Meet JBL's three new TWS earbuds - Bassy audio gear with long battery life!

Recently, three new JBL TWS earbuds arrived in the Philippines: Endurance Race, Tune 130NC, and 230NC. Here's what we think about them.

The three wireless earphones

Meet Endurance Race

Starting with the JBL Endurance Race, as the name implies, is designed for users with a more active lifestyle, particularly athletes or sporty people. 

The Endurance Race earbuds

Inside the box, you will see the Endurance Race Earbuds, Charging case, small, medium, and large ear tips, USB-A to USB-C cable, Manual, and Warranty Card.

Looking at the audio gear, it got a huge oblong shape for its body which you might think won't go well with your ears. But upon wearing it they are surprisingly comfortable, lightweight, and fit ergonomically.

A rugged buds!

The earbuds also got a skin-friendly rubber material on them which allows you to wear them for longer periods without feeling fatigued. Additionally, there are also soft fins on the earphones which they call it "Twistlock wing design" so they won't fall off your ears when moving around quickly.

The earphones and their case

The IP67 rating for water and dust resistance is ideal for active users because they will sweat a lot for sure which means it is capable of withstanding their rigorous activities.

The case can be charged using USB-C

The charging case also got a round-shaped body and still feels light even when the buds are inside. Indeed, it will have some bulges on your pockets but is not too bulky to look at. Flipping it at the back, you will see the USB-C charging port, while at the front you will notice the LED indicator for its battery and when in charging mode. JBL also advertises it provides extra 20 hours for the earbuds.

Pairing the device is quite easy with Bluetooth 5.2, as soon as you take them out of the case and your phone's Bluetooth is turned on you can immediately see a prompt on your phone. Most of the time we didn't encounter connection drops even when leaving the source on the 2nd floor and going down to the 1st floor. 

Moving to the audio department, Endurance Race 6mm drivers with Pure Bass Sound got a usable sound quality. The instrumental and vocals are okay, although you will notice hisses during high notes. Turning the volume down will do the trick so it won't hurt your ears. As for the lows they are punchy as advertised and stronger at higher volume. Each earbud can also deliver 10 hours of music playback which is essential for outdoor use.

For the microphones, they're just fine the voice is clear on the other end although keep in mind if there's wind or you are near the fan it can still be heard. You can have this device at the JBL Store and partner retailers for PHP 4,999.

JBL Endurance Race Specs

Drivers: 6mm dynamic

Frequency Response: 20Hz-20KHz, AAC,SBC

Battery: Up to 30 hours, w/ USB-C charging

Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.2

Others: IP67 water and dust resistant, Colors: Black, White, Coral, Blue

Price: PHP 4,999

Meet Tune 130NC

Up next is the Tune 130NC with a price of PHP 5,999. The NC in its name stands for the noise-canceling feature. It almost looks identical to the Endurance race as it also has a pill-shaped and in-ear design.

Rounded shape for an ergonomic fit

The difference would be the lack of ear fins, they still hold out pretty well but when moving around a lot there's a chance they might fall off your ears. As for comfort, the earbuds are extremely light and fit just right to the ears. It also has an IPX4 rating for some splash and dust resistance.

Inside the box, they come in with pairs of small, medium, and large ear tips as well as the free USB-C cable for charging.

The back view of the charging case

As for the charging case, it also looks the same as the Endurance Race case, it is however smaller in width but slightly thicker. With the case, JBL promises it can deliver additional 30 hours of battery life. You can also notice 3 light indicators for the battery level and there's a USB-C port at the back. 

Again we didn't encounter problems when pairing. The earbuds are just simply user-friendly and are easy to connect with Bluetooth 5.2.

When it comes to the sound quality the bigger 10mm drivers give a bit better details and sounded generally okayish than the 6mm drivers from the previous one. It also has a strong bass response, they're boomy so bass lovers will like it. The Tune 130 NC per earbud can also give 10 hours with ANC OFF, and 8 hours when turned ON. Charging them for 10 minutes will give extra 2 hours of battery.

The Tune 130NC with the case

Speaking of noise cancellation they do work indoors like when in coffee shops or simply in the living room, the background noise was shut off at 60-70 percent volume. For outdoors, they're quite average as there are still some horns from cars or jeepneys that can be heard when playing music. Turning the volume to max will help but some users may find it harsh for their ears.

With ANC!

The 4 microphones are average as well, it is clear in detail as long as there's not much background noise.

