The battery life on the JBL Flip 3 Bluetooth speaker we will discuss here in terms of either how long the speaker will play after a full charge, before going dead again. Then, we will talk about how long the battery will last before the battery needs replacement.
JBL Flip 3 Battery Life: Per Charge
How long should the battery last? The built in 3000 mAH lithium ion battery lasts up to ten hours per full charge. Note that this time varies depending on how loud you play the speaker, and the type of audio you’re listening to. At lower volumes, you might get longer life. At full volume, you will no doubt experience shorter battery life per charge.
JBL Flip 3 Battery Life: Before Replacement
How Many Full Charges Should the Battery Take ?
The JBL Flip 3 battery should provide at least 500 charge-discharge cycles before it loses much ability to hold power, over a three to five year period. But with similar batteries, you can get much longer life if you follow the life preserving tips given below.
Signs of a Bad Battery
The JBL Flip 3 Takes Too Long to Charge
Using the USB cable that comes with the speaker, or a common higher power handling cord, the battery should fully charge in under four hours. It make take longer if your charger adapter provides less than five watts (5 volts at 1 amp). But if your cable and charger are strong enough, and yet the battery takes longer than four hours to fully charge, it may be going bad.
The JBL Flip 3 Doesn’t Play as Long as it Should
You may also notice that your speaker doesn’t play as long as it did before running down from a full charge to a completely dead. This is another sign of a battery that is nearing the end of its useful life.
The JBL Flip 3 Distorts or Shuts Off by Itself 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 when fully charged, can no longer provide sufficient current for the speaker drivers to play these sounds. Again, this may indicate a need to replace the battery.
The Battery Gauge on the JBL Flip 3 Gives Wrong Readings
The gauge may show that the speaker has full, or nearly full charge. But yet, it goes dead within minutes of charging it fully. This is a common symptom when lithium ion battery life is declining.
How to Get the Most Battery Life on the JBL Flip 3
Work that battery ! That is, charge it all the way, and discharge it all the way. The power management system in this speaker appears robust and well protects the battery from over charging or completely draining, as both of these extremes are very hard on lithium ion batteries in the JBL Flip 3.
But we suggest that you do not leave the speaker connected to the charger once the battery gauge 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. We recommend 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.
Conclusion
Replacing the battery in the JBL Flip 3 usually fixes the above mentioned issues. However, only replace with a battery of similar type — preferably the same make and part number as the original. Also, bear in mind that taking the speaker apart to install a new battery usually destroys its water resistance. So after replacing the battery, keep the speaker away from water to prolong its life.
Finally, you can often avoid ever having to replace the battery due to shortened battery life, by keeping your JBL Flip 3 speaker battery charged, but exercised as well. This provides the most deep charge-discharge cycles from it in our experience. But if you won’t be using the JBL Flip 3 for a long period, charge it to full before storing in a cool, dry place.
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References for JBL Flip 3 Battery Life
Revision Diary
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- 2020-07-06: First published.