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The Pecron E3600 power station remains an affordable option that keeps pace with the competition, thanks to its numerous output options.

The Pecron E3600 power station is built like a tank and offers great autonomy thanks to its 3072Wh LFP battery pack.

Specifications

Battery chemistry: LiFePO4

Battery capacity: 3072Wh

Number of charge cycles: Over 3500 before 20% drop

AC output power: 3600W, surge 7000W

Number of AC outlets: 5

Number of USB sockets: 4 Type A, 2 Type C

Number of 12V sockets: 1 XT60, DC 5521, 1 Car Adapter

Number of extra battery ports: 2, total of 15360Wh

Number of power inputs: 3

Fastest charge time: 1.3 hours

Additional features: Bluetooth and Wi-Fi

Weight: 36kg

A high-efficiency 3600W AC inverter, which can surge to 7200W for short periods, can power both heavy-duty machinery, such as welding machines, and home appliances. Charging the unit takes just over one hour using the fast-charge mode from the grid. Solar charging takes only a bit longer, reaching two hours.

What makes the E3600 unique is its blend of output sockets that includes the RV-friendly TT30. A Wi-Fi interface supported by Bluetooth, along with a well-designed interface, delivers an excellent user experience out of the box, thanks to the bright IPS screen, which offers a clutter-free menu. The E3600 is heavy, weighing 36kg, and will most likely require two persons to lift.

The E3600 typically costs $2299, and is on special for $1259, which is an unbelievable price for a 3kW-class power station. We recommend getting the wheeled trolley for $149. The solar kit bundles the E3600 with a different number of solar panels, with prices ranging from $1559 for a single 300W panel to $3404 for six 300W panels.

(Image credit: Future)Pecron E3600: Design

The E3600 weighs 36kg and measures 44.5 cm x 30.7 cm x 35 cm. The unit is well-packed and ships with numerous accessories, including solar and grid charging cables, a screwdriver, and a nylon pouch. The plastic station feels sturdy, and with two built-in handles, it can be carried around by two people with some effort.

The station packs a 5” color LCD that Pecron uses judiciously, incorporating big icons, some animations, and multiple languages. Ultimately, the display conveys data to the user in a quick and efficient manner. Two push buttons control the output sections, turning them on and off. Other features are available by navigating the menu using the touchscreen.

The E3600 includes a 30A TT30 outlet, ideal for use in an RV, along with four 15A 120V AC sockets. The station supports 100V, 110V, and 120V, with the option found hidden in the display’s menu. The DC outputs are also plentiful. Pecron offers two 15W wireless chargers, both located at the top of the unit. In addition to providing standard six USB sockets, it also features an XT60 12V/30A socket to power small appliances, such as coolers.

The E3600 offers quick charging through an AC input that also supports slower charging times. The power cable is custom-built with a proprietary circular socket, and unlike competitive products, it cannot be substituted with a standard household AC cord. At a power input of 3200W, the fast charge fills the battery in one hour and twenty minutes, with a five percent efficiency reduction due to heat.

(Image credit: Future)Pecron E3600: In Use

A common feature of power stations is to control the unit using a mobile app. The E3600 is no exception; it uses Bluetooth to initiate setup and eventually connects through Wi-Fi. All features available on the main display are also present in the app, including real-time charging and output information, as well as control over AC and DC outputs.

A slow charging mode limits the power to 1800W to accommodate more standard home energy distribution. The mobile app allows further reduction of the charging current. With up to 2400W of DC power at its Anderson inputs, an optimal solar configuration consists of a series arrangement of three 300W panels, since the station’s input allows a maximum DC voltage of 150V.

The unit can power devices at temperatures ranging from -20 to 45 degrees Celsius. Charging, on the other hand, is more restrictive, with an operating temperature ranging from 0 to 45 degrees Celsius. The station protects against short circuits by cutting off power when they are detected, effectively acting as a fuse. Any overcurrent on the input ports is also monitored to reduce the risk of thermal runaway in the batteries.

Pecron’s E3600 packs a UPS mode. When the unit connects to an AC outlet, power typically flows from the grid to output devices, bypassing the battery. The E3600 switches to its battery in under 20 ms when the AC power is removed. This process reduces the battery's charge and discharge cycles, helping to extend the station's life.

