JBL - LINK 20 Smart Portable Bluetooth Speaker with Google Assistant - Black

This speaker is a great Speaker that me & my husband share. I ask Google anything and it response back. It even plays twinkle twinkle Little Star for my niece when asked. The volume is great. When fully charged it lasts a long time. I love that I can take it with me outside. I'm planning on taking it with me when I travel so I can play music for my dad at his nursing home. I'm glad I picked this speaker over all the others they had at Best buy. It is a very affordable price too I may say. Now I have family members who are interested in getting one too.

Sound Quality The JBL Link 20 features two 10W drivers and can get loud enough to fill a large room with music without distortion. As is typical with many JBL products, the sound quality is very good with crisp mids and highs and adequate bass, although I was expecting a stronger bass response from a speaker this size. That's not to say the bass is bad: the lows are enhanced nicely and do not muddy the sound. But it won't give you a strong "thud" like the bass-enhancement feature of the Sony SRS-XB30. Unfortunately, there does not appear to be any type of EQ setting or bass enhancement feature for the speaker. Design The JBL Link 20 sits tall (8.3 x 3.7-inch) and can easily be carried from room to room, although holding it is a little awkward due to the wide size. A fabric mesh surrounds the speaker. The power and mute buttons are located on the back of the speaker while the Google Assistant and volume controls are located on the top as well as two microphones. Four white LEDs on the front of the speaker indicate when Google Assistant is listening. Near the bottom of the front, 3 white LEDs in the shape of the classic WiFi symbol show you the signal strength (and seem to flash if it temporarily loses connection). There are also 5 white LEDs located on the back of the speaker, directly above the power button, to show you how much power is remaining. Features The most notable feature of this speaker is that it is powered by Google Assistant. The Google Home app guides you through the setup process of connecting it to your WiFi, giving the speaker a name, learning your voice and connecting it to your speakers. The Google Home app also installs JBL's software updates to the speaker, which is nice as you do not need to download a specific JBL app to manage the speaker. The Google Assistant does an excellent job of hearing my "Hey Google" command from across the room, even if it is already playing music. You can ask Google to play music from supported services such as Google's own music service, Pandora and Spotify. Unfortunately, Slacker Radio (one of my favorite streaming music services) is not directly supported by Google Assistant, so I can not activate Slacker Radio by voice. However, the JBL Link 20 acts as a Chromecast Audio receiver, so if I have the Slacker Radio app open on my phone, I can cast the music to the speaker without needing to pair via Bluetooth. Slacker Radio will continue to play on the Link 20 via WiFi, even if I kill the Slacker Radio app on my phone. The JBL Link 20 can also be linked to other Google Home speakers for multi-room sound. Google Assistant can also do things like check your Google Calendar, play the news and control smarthome devices. However, the JBL Link 20 cannot make phone calls at this time like the Google Home speaker. Battery Life and Portability The built-in 6000mAh battery gives you up to 10 hours of sound and portability, allowing you to carry it around the house or even out in the yard, if your WiFi extends that far. For times when you're away from home, you can pair the speaker via Bluetooth to your phone to play music. However, without a WiFi internet connection, the Google Assistant will not operate. It can not "tether" off your phone's mobile internet connection via Bluetooth (but it could if you set up your phone as a mobile hotspot and used another phone to configure the JBL Link 20 to connect to that hotspot... a somewhat convoluted process). The battery can be recharged in about 4.5 hours using the included 2 amp Micro USB charger. Summary The JBL Link 20 is an excellent speaker based on sound quality alone, but the built-in Google Assistant feature makes it even more of an excellent value. It lasts up to 10 hours on a single charge and can play music directly from Pandora, Spotify and Google Play Music via WiFi by using voice commands.

This is an awesome speaker that comes with Google Assistant. It is easy to set up with a smartphone or tablet. Simply download the Google Home app and then follow instructions. I did not encounter any issue during the setup. Included in the setup is an offer for a free trial of Google Play Music and YouTube Red. Once Google Assistant is set up with JBL speaker, the assistant is activated by saying “Hey Google” or “Ok Google”. The device’s microphone does work as expected, detecting your command even when playing loud music or speaking to it from long distance range. My son spoke “Ok Google” from the second floor of my house and the speaker was able to detect it. I had no Bluetooth connection issues, it did work great. The weight and compact size of this speaker truly make this very portable. The sound produced by this very small device is very nice with great bass. I have not tested the device’s waterproof feature but I prefer not to risk it. It’s good to have portable devices be waterproof, many devices are damage because of water/drink splash accidents. If you ever need to press the buttons on the speaker they are very easy to find and are backlit. To end, this is an awesome speaker because it is truly portable, has great sound and it comes with Google Assistant.

