Customers are impressed with the LINK 10 Smart Portable Bluetooth Speaker's sound quality, ease of use, and Google Assistant integration. Many also appreciate its compact size and the waterproof design, finding it convenient for various settings. However, some users experienced issues with battery life and connectivity, while others reported problems with the charging port and power button.
This summary was generated by AI based on customer reviews.
The vast majority of our reviews come from verified purchases. Reviews from customers may include My Best Buy members, employees, and Tech Insider Network members (as tagged). Select reviewers may receive discounted products, promotional considerations or entries into drawings for honest, helpful reviews.
Page 1 Showing 1-20 of 773 reviews
Pros mentioned:
Ease of use
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Easy Peasy to use!
|
|
Posted .
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Love how easy this speaker was to set up! I have it connected on my phone with my Spotify and Pandora accounts, through my Google home network and have them linked so when I walk into a new room, my music is still playing through the group speakers I set up. Nice bass, no shaking, waterproof so far, easy and lightweight to move.
I would recommend this to a friend
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Nice sound and portability
|
|
Posted . Owned for 8 months when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Love how easy this speaker was to set up! I have it connected on my phone with my Spotify and Pandora accounts, through my Google home network and have them linked so when I walk into a new room, my music is still playing through the group speakers I set up. Nice bass, no shaking, waterproof so far, easy and lightweight to move.
This review is from JBL - LINK 10 Smart Portable Bluetooth Speaker with Google Assistant - White
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Google assistant, Sound quality
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Very Cool Wifi & BT Speaker with Google Built-In
|
Posted .
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
======= Summary =======
The JBL Link 10 is a great-sounding portable Wifi & Bluetooth speaker. The well-integrated Google Assistant makes the JBL Link 10 - when compared to non-Google Assistant models - more flexible, useful, and powerful.
======= Design =======
The JBL Link 10 is a hefty (for its size) speaker that feels well-built and sturdy. It feels solid and good in the hands. Its height is a bit shorter than a regular 16 oz (500 ml) water bottle and as fat as one of those extra big beer cans.
The fabric main body offers good grip and is easy to quickly pick up and carry around.
I found the layout of all the buttons to be very intuitive and easy to figure out. When the Link 10 is facing toward you with its JBL Logo visible, one can see at a quick glance its power status. If the speaker is On and connected to your home Wifi, you'll see a Wifi logo underneath the JBL badge lit up with white LED lighting.
On the top of the speaker are 5 buttons - a Google Assitant button, Volume Down, Volume Up, Play/Pause, and Bluetooth.
On the backside of the speaker, you'll find 2 more buttons - Power On/Off and Mute. The Mute button also acts as a Factory Reset button if you hold it down for about 15 seconds. All the way on the bottom on the backside is the microUSB charging port hidden behind a rubber flap.
All in all, I found the JBL Link 10 to be well-designed, intuitive to figure out and use, and with no ergonomic issues. The IPX7 waterproof addition is a delightful bonus.
======= Connectivity =======
The Link 10 was VERY easy to setup and get started. Power on the speaker, open the Google Home app on your phone, and follow the onscreen instructions. That's really it, it is that simple. It is also great that the Link 10 supports both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz Wifi connection speeds.
If you want to connect the Link 10 to your phone via Bluetooth, all you need to do is press the Bluetooth button on top of the speaker and pair to it from your phone. You just have to do this once.
There is one thing to note about connection priority. If the speaker was turned off and turned back on later, the Link 10 will automatically connect to your home Wifi but it will not automatically reconnect to your phone via Bluetooth. To connect to the Link 10 via BT, you have to do it manually from your phone's BT setting screen (on my Samsung Galaxy S8+).
If there is one thing connection-wise that I wish the Link 10 offered, it is for Bluetooth calling. The Link 10 will play your phone's media and music content but it will not allow you to make phone calls on it.
With that said, I give the Link 10 a Ten out of Ten for ease of setup and reliability of the connection options.
======= Sound Performance =======
Before I began to play any music on the speaker, I had lower expectations due to the Link 10's small size and its two 8W power output. I was pleasantly surprised. JBL did an excellent job tuning the speaker for clear sound, fidelity, coverage, and bass. All the music I played - alternative, pop, hip hop, vocals - sounded great and to my personal satisfaction. Of course I heard better sound and bass from other portable speakers but they were all more expensive than the $150 JBL Link 10. At its price point, the Link 10 offers great sound and I sincerely believe most people will be happy and content.
Besides the great music playback quality, the Link 10 also offers crisp and clear verbal audio communications when using the Google Assistant function. I chose the Female Google Assistant voice and she sounds very clear and articulate. I never had any problems understanding her or having to have her repeat herself.
JBL's far-field voice recognition feature also worked very well. With the speaker playing some music very loudly, I thought for sure that it wouldn't be able to hear me say "Hey, Google" from across the room. But it did and executed upon my command seamlessly. I was truly impressed.
As for battery endurance, I'm content with its 4000 mah battery size and the ~5 hours of playback.