JBL Tune 130NC Specs

Drivers: 10mm dynamic

Frequency Response: 20Hz-20KHz, AAC,SBC

Battery: Up to 40 hours, w/ USB-C charging

Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.2

Others: IPX4 sweat-resistant, Colors: Black, White, Sand

Price: PHP 5,999

Meet Tune 230NC

The third and final audio product would be the Tune 230NC. You may also get this item at the JBL store with the same price tag of PHP 5,999. 

The device appears in a different design and looks more like the traditional earphones you see around with now a stem on it. 

The Tune 230NC

For us, this gives the most comfort among the three, they just fit nicely on the ears and we rarely felt fatigued or numb when wearing them even for a longer period. It also can withstand some sweat or dust with the IPX4 rating.

Similar to other JBL audio gear, this also includes the small, medium, and large ear tips and the USB-C cable.

3 LED bars for the battery indicator

When it comes to the charging case, it is also almost identical to the Tune 130NC, the difference would be that it is slightly thicker and comes in the color Beige. The LED indicators are the same as well as the 3 lights for low, mid, and high batteries. This also gives extra 30 hours of power to the earbuds.

When it comes to pairing, JBL seems to have made it easier for average users, this one too was easy to pair on the devices we've tried.

Good pair of earphones?

The Tune 230NC also sounded acceptable for most songs we played with it, although lesser details are noticeable, and kind of muddy too and that's probably due to smaller 6mm drivers. The strong point would be the bass like the other two earbuds above. There's punch in it and you'd definitely feel the rumble in your ears. Although others might just not appreciate too much bass so toning down the volume is recommended.

It sounded alright, but not great for the price...

This also comes with ANC tech, again it does work in less noisy environments. It blocks the music of other users in the living room or indoors but it won't do well in busy areas, especially when commuting although it helps in minimizing the overall outside noise. 

The microphones are okay too, they sounded clear to the other end but we notice they can pick up background noise like cars or jeepneys moving or even the buzz of the electric fan. So you might want to watch out for that. Each earbud will also deliver 10 hours of playback with ANC OFF and 8 hours with ANC on. That means you can use it for a straight working day and will give more when charged in the case.

JBL Tune 230NC specs

Drivers: 6mm dynamic

Frequency Response: 20Hz-20KHz, AAC,SBC

Battery: Up to 30 hours, w/ USB-C charging

Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.2

Others: IPX4 sweat-resistant, Colors: Black, White, Sand

Price: PHP 5,999

All three JBL TWS earbuds can use the app that gives more functions like the Ambient Aware mode so users can stay alert to their surroundings and the TalkThru mode so users can stop for a quick chat without the need of removing the earbuds. This kind of feature gives you convenience whenever you need them. The Voice Aware feature can also be controlled to low, medium, and high as well.

The JBL app features

For latency issues when watching or playing video games, can be solved through the app as well with its video mode. This will enable the users to have their audio in sync with the video or game they are playing.

If you want to tweak your audio, there's also an equalizer inside the app with presets for Jazz, Vocal, Bass, Club, and Studio, or you may simply change them manually.

Additionally, the app is also responsible for the touch control features of the JBL TWS earbuds. Single tap for ANC ON or Ambient Aware OFF. Double tap for TalkThru mode and Tap & Hold for the Voice assistant.

When receiving calls, you can also double-tap to answer or hang them up. Tap and hold for rejecting a call, mute or unmute the microphone. You may change these touch controls according to your liking.

Speaking of the voice assistant all three pairs can choose between Amazon's Alexa or Google's voice assistant. These are pretty helpful, particularly for outdoor use such as when you simply want to open your music app without going through your phone.

Moreover, if you ever misplaced your earbuds, you can locate them by pressing the "Find My Buds". You will hear a strong beeping sound from the earphones so you can pinpoint where you've left them.

You can also enable Auto Standby mode and Auto Power OFF on the app for its power-saving feature.

Finally, there's the support section so users can set up a voice assistant or learn the product tips, and FAQs, update software, and factory reset the device.

Quick thoughts

We feel like the three JBL audio devices' strong points are mostly comfort, convenience, and long battery life.

As for the sound, we feel like they don't shine much when it comes to their price category. Still though if the bass is your thing and doesn't want to charge too often then these items could be what you are looking for. Hope they can improve on this.

Anyway, if you are a big JBL fan, you may get them at JBL concept stores, official dealers, and online stores nationwide.

What do you guys think?