Pecron E3600: The Competition

Among the competition to the E3600 is the Bluetti Apex 300. This station has the same characteristics as the Pecron station. It can deliver 3800W to its 20A AC outlets and features a 2700Wh battery, which is smaller than that of the E3600. The number of available sockets is lower; the Apex 300 lacks the TT30 30A socket and does not provide wireless charging.

(Image credit: Future)Pecron E3600: Final Verdict

The E3600 is a great power station for those on a budget who require a large amount of battery capacity. The output options are also numerous, featuring a variety of wireless charging options, low-power DC outputs, and a high-current socket for the camping car. The output power is rated at 3600W, which may seem reasonable on paper, but it can surge to twice its rated power for a short period.

The station is not without drawbacks. It is heavy due to its reliance on LFP battery chemistry. You will need two people to move it around. The UPS mode is functional, but it requires adjusting settings in the mobile app.

Buy the E3600 if ... you are on a budget but need a large amount of battery capacity and output power.

Don’t get the E3600 if ... you are looking for a lightweight power solution.

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What JBL doesn’t know about outstanding portable Bluetooth speakers doesn’t seem to be worth knowing. So with the latest JBL Charge does lightning strike [checks notes] a sixth time?

JBL Charge 6: Two-minute review

The JBL Charge 6 portable wireless speaker isn’t as closely related to the outgoing JBL Charge 5 as it might first appear. Oh, in physical terms they’re closely related – but the Charge 6 adds some nice new specification upgrades, as well as a very useful carry handle, in an effort to maintain the Charge’s position as the pre-eminent mid-priced option among the best Bluetooth speakers.

So as well as 45 watts of power and an impressive frequency response of 54Hz - 20kHz, the JBL Charge 6 can be hard-wired via USB-C in order to deliver true hi-res audio. It will run for 24 hours from a single charge – longer if you don’t mind sacrificing some bass response – and can act as a charger for your smartphone.

Two JBL Charge 6 units can form a stereo pair, and it can connect to any Auracast-enabled speakers for as numerous a speaker system as you fancy. An IP68 rating and a predictably robust standard of build and finish means it is happy in pretty much any environment.

And in action, the Charge 6 is a deft and assertive listen with a whole lot of positives about the way it deals with your audio files. Over Bluetooth, it’s punchy and detailed in equal measure, with a nice tonal balance and fairly even frequency response. Up the ante with some hi-res stuff via USB-C and it gains additional dynamism, insight and rhythmic positivity.

Really, only lowering volume to ‘background’ levels can upset it – quite a lot of its direct and expansive nature goes astray when you try to listen quietly. This thing is made for fun.

So yes, ‘Charge 6’ turns out to be a little more than just ‘Charge 5 +1’, and it's as good as speakers this size, at this price, get right now.

JBL Charge 6 review: Price and release date

• Released in April 2025
• Officially priced at $149 / £129 / AU$179

The JBL Charge 6 is on sale now, and in US you can find it for $159, in the the United Kingdom it sells for £169 (unless you decide you fancy the rather lively purple or red finishes, which for some reason are £5 less expensive), while in Australia it goes for AU$229.

That's a similar price to the JBL Charge 5 at its launch, though the older model can now be found in the $120-$140 region regularly, or is £119 in the UK at the time of writing.

The Charge 6 is a good price for this kind of speaker – for example, it's priced similarly to the Sonos Roam 2, which is much smaller and less powerful than this, but the JBL doesn't have the multi-room Wi-Fi skills of the Sonos.

(Image credit: Future)JBL Charge 6 review: Specs

Weight:

1.37kg

Dimensions:

229 (W) x 99 (H) x 94 (D) mm

Battery life (quoted):

Up to 24 hours (28 with boost mode)

Connectivity:

Bluetooth 5.4 with SBC and AAC codecs

Drivers:

53 x 93 mm mid/bass 'racetrack' driver, 20mm tweeter

Aux-in:

No (USB-C audio passthrough)

Charger port:

USB-C

Microphone:

No

Waterproof rating:

IP68

JBL Charge 6 review: Features

• 45 watts of power
• 54Hz - 20kHz frequency response
• 24 hours of battery normally, can be boosted to 28 hours

When it comes to a wireless connection, the Charge 6 uses Bluetooth 5.4 (good) and is compatible with SBC and AAC codecs (less good, but normal).