14 months since purchased, this is Jbl link 20 stops working. Plugged in, lights stay on.. Charging blink on first light all night. Nothing works, I tried double pressing all tricks I could Google still no chance. I am disappointed. 14 mothns only.

I'm a bluetooth / Smart Speaker aficionado; my friends call me an audiophile, but I'm not sure about that. I do know highs and lows so I know what I like and have exposure to other Smart Speakers. I own the Amazon Tap (and dot), Google Home (and mini) and the UE MEGABLAST, along with miscelaneous waterproof Bluetooth speakers. From a Smart Speaker perspective, I like it - mainly because I feel that the Google Assistant is superior to Alexa. From an audio perspective, this speaker isn't as clear as I feel that it should be. There isn't a JBL App to tune the treble or bass (I've tried 3) and there isn't an equalizer in the Home App (like with Google Home), so it is what it is. Initial setup had issues connecting to WiFi, which resolved itself when left alone for 5-10 minutes (seems as if it rebooted a few times). After a self-sleep, I've had issues with it connecting to WiFi as well and it took a few extra manual power off/power on attempts for it to chime that it was ready. I'm giving this a 3 because 3.5 isn't an option and here's the run-down as to why: Not as audibly clear as other speakers (to me, it's a deal breaker) Power Saver while on battery is a full shutdown. This causes a longer boot-up + sometimes there's a WiFi connectivity delay. Google Assistant doesn't know how much battery is left - so you have to look at the lights WiFi LED is always illuminated (wasting battery?) Pressing the button and asking a question won't utilize voice pattern match (duh), so it won't know who you are (schedule, etc) Had some Google Play streams stop playing The button at the top isn't a little screen for animations, which I thought it was looking at it on the website (FYI) Doesn't disconnect devices streaming via Bluetooth when interacting with Google Assistant Works well as a Cast device and Cast Groups Waterproof Decent sensitivity to "Hey / OK Google" Controls are consistent with the Google branded devices (read: IFTTT, HUE, Logitech) Like the other Google speakers, the lights are orange when Mic is muted If you like the Google Assistant and are a fan of the JBL brand, the price tag is a bit high - so you may want to look at the smaller version to save a few bucks (but read the review of my fellow Tech Insiders first) as well.

Best of all worlds - This speaker sounds great, runs on battery for Google Home anywhere you have internet, it is also a Bluetooth speaker, AND is waterproof!!! Hey Google, why aren't you answering me? You say to yourself whenever you aren't in earshot of your plugged in Google homes. Now take Google home with you everywhere! You still want to know things pool side, at the beach, in your garage, backyard, grilling on your deck, the shower, etc. right? Overall love this speaker. It sounds great with big sound in a little package, it is just as easy to setup and use as a Google Home or a Bluetooth speaker. Google will work as long as it has internet (your home Wi-Fi, hotspot on your phone, etc.) and in the rare case you don't have internet or if you really want to just here your music instead of only internet music - just stream to it like any Bluetooth speaker (long pet peeve of mine with Google Home now solved!). OH, AND DID I MENTION IT IS WATERPROOF!

Great sound and long lasting battery. The size is large so would not recommend for long outdoor trips, but great for parties and picnics. The Google Assistant works well, just as good as a Google Home.

I had just purchased the JBL Flip 4 speaker when this was introduced, and decided I'd prefer the features of the Link. They seem to be targeted at the same audience looking for a portable, water resistant speaker that can be taken on the go. The Link is considerably larger than the Flip, and I feel that the audio quality of the Flip is better. The overall volume is comparable, and I stuck with the Link due to the connected Google Assistant capabilities. I enjoy the fact that when at home it can function completely independently of my phone, and can be used in so many more situations in addition to what the Flip could do. As a first generation product, I understand that some compromises may have had to be made, however I'm still very satisfied with the sound quality from this speaker and it compares very favorably to other brands with similar connected features such as the original Google Home.