Picture of the red light glowing on the JBL Clip 4 speaker.

JBL Clip 4 Battery Life, How Much Play Time

The battery life on the JBL Clip 4 Bluetooth speaker we discuss in terms of either how long the speaker will play after a full charge, before going dead again.  Or, how long the battery will last before a battery replacement is necessary.

Picture of the JBL Clip 4 speaker during recharging.
The JBL Clip 4 speaker during recharging.

JBL Clip 4 Battery Life Per Charge

How long should the battery last?  The built in lithium ion battery lasts up to ten (10) hours per full charge.  Note that this time varies depending on how loud you play the speaker, the temperature of the unit, and the type of audio you’re listening to.

JBL Clip 4 Battery Life Before Replacement

How Many Full Charges Should the Battery Accept?

The Clip 4 battery should provide at least 500 charge-discharge cycles before it loses much charge holding power. But if you take care not to store the unit in other than usual room temperatures, and you avoid leaving the speaker in the dead state or the charger connected for days or weeks at a time, you’ll likely get many more cycles than this. These batteries can last at least several years if you care for them properly.

Signs of a Failing Battery

The Clip 4 Takes Too Long to Charge

Using the charging cable that comes with the speaker, the battery should fully charge in around three (3) hours.  It make take longer if your charger adapter provides less than 2.5 watts (5 volts at 500 milliamps).  But if the battery takes longer than four (4) hours to fully charge, it may be dying for good.

The Speaker Doesn’t Play as Long as it Should

You may also notice that your Clip 4 doesn’t play as long as it did before running down from a full charge to a completely dead state.  This is another sign of a battery that is nearing the end of its service life.

The Clip 4 Speaker Distorts or Shuts Off at Higher Volumes

When you raise the volume, particularly on music that has lots of bass, you may hear crackling or other distortion.  Or, the speaker may cut out or power down when a deep bass drum thump occurs in the music.  This could mean that the battery, even with a full charge, can no longer provide enough current for the speaker drivers to play these heavier sounds.  Again, this may indicate a need to replace the battery.

The Status Lamp Gives Incorrect Readings

The light may show that the speaker has full charge.  But yet, it goes dead within minutes of removing the charger.  This is indeed a common symptom when lithium ion battery life is fading.





How to Get the Most Battery Life on the JBL Clip 4 Mini Speaker

Exercise that battery !  That is, charge it all the way, and discharge it all the way.  The power management system in this speaker seems robust and well protects the battery from over charging or completely draining, as both of these extremes are very hard on these lithium ion batteries.

However, we suggest that you do not leave the speaker connected to the charger once the battery status lamp shows that it is fully charged.  Also, when the battery does run out of power, do not leave it in this deadened state for very long.  Thus, recharge your Clip 4 as soon as practical, as these batteries hate being dead.  An empty  battery for too long often results in a ruined battery.

Conclusion

Replacing the battery in the Clip 4 usually fixes the above mentioned issues.  However, only replace with a battery of the same type — preferably the same make and part number as the original.

Finally, as suggested, you can often avoid ever having to replace the battery due to shortened battery life, by keeping your speaker battery charged, but exercised too. This provides the most deep charge-discharge cycles from it in our experience.

Other Posts About the JBL Clip 4 BT Speaker

    1. How to Connect JBL Clip 4 to Alexa
    2. JBL Clip 4 Blinking Red Light, How to Fix
    3. JBL Clip 4 Watts Output, Input, Battery, AC…
    4. How to Charge JBL Clip 4 Speaker
    5. How to Make JBL Clip 4 Discoverable

Related Posts to JBL Clip 4 Battery Life

    1. JBL Clip 3 Speaker Battery Life
    2. Go 3 JBL Speaker Battery Life
    3. JBL Go 2 Battery Life
    4. Boombox 2 JBL Wireless Speaker Battery Life, How Long it Plays
    5. JBL Boombox 1 Battery Life, Playtime Per Charge

References

    1. Official Clip 4 Product Page at JBL.COM

Revision Diary

  • 2022-09-04: First published.