Unlike a lot of nominal rivals, though, the JBL has a USB-C slot that can be used for data transfer as well as for charging its battery, meaning that if you connect it to an appropriate source, hi-res audio of up to 24bit/96kHz can be yours (very good indeed).

The battery itself will run for around 24 hours (as long as you’re not absolutely blasting the volume), and if you switch ‘playtime boost’ on, that number rises to 28 hours in exchange for a rather obvious curtailing of low-frequency presence.

This is basically as long as battery life gets for portable speakers – certainly for speakers that are actually easy to carry around.

The JBL will even act as a power bank, so you can connect your phone to the USB-C port to charge it if push comes to shove – but this will, of course, eat into the Charge 6’s own battery life. From ‘flat’ to ‘full’, by the way, takes a fairly leisurely three hours.

No matter how the audio information makes it onboard, it’s attended to by 45 watts of Class D power driving a 20mm tweeter and a racetrack mid/bass driver. It's basically the same speaker setup as the JBL Flip 7, but with bigger speakers in all cases and more power – lovely.

In conjunction with the passive radiator at each end, JBL claims this arrangement is good for a frequency response of 54Hz up to 20kHz.

• Features score: 4.5/5

(Image credit: Future)JBL Charge 6 review: Sound quality

• Big and punchy (but also deft and detailed) sound
• Capable of significant volume
• Loses interest at lower levels

You might think you know what you’re getting, sound-wise, when you look at the Charge 6. And in some ways, you’d be right – give it a stream of Outkast’s The Way You Move and the JBL delivers it with scale and considerable substance. Its sound is big and weighty, and there’s plenty of drive and momentum to ensure the rhythm is expressed with real positivity.

But the Charge 6 is no blunt instrument. It retrieves and reveals plenty of detail, is more than capable of handling the transient or minor events in the recording, and is just as adept at describing the harmonic variations as it is the broad dynamic strokes of ‘quiet’ and ‘loud’. Sure, it’s an energetic and quite forceful listen – but it pays just as much attention to the light and shade of a recording as it does the attack.

Its frequency response is fairly even; there’s a slight skew to the bottom end, sure, but it’s nothing fatal. And its tonal balance is equally well-judged, so there’s crisp presence at the top end to balance the punchy lower frequencies – and in the midrange, the JBL makes the character and technique of a vocalist pretty apparent.

Switch to a 24-bit/96kHz FLAC file of The Past is a Grotesque Animal by of Montreal, served to the Charge 6 via USB-C, and the entire presentation steps on. The soundstage opens up yet further, detail levels enjoy a big uptick, and the amount of space available to each element of the recording makes for greater overall scale.

Dynamic headroom increases, the unity of the frequency range is made more apparent, and the control of low-frequency activity makes for a rhythmically positive and articulate sound.

It’s worth noting that many of these uncomplicatedly enjoyable aspects of music-making are rather diminished should you decide to listen to the Charge 6 at volumes levels of ‘modest’ or below.

The JBL is not especially tolerant of being treated as a ‘background listening’ device, and a fair amount of its directness and assertiveness deserts it in the circumstance. No one puts Baby in the corner, so it seems…

• Sound quality: 4.5/5

(Image credit: Future)JBL Charge 6 review: Design

• IP68-rated for dust and waterproofing
• Seven finishes, and useful carry handle
• Reasonably compact at 229 x 99 x 94mm

In broad terms, it’s JBL Charge business as usual here. The speaker is almost cylindrical, with a flattened area on the bottom for it to rest on. Each end of the almost-cylinder features some sturdy rubberization to protect the passive radiator (and its rather alarming ‘!’ branding) at each end.

A few physical controls are arranged across the top, at the rear there’s a USB-C slot, and the entire thing is wrapped in hardwearing fabric.

Changes in design over the outgoing Charge 5 are very few – but they’re all significant. Those rubber end caps are now even more robust than before. The material that covers almost the entire speaker is now 100% recycled material. The controls are in two rows for even greater ease of operation.

