JBL’s New Pulse Speaker Is a More of a Lantern

JBL's Pulse speakers have always been part audio product and part light show, but the Pulse 6 is really leaning into the lamp of it all.

In this generation of the Pulse, JBL ups the lighting game in a few notable ways. There's now an integrated light in the handle, which gives the whole thing a lantern vibe. On top of that, there are two new modes that make the Pulse 6 more functional as a light. The first mode is a bedside lamp feature that allows you to double-tap the speaker to turn on the lights. There's also a sunset mode that is designed to gradually dim the light over a period of up to an hour. JBL even integrates the music here—when the light goes out, so does the music.

There are, of course, still integrated light shows, too. Overall, the speaker has 16 light themes—10 are ambient themes, while six of them are "party" themes, according to JBL.

Since this isn't just a lamp, you're going to want to know about sound, too, though. On that front, JBL is updating the acoustic design, which it says gives the Pulse 6 a "more natural and balanced sound with deeper bass." The speaker also has JBL's AI Sound Boost technology, which is designed to analyze music in real time and then "maximize acoustic performance with less distortion."

The Pulse 6 gets 12 hours of battery life and is IP68 rated, meaning it's waterproof and dustproof. JBL says the Pulse 6 will ship on Sept. 6, but you can preorder it now for $330.