The JBL Charge 3 battery life we discuss in terms of either how long the speaker plays from full charge. Plus, how long the battery lasts before replacement becomes necessary.
JBL Charge 3 Battery Life Per Charge
How long should the battery last? The lithium ion battery, with its 22 watt-hour capacity, lasts up to twenty (20) hours per full charge. Note that this may vary. It depends on how loud you play the speaker, and the type of program you’re playing. At lower volumes, you might get more than twenty hours. And at full volume, you will no doubt experience less.
JBL Charge 3 Battery Life Before Replacement
How Many Full Charges Should the Battery Take ?
The JBL Charge 3 battery should provide approximately 500 charge-discharge cycles before it loses much ability to hold power. You can get more if you don’t allow the speaker to get too hot. So don’t leave it in a hot car or out in the sun. Plus, disconnect the power supply right away once it reaches full charge.
Signs of a Bad Battery
The JBL Charge 3 Takes Too Long to Charge
Using the USB cable that comes with the speaker, the battery should fully charge in four and a half hours. It make take longer if your charger adapter provides less than twelve watts (5 volts at 2.3 amps). So be sure your cable and charger are hefty enough. But if the unit still takes a long time to charge, then investigate further.
The JBL Charge 3 Doesn’t Play as Long as Expected
So your speaker may not play as long as it did from a full charge. Thus this is another sign of a battery that is nearing the end of its life.
The Speaker Distorts or Shuts Off by Itself at Higher Volumes
So let’s say that you raise the volume with high-bass music. But you hear crackling, squeaking, or other distortion. Or, the speaker may cut out or power down on a deep bass drum thump. This could mean that the battery no longer provides enough current to play these sounds. Again, this may indicate a need to replace the battery.
The Battery Gauge on the JBL Charge 3 Gives Wrong Readings
The battery indicator may show that the speaker has full, or nearly full charge, as shown next. But yet, it goes dead within minutes of reading the indicator. This is a common symptom when lithium ion battery life is declining.
How to Get the Most Battery Life on the JBL Charge 3
Work that battery ! That is, charge it fully, and discharge it fully. The power management system in this speaker seems robust. So it well protects the battery from over charging or completely draining. Indeed both of these extremes are very hard on these sorts of batteries.
But we recommend that you do not leave the speaker on the chargee once the battery gauge shows full. Also, when the battery does run out of power, do not leave it in this deadened state for very long. We advise that you recharge your speaker as soon as possible, as these batteries hate being dead. A dead battery for too long often results in a ruined battery.
JBL Charge 3 Battery Life: Conclusion
Replacing the battery in the JBL Charge 3 usually solves the above listed problems. But if you do decide to change the battery, then replace it with one of similar type. So it’s safest to get the same make and part number as the original.
Finally, you can often avoid ever having to replace the battery due to shortened battery life. Do this by keeping the battery at some level of charge. Plus be sure to exercise it as well. So don’t let the speaker sit around with a dead battery. This provides the most deep charge-discharge cycles from it in our experience.
