Picture of the JBL Xtreme portable Bluetooth speaker, right front corner view.

JBL Xtreme Battery Life, Play Time Per Charge

The battery life on the JBL Xtreme Bluetooth speaker we discuss in terms of either how long the speaker will play after a full charge, before going dead again.  Or, we may want to know how long the battery will last before battery replacement becomes necessary.

Picture of the JBL Xtreme Bluetooth speaker, top front view, showing buttons and cloth grill.
JBL Xtreme Bluetooth speaker, top front view, showing buttons and cloth grill.

JBL Xtreme Battery Life Per Charge

How long should the battery last?  The built in lithium ion battery lasts up to fifteen 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. Also, since this is a power bank speaker, the load that any phones, tablets, or other devices you connect to this speaker to charge, will shorten the battery life as well.

JBL Xtreme Battery Life Before Replacement

How Many Full Charges Should the Battery Take ?

The JBL Xtreme battery should provide at least 500 charge-discharge cycles before it loses much ability to hold power.

Signs of a Bad Battery

The JBL Xtreme Speaker Takes Too Long to Charge

Using the supplied charging cable, the battery should fully charge in under five hours.  But if the charging takes longer than this to finish, then the battery may be going bad.

Picture of the JBL Xtreme speaker plugged in and charging from AC power.
JBL Xtreme speaker plugged in and charging from AC power.

The JBL Xtreme 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 state.  This is another sign of a battery that is nearing the end of its useful life.

The JBL Xtreme 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 program.  This could mean that the battery, even when fully charged, can no longer provide enough current for the speaker drivers to play these sounds.  Again, this may indicate a need to replace the battery.

The Battery Gauge Gives Wrong Readings

The gauge may show that the speaker has full, or nearly full charge.  But yet, it goes dead within minutes of reading the indicator.  This is a common symptom when lithium ion battery life is fading.

Picture of the JBL Xtreme Bluetooth speaker, front view, showing the battery status gauge all dark and highlighted.
JBL Xtreme Bluetooth speaker, front view, showing the battery status gauge all dark and highlighted.




How to Get the Most Battery Life on the JBL Xtreme

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.

Also, be sure to exercise the battery !  That is, charge it all the way, and discharge it all the way.  The power management system in this speaker seems sufficiently robust, and so, it well protects the battery from over charging or completely draining, as both of these extremes are also very hard on lithium ion batteries in the JBL Xtreme.

JBL Xtreme Battery Life Conclusion

Replacing the battery in the JBL Xtreme usually fixes the above mentioned issues.  But only replace with a battery of similar type — preferably 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, by following the above suggestions.  That is, keep this speaker’s battery charged, and exercised too. This provides the most deep charge-discharge cycles from it in our experience.

Other Posts About the JBL Xtreme

    1. JBL Xtreme Reset Button Location, Where to Find It
    2. JBL Xtreme Charger Cord Specs
    3. Updating Firmware on JBL Xtreme Speaker, How To
    4. JBL Xtreme Power Cord AC Adapter Charger Specs
    5. How to Connect JBL Xtreme with iPhone

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References for JBL Xtreme Battery Life

    1. Official JBL Xtreme Product Page at JBL.COM

Revision Diary

    • 2020-07-07: First published.