======= So, is it any good? =======
Yes, the JBL Link 10 is a great speaker~! Even without the Google Assistant, I'd still recommend it for its great sound quality and fidelity. With Google Assistant built-in, it is even a better buy and a more compelling choice. The smarts offered by Google is very convenient and truly useful. I wish the "assistant" in my car was as smart and useful as the Google Assistant in the JBL Link 10.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Google assistant, Sound quality
Cons mentioned:
Battery life
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
Speaks for itself...literally.
|
Posted .
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
The setup of the JBL Link 10 was simple but could be somewhat confusing for some. On my iPhone, I already had the Google Home App for my existing Chromrcast devices, so I just opened the app and paired the speaker. The app found the speaker immediately and I was able to stream things within the Google Home App like Google Music or Pandora but not anything else that produced sound outside of the app. For that, you also need to pair your phone using bluetooth to the speaker. Essentially, you need to pair the speaker to your phone twice (once to your bluetooth devices and once to your WiFi network) to take full advantage of what it can do.
The key feature of this speaker is that it is a Google Assistant. Think of it as Siri (for iPhone), Cortana (for Microsoft), or Alexa (for Amazon). When the speaker is on, you can say, “Hey Google,” or, “Ok, Google,” and then you speak what you want. You can ask it questions and it will find the answers for you on the internet, you can have it call an Uber for you, you can have it tell you traffic information from your home address to your workplace, and you can even ask it to order food for you. I asked for the most recent news and it began to play live audio feed of an NPR program with the news.
The performance of this speaker is excellent. When watching content, the speaker’s power shines in its loudness. You are fully immersed if that is your only audio source for phones or tablets. Through its loudness, you can say, “Hey Google,” and it will stop the audio to listen for your command. It’s a great way to ask for the weather without looking for your phone when waking up or when you have a quick question that can be answered via a search. It even works as an oral calculator and will give you the answer to math questions you ask out loud. The only downside I found for this speaker was that, though you can use it as an alarm, the speaker has to be on for the alarm to go off. Since the battery only lasts 5 hours, if may not make it through the night on battery alone. You can leave it on and plugged in, but most people aren’t comfortable doing that to rechargeable speakers.
The speaker exceeds my expectations. I have a Philips Hue system and the Google Assistant on the speaker can be used to turn on and off my light fixture. I was amazed at the loudness of the speaker and the accuracy of the things I wanted Google to do. You can use it to wirelessly control Netflix or other apps available through the Chromecast devices.
The price for the JBL Link 10 in terms of value is just right. Other speakers that are equally powerful are priced similarly, but this one has the added benefit of having a Google Assistant.
I highly recommend this product for people who get most of their content through the Google Store and rely heavily on Google Suite Apps, like Google Calendar or Google Hangouts. If you enjoy talking to your tech to do things for you, this is a great speaker to buy. In the mornings, while getting ready, you can have it schedule appointments for you, read your itinerary for the day, and announced traffic or order you an Uber all with your voice.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Ease of use
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Alsome speaker
|
|
Posted .
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Love the way it works and sound easy to use conects easy
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Google assistant, Sound quality
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
GO google!!!
|
Posted .
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
So this has google assistant built in. Was super easy to set up and connect to my home network right out of the box. It uses audio prompts to tell you what to do. Very cool. My kids love saying “hey google”. “Tell me a joke” and other phrases. It picks up all their voices. I was super impressed. Hey we’re half way across the kitchen and it still
Recognized them even my 3 year old. Has pretty good sound when linked to my phone. Seems like the kind of thing you might leave plugged in to take advantage of google assistant. But it is portable and waterproof. Love that I can take it to the pool and not worry a put it getting wet.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Volume
Cons mentioned:
Battery life
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
Good Smart Speaker
|
Posted .
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Starting us off with the unboxing experience it's pretty plain jane. You get the unit with a charging cable. Everything does look quality packed with extra attention to detail on the box itself, for those who care about that experience.
Once you get to performance we start by judging it for sound quality. Bass is decent for how little the speaker is but where it lacks is in the higher volumes. Speaker will sound.... crunchy once you get past that 3/4 volume which to be fair even at that volume it's loud enough to overpower a shower. It's even able to take those google commands while music is playing and shower is going. One pro and con is that when you leave the speaker on it knows to turn it off. The problem with that is when you walk back in that room and say the "Ok Google" command it can't hear you. Powering on the unit and having it connect to the wireless network seems to take thirty seconds which if it could connect faster I would appreciate it. Last thing is battery life, which I feel like three and half hours shouldn't be a standard for these type of speakers.
For the price I think this speaker is worth the money. I hope this helps you decide.
I would recommend this to a friend
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Great speaker
|
|
Posted .
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
I love my new speaker. I bought an smart bulb and I love it too.
I would recommend this to a friend
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
good product
|
|
Posted . Owned for 3 weeks when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
I like I use together my chromecast in my house the best
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Sound quality
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Great Sound Small Package Google Assistant Inside
|
Posted .
