, though the gray one has some really fun colorful accents. The fun aesthetics of the speaker truthfully do make me feel more inclined to take it around with me than the Anker Soundcore speaker.
The Anker Soundcore speaker comes in three colors: black, blue, and red. The unfortunate thing is that the blue and red colorways, while certainly colorful, are still pretty bland, lacking any nice accents. Both are very monochromatic without much depth to it. It feels like design was a bit of an afterthought with the Soundcore speaker, which while understandable, does make it less of an appealing speaker to me than the JBL Go 3.
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