The battery life on the JBL Pulse 3 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.
JBL Pulse 3 Battery Life Per Charge
How long should the battery last? The built in lithium ion battery lasts up to twelve (12) 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. Whether you use the party lights in this unit or not also can significantly impact battery life.
JBL Pulse 3 Battery Life Before Replacement
How Many Full Charges Should the Battery Take ?
The Pulse 3 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 on end, 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 Pulse 3 Takes Too Long to Charge
Using the charging cable that comes with the speaker, the battery should fully charge in around four and a half (4.5) hours. It make take longer if your charger adapter provides less than 11.5 watts (5 volts at 2.3 amps). But if the battery takes longer than six (6) hours to fully charge, then it may be dying for good.
The Speaker Doesn’t Play as Long as it Should
You may also notice that your Pulse 3 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 Pulse 3 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 Battery Meter Gives Wrong 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 Pulse 3 Party Speaker
Exercise its battery ! That is, fully discharge and then fully recharge it. The power management system in this speaker indeed appears robust and well protects the battery from over charging or completely draining, since both of these extremes are very hard on these lithium ion batteries.
But 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 Pulse 3 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 Pulse 3 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 mentioned, 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.
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References
Revision Diary
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- 2022-09-04: First published.