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
As long as you don't mind the intrusion of having Google listening in your home, the JBL - LINK 10 Smart Portable Bluetooth Speaker is for you. The speaker is small, but packs the sound quality you would expect from JBL. Rich sound will fill the room for up to five hours per charge. The lithium ion battery is charged via USB cable and no outlet adapter is included in the box. That was about the only shortcoming I could find with this speaker.
The built-in Google Assistant will allow you to run your smart home items as well as listen to Pandora or YouTube, shop, get answers, set timers and all the other things you've come to love from a virtual assistant.
You can even use the Google Assistant if you don't have wi-fi, although to do so you need two smartphones (one used as a hotspot and the other linked to the LInk 10). The speaker is waterproof and lightweight, making it a great option to take with you into the great outdoors. Setup is super easy and fast; guided through the Google Home app on your phone.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Sound quality
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Great speaker and assistant
|
Posted .
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Really nice quality speaker, feels sturdy. In the box there were only the speaker and an orange usb cable with some warranty booklets. No instructions, but was able to figure out that the whole setup is done with the Google Home app (both on ios and android). After that, the app guides you thru the setup of your wifi, your google account and that's it.
Really nice you can use Google assistant for almost anything, like setup your alarm, set reminders, play music, do a google search, cast from netflix etc. I have the speaker on my night stand and I mostly use it for that. However, since you can charge the battery, you can take the speaker with you anywhere and oh, its IPX7 water proof. Other than that, the quality of the speaker and sound is exceptional, as you may expect from JBL!
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Google assistant, Sound quality
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
Love the sound, in all directions
|
|
Posted .
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Good JBL sound, can set in the middle of the room/patio and hear all the way around, versus the flat front style Bluetooth speakers, and it's waterproof to 3 feet, the depth of our hot tub. Was looking at Sonos speaker for a LOT more $$$$, but happy with this Link 10 on sale at Best Buy at Christmas for $59. Google assistant a Plus, but not easy to get connected, unlike my Google Home, so muting it!.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Ease of use, Google assistant, Sound quality
Cons mentioned:
Battery life
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
Good portable speaker
|
|
Posted .
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Very good speaker, sound quality is very good, battery life also good ,easy to setup ,Google Assist works great . Only negative side ,When in standby mode and not plugged in it will turn itself off like if it goes into a power saving mode even if the battery is fully charged so you have to push the on button and wait till it reboots. Not sure if it's supposed to that, cause there's no tech description.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Google assistant, Sound quality
Cons mentioned:
Battery life
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
Great speaker for multiple types of use
|
|
Posted . Owned for 3 weeks when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Great sounding speaker from JBL. Integrates seamlessly with Google. Good bassy sound. Battery life is a little on the low side 4-5 hours per charge. Other than that it’s a good speaker at a good price
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Ease of use, Google assistant, Sound quality
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Great sound at a terrific price
|
|
Posted . Owned for 1 month when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
The speaker has google built in and is easy to control what you want just by talking. The other upside is that it is waterproof and the sound is as loud as you need it to be . Portable and good looking to boot
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Ease of use, Sound quality
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
Great sound!
|
|
Posted .
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
The music, and google assist sound clear! “She’s” easy to talk to. The set up in my opinion wasn’t as easy. Other than that, awesome speaker!
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Ease of use, Sound quality
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
Great product but!
|
|
Posted .
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Great sound, love the water resistant feature, great portability. Battery seems solid. However, google assistant is not up-to the par. Simple task of "Hey Google wake me up at 5 am" would say "your alarm is set for 5 am. There is a glitch try again in few seconds." This is not a 1 time glitch. I initially bought this as a present for my brother and then just bought it for myself for all the functionality being aware that this is not same as google home. But this functionality issue seems to be a glitch on both devices and not a lack of feature. However, it does allow me to set reminders. My insignia google assistant let me set the alarm.
So for the price point, this is not worth it. Insignia google assistant which i got for Christmas is. Sorry but I will be returning it unless there is software update in the near future.
Otherwise this has a compact design with great sound but google assistant feature is not useful.
No, I would not recommend this to a friend
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Perfect addition to any office
|
Posted .
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Simple to pair with my Bluetooth phone and office WiFi. Just ask google to remind you of important meetings or add an item to your personal list. You can even use the JBL LINK-10 to check the weather or ask it what time it is. Super easy to ask google to set a timer. So many possibilities.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Volume
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Love this speaker, with built-in google home!!
|
|
Posted .
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Great audio for such a small speaker, great option for a bedroom or office speaker. I cranked it up to max volume, it's decently loud, and didn't get the distortion other people here are talking about. It's just like a google home, only with a better speaker, and is a good option for those who want better audio than regular google home, without paying a ton more. I also like the touch control, you can tap the google assistant button and that's the same as saying hey google.
I was amazed that the voice commands even controlled the audio over bluetooth (pause, resume, rewind, etc). Really enjoying this speaker overall and would recommend it.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Size, Sound quality
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
Auntpamster4life
|
|
Posted . Owned for 1.5 years when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
JBL Link is the perfect speaker for all occasions. BarbQ, Office, Birthday party, workouts, etc
Small in size but big in sound! Good quality sound too! Reasonably priced! Great as a Christmas gift!