JBL Go 3 vs JBL Portable Link Smart Speakers (2017)

The JBL Link 10 (2017) was loved by reviewers at CNET, a highly trusted source that performs reliable in-depth testing. It did great in its "Best Christmas gifts for under $100: Bose and JBL wireless speakers, SNES Classic and more" roundup where it was named its "Ranked 2 out of 13", which, in itself, makes it a product worth considering.

Taking a look at the JBL Go 3, we found that it was received really well by reviewers from highly trusted sources that conduct objective in-depth testing, including Tom's Guide, CNET, Which?, and Rtings - it was named "The best waterproof speaker on a budget" by Tom's Guide, "Ranked 1 out of 19" by CNET, and "Ranked 1 out of 6" by Which? in their respective roundups. Any product that's praised by this many of the internet's most trustworthy sources should be considered by everyone who's in the market for a Smart Speaker at this price point.

To get a better idea of how they fare when compared directly to each other, we analyzed review scores of sources that tested both. Tom's Guide and SoundGuys, for example, preferred the JBL Link 10 (2017), while PCmag and What Hi-Fi? rated both of them the same.

We also took a look at which sources had the best things to say about them. We learned that the JBL Link 10 (2017) got reviewed the highest by Technically Well - it gave it a rating of 9.5, while the JBL Go 3 most impressed reviewers at T3, which gave it a score of 8.

Lastly, we averaged out all of the reviews scores that we could find on these two products and compared them to other Smart Speakers on the market. We learned that both of them performed far better than most of their competitors - the overall review average earned by Smart Speakers being 7.4 out of 10, whereas the JBL Link 10 (2017) and JBL Go 3 managed averages of 8.2 and 7.6 points, respectively.

Due to the difference in their prices, however, it's important to keep in mind that a direct JBL Link 10 (2017) vs. JBL Go 3 comparison might not be entirely fair - some sources don't take value for money into account when assigning their scores and therefore have a tendency to rate more premium products better.