A portable speaker for padel score announcements

PadelRef calls the score out loud after every point, and on a quiet court the phone’s own speaker is enough. On a busy club evening it isn’t - the announcement gets lost under the next rally and the chatter from the court next door. We have been running the JBL Flip 7 alongside the app for exactly that reason, and it does the job: loud, clear, and tough enough to live in a court bag. Be honest with yourself, though - this is a nice-to-have, not a requirement.

What you’re actually getting

The Flip 7 is JBL’s compact cylinder speaker, the seventh generation of a design most people have seen at a beach or barbecue. In plain terms:

• Sound: a 45 × 80 mm woofer and a 16 mm tweeter, rated at 25 W and 10 W RMS. JBL’s AI Sound Boost is meant to keep it clean at high volume, and in practice it stays intelligible when pushed - which is what matters for a voice.
• Radio: Bluetooth 5.4. It also supports Auracast, so two Flip 7s can be paired as a stereo set or several JBL speakers can play the same feed.
• Toughness: IP68 waterproof and dustproof, and rated to survive a one-metre drop onto concrete.
• Battery: up to 14 hours of playback, with a Playtime Boost mode that stretches it to about 16. A full charge takes about two and a half hours over USB-C - and the cable is not in the box.
• Carrying: JBL’s PushLock system, with a loop and a carabiner included so it clips to a bag strap or a fence.
• Size: 560 g and roughly the length of a padel grip - noticeable in a bag, but it fits in a side pocket.

It comes in a range of colours, and the hardware is identical whichever you choose - more on that below.

We don’t quote a price. Amazon’s prices move, and a stale number would be misleading (and against Amazon’s terms). Check the live price on the product page.

How it fits PadelRef

There is nothing special to set up. PadelRef’s announcements are ordinary media audio, so they play through whatever your phone is connected to. Pair the Flip 7 once from the phone’s Bluetooth menu - it takes seconds, no JBL app required - and every score call goes to the speaker. The JBL Portable app exists for firmware updates and an equaliser, but you never need it for this.

Two practical notes:

• Turn the phone’s media volume up. Announcements follow the media volume, not the ringer. Set it once before the first serve.
• Where you put it matters. Clip it to the fence at net height on the side you keep the phone rather than leaving it on the ground behind the baseline; a speaker at ear level should carry much further than one at your feet.

The speaker only plays what the app says - it doesn’t score anything. You still tap the phone or, better, use a remote so nobody has to walk over. If you haven’t set one up yet, start with how to set up a Bluetooth remote with PadelRef.

JBL Flip 7 Portable Bluetooth Speaker

Best for Groups who want PadelRef's score announcements heard across the whole court, not just by whoever holds the phone.

Pros

• Genuinely loud for its size - voice announcements stay intelligible from the far side of the court
• Standard Bluetooth 5.4 audio: pairs from the phone's Bluetooth menu, no JBL app needed to use it with PadelRef
• IP68 waterproof and dustproof, rated to survive a 1 m drop onto concrete
• Up to 14 hours of playback (16 with Playtime Boost) - a full evening of matches on one charge

Cons

• Premium-brand positioning - a basic speaker announces the score just as well if all you want is to be heard
• The compact body limits low bass, so music sounds lively rather than deep
• Charges over USB-C but the cable is not in the box, and at 560 g it is one more thing to carry

View on Amazon

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. I'm also a Flic affiliate - either way, affiliate links don't change the price you pay.

Why it earns its place on court

Volume is the whole point, and it has plenty. With players talking, rallies going on the neighbouring courts and the usual club noise, the score was clear to everyone on our court without anyone asking. That is the difference between a speaker and the phone: nobody has to gather round or shout the score back.

It shrugs off court life. Padel bags collect dust, sweat and the occasional dropped bottle. IP68 and the drop rating mean you can stop thinking about it: a splash from a water bottle, a dusty court or a tumble off the bench is within what JBL rates it for, which is not something you can say about a typical indoor speaker.

Battery outlasts the session. Fourteen hours is several evenings of matches at a moderate volume, so it is not one more thing to charge before every game. The two-and-a-half-hour charge time and the missing USB-C cable are the only irritations.

And it doubles as an actual speaker. This is the argument that makes the price easier to swallow: the same speaker can run the warm-up playlist, the post-match drinks and the beach on Sunday. As a scoring accessory alone it would be hard to justify; as a speaker you would probably buy anyway, adding the court is free.

The honest cons: a body this small cannot produce deep bass, so music sounds lively rather than rich, and JBL charges JBL prices. If all you want is the score heard, a basic no-name speaker will announce it just as well.

Colours

The Flip 7 ships in black, white, blue, red, pink, purple and a camo finish, and JBL adds limited editions in some regions. We link one listing above; Amazon groups the other colours as variants on the same product page, so pick the one you like there. Inside, they are the same speaker - same drivers, same radio, same IP68 rating - so the announcements sound the same whichever colour you pick. Black hides court dust best; the brighter colours are easier to spot on a bench.

Do I need a speaker at all for PadelRef?

No. On a quiet court, or when the phone sits at net height, the built-in speaker is enough for four players. A separate speaker earns its place when the club is loud, when you play on a court with music nearby, or when you want the score audible from the bench. Try a few matches on the phone alone first - if you never miss an announcement, save your money.

Will any Bluetooth speaker work?

Yes. PadelRef doesn’t talk to the speaker at all - your phone does, over standard Bluetooth audio. Any speaker your phone can pair with will carry the announcements. We picked the Flip 7 for the volume-to-size ratio, the IP68 rating and the clip, not for any PadelRef-specific feature.

The bottom line

Buy the Flip 7 if you play at a loud club, care about everyone hearing the score without asking, and would enjoy a good portable speaker outside padel anyway. It pairs in seconds, it is loud and clear enough for a full court, and it survives the bag.

Skip it if your courts are quiet or you only want the cheapest way to be heard - the phone, or any basic speaker, will do. The gear that actually changes how you score is the remote, so if you don’t have one yet, read the best Bluetooth remotes for padel scoring first.