REVIEW – It seems like earbuds just keep getting better and more affordable, and the JLab JBuds Pods are a great example of this. These in-ear pods deliver outstanding sound quality with a whopping 56+ hours of play on a single trip to your nearest power source! They’ve got workout quality water resistance, active noise cancelling, and a few other clever tricks thrown in as well. Let’s find out more. To the review!
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Price: $54.99
Where to buy: JLabs and Amazon
What is it?
JLabs JBuds Pods are wireless earbuds with active noise canceling technology and a portable charger/storage case that provide 56+ hours of performance between charges.
What’s included?
The kit includes the earbuds, the charging case, a USB-C charging cable, and three sizes of gel eartips.
Tech specs
Hybrid active noise canceling technology
Lab spatial audio
IP55 water resistance
10 hours of playtime in the earbuds
Case charging enables 56+ hours total playtime before recharging the case
Supports wireless and USB-C charging
6 microphones for call quality
Bluetooth multipoint connectivity
Google Fast Pair technology for Android devices
Design and features
Your experience with the JLab JBuds Pods begins with this pod case that measures in at a pocket friendly 2″ by 1.5″ by 0.75″ thick. Rounded corners and a sturdy build are made for standing up to the bumps and bruises of everyday use.
You won’t have to worry about running out of power while you’re out and about! The case also operates as a charging station for the earbuds. The earbuds will run for 10+ hours of continuous play while the case adds roughly 46 hours of additional charging. This means you’ll go for 56+ hours of operation before you need to find a power source!
The case supports either wireless pad charging by standing it up on the base, or you can use the built-in USB-C port for quicker power-ups. 10 minutes on the USB-C will get you 2 hours of fast-charging play in a pinch.
Open the lid to get to your earbuds, which fit snugly into their molded little housings. When you open the base, the light indicator on the front face will let you know how much charge is left in the case. Red in this case means I am below 25% of capacity.
When you pop the buds out, they will automatically connect to the device you paired with your Bluetooth connection.
The design of these particular earbuds features a broad barrel with a squat post that sits outside your ear.
This design takes a little getting used to, as the silicone sleeve kind of pivots to run parallel to your jawline. It’s hard to describe, but it feels like you’re putting the earbud in backwards (right bud should go into left ear and vice versa) until you get used to it. Then it sits tight in your ear as shown below.
Each post has a touch pad (with the embossed logo) as the action button for in-ear controls. Your default settings leverage 1, 2 or 3 taps and a long hold to activate the controls. These are completely customizable in the app as we’ll see in a minute.
Your kit also includes 2 additional sets of silicone sleeves in different sizes to find a good fit for your ears.
The earbuds will also automatically disconnect when you place them back in the case.
Your kit includes some well-written and easy to follow basic instructions. Device pairing is brainless and painless. But the customization really shines when you install the Jlab app.
Using the JLab App
The JLab app is one of the smoothest I’ve played with yet. You have complete control of all of your audio and control settings with a set of easy-to-use menus.
You’ll start by firing up the app and activating the earbuds to access the menu below. Note that your power levels appear in the dashboard at the top of the menu.
The Noise Control Modes menu enables you to toggle between no noise canceling, awareness mode (to allow more environmental noise in), and full active noise cancellation. The last two options, when selected, activate that slider bar shown below so that you can tune the level of noise awareness (or noise canceling) you want.
The interval timer is a neat little addition. You can set the active time, rest time, and reps. Press start and a timer pops up on screen with different tones for starting your active phases and rest phases for the session.
Equalizer mode gives you complete control of your balance. You have three default starting modes and a custom option to save your own preset.
In what may be my favorite option, you can fully customize all of your touch controls or turn them off entirely.
Spatial audio activates or deactivates full surround sound mode, while the Music/Movie Mode toggles between these default setups based on your current use. Safe Hearing sets loudness limits for your safety so you don’t do yourself damage by cranking up the volume too high.
Performance
The JLab JBuds Pods have a whole ton of good things going on when it comes to quality and performance. I did find a few little flaws that we’ll get into as well.
Let’s start with durability which has been excellent so far. I use these buds daily for my workouts, rucks, yard work, etc. I’ve dropped them on concrete. I’ve had ’em fall out while exercising. I’ve bounced the case off of my quartz kitchen countertops. I have yet to see a scratch or ding in the buds or the case. So far so good there. I should note that they are rated at IP55 water resistance, which means they can’t take a soaking. I have been in profusely sweaty situations and rain showers, however, with no issues to report.
The battery life is unreal. I use these anywhere between 60 and 90 minutes almost every day, and sometimes more. I charged up the unit when I first cracked the case and quite literally went four weeks without charging once.
The app and customization combination is one of the best I’ve tested. The user interface is simple without complicated menus and all sorts of wonky add-on features. Everything works cleanly as designed. I love the ability to tweak the levels of ANC and environmental awareness, and found both to be truly useful in practice. The ability to completely customize the controls is one of my favorite things. No more memorizing factory settings! Just set them up however they work best for you.
Speaking of controls, I also like that the tap areas on the buds are not super-sensitive. I have found on other earbuds that I often accidentally smack the volume or pause a podcast with an incidental brush of the hand. Not so with these, which require a little more intention with your taps.
The audio quality is excellent. I’ve seen a lot of parity in this area in recent earbud tests but these little guys do provide a noticeable difference compared to some of my more recent tests. The spatial audio is pretty remarkable, and there’s a noticeable difference when you switch to movie mode. Call quality is also excellent coming in and going out.
I did find that the active noise canceling can get a little dirty on the higher end, generating some static in the audio feed if outside noises get particularly high. A most ranges it does a great job, however, and you can immediately hear the difference as you play with these settings & switch modes.
The one area that I am still getting used to with the JLab JBuds Pods is the fit. That onion-shaped barrel is pretty chunky, as you see in the closeup shots below.
I have notoriously small ears, so it’s a tight squeeze for my ear shape! I found myself having to switch between the different sized gel caps to get something that would keep the earbuds from slipping out. I’m using the largest size now, which helps, but I still get some slippage if I am working up a sweat.
I do like that very little of the earbud is exposed with that short external stem. This has helped to avoid incidentally knocking them loose, or getting them caught on the chinstrap if I am taking off my outdoor hat. I’ve been getting more used to the fit the longer I have been using them.
Final thoughts
The JLab JBuds Pods are an outstanding all-around earbud that has earned a spot in my regular rotation. The sound quality is amazing, the app is one of the best I’ve used, and I love the fully-customizable feature set. I do think the fit is a little awkward for my ears, but I have gotten used to it. And you can’t beat the battery life!
What I like about the JLab JBuds Pods earbuds
- Excellent sound quality
- Ridiculous battery life
- Fully customizable controls and audio configuration
- Excellent app that’s simple to use
What needs to be improved?
- Fit could be better for my smaller ears
- ANC can be a little glitchy when suppressing higher noise levels
Price: $54.99
Where to buy: JLabs and Amazon
Source: The sample of this product was provided for free by JLAB. JLAB did not have a final say on the review and did not preview the review before it was published.
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