The IP rating has risen from a very acceptable IP67 to IP68 – which indicates the Charge 6 is virtually impregnable. And there’s now a flexible, branded carry-handle that fits to the top of the speaker and means it’s more easily portable than before.

A choice of seven different finishes runs from a business-like black to a camo number JBL calls ‘squad’. No matter the color you choose, though, you’ll be in possession of a carefully designed and beautifully built portable speaker.

• Design score: 5/5

(Image credit: Future)JBL Charge 6 review: Usability and setup

• JBL ‘Portable’ control app
• A few physical controls
• Auracast and stereo pairing

The two rows of physical controls on the Charge 6 cover volume up/down, play/pause, power on/off, Bluetooth pairing and Auracast pairing – as long as the other speakers in your prospective group are Auracast-enabled, there’s no practical limit to the number of speakers you can join together or the amount of space you can cover.

Each of the controls is reliable, and very positive in its action – and the ability to pair two Bluetooth devices at a time is very welcome too.

The company’s ‘Portable’ control app is a useful little number too. Here’s where you can form a stereo pair with another Charge 6, check out a number of EQ presets or establish some of your own, check on battery life, and turn on ‘playtime boost’.

It’s a clean and stable app that’s a cut above the sort of thing some rival portable speakers are accompanied by.

• Usability and setup: 5/5

(Image credit: Future)JBL Charge 6 review: Value

If you want it for background listening, look elsewhere for your Bluetooth speaker, and spend less money while you’re at it – the five-star JBL Flip 7 would work nicely.

But if you decide to let it do its thing, the JBL Charge 6 has more than enough sonic talent to justify its asking price – and the fact that it’s so well made, so hardy and so very usefully specified only seals the deal.

• Value score: 5/5

Should I buy the JBL Charge 6?JBL Charge 6

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Features

Can't fault the battery life, USB-C connectivity, or Auracast option – higher-res wireless would be nice, though

4.5/5

Sound quality

Powerful, well-balanced and more detailed than you expect – especially in its USB-C mode

4.5/5

Design

Tougher than ever, made from more recycled material, and with a useful handle

5/5

Usability and setup

Very easy, with just the right amount of controls on the device, and a good app

5/5

Value

Reliable, long-lasting, great-sound – feels like a superb option for the price

5/5

Buy it if…

You want balanced and vigorous sound from your speaker
The Charge 6 may look a bit of a bruiser, but it’s a deft and insightful (as well as bruising) listen.

You like a bit of hi-res audio
Hard-wired via USB-C to an appropriate source, the JBL can be a genuinely hi-res device.

You want ‘portable’ to mean ‘portable’
That new carry-handle makes more of a difference than you might think.

Don’t buy it if…

You are likely to do your listening at modest levels
The JBL gives away quite a lot of its sonic animation at low volume.

JBL Charge 6 review: Also consider

Sonos Roam 2
This hits the Charge 6 more-or-less head-on where price is concerned, and in its own way it's just as adaptable a listen, with multi-room over Wi-Fi on offer instead of USB-C audio and Auracast. Its battery life is relatively miserly, though, and it doesn’t have the outright scale of sound to compete either.
Read more in our Sonos Roam 2 review

Bose SoundLink Plus
This is just as robust as the JBL Charge 6, both in the way it’s constructed and the way it sounds. It doesn’t lose interest at lower volumes, either – but it’s not quite as deft a performer as the JBL, and it’s a little more expensive too.
Read more in our Bose SoundLink Plus review

How I tested the JBL Charge 6

(Image credit: Future)

• Tested for over a week
• Tested in a variety of real-world locations
• Connected wireless and wired, with a variety of file types

I connect the JBL Charge 6 via Bluetooth to an Apple iPhone 14 Pro, an Apple MacBook Pro and a FiiO JM21 digital audio player.

I also connected it to the laptop via USB-C, where the Colibri software on the machine allowed the Charge 6 to play authentically hi-res content.

I listened indoors and outdoors, at a variety of volume levels and to a variety of types of music. And I did all this for well over a working week (and sometimes at the weekend too).

Read more about how we test

• First reviewed: September 2025

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