There are a variety of earbuds in the market, but I find the idea of having a small screen on the charging case quite appealing. It frees you up from your phone, while still having control of your music and allowing you to keep up to date with messages and alerts.
The new JBL Tour Pro 3 is a good example of this idea implemented right. Its large-ish 1.57 inches touchscreen allows you to see what song is playing, who is calling you, check battery status, control volume and noise cancellation, and much more.
While it may look large when compared to other charging cases, it is still very light (72g) and easy to handle with one hand only. It conveniently supports both USB-C and wireless charging and can provide up to an extra 33-hour boost for your earbuds.
The charging case also doubles as a wireless audio transmitter. Using the cables provided (USB-C to USB-C and 3.5 to USB-C) you can plug the case to any USB or analog source and listen to the audio on your earbuds. This works great for situations like in-flight entertainment or sources without Bluetooth connectivity.
Another functionality enabled by this smart charging case is the support for Auracast features. It allows you to either share your audio content with other Auracast-enabled devices or join an existing broadcast. All controlled from the touchscreen.
In addition to music and noise cancelling control you can also filter incoming phone calls with information shown on the screen.
The earbuds themselves have a battery that last up to 11 hours and are absolutely feather light, at only 5.5g each. These small earbuds pack a 10.2 mm dynamic driver and six microphones that work together to give you superior noise cancellation and great call quality.
The noise cancellation is good and there is an option to automatically change its settings if your voice is detected, allowing you to have conversations with removing the earbuds. In addition, the Smart Talk functionality automatically turns the volume down when you start talking, bringing the volume up again when your conversation is finished. The noise cancellation feature also constantly monitors the environment and adapts to change or sound leakage. In any case you shouldn’t have to worry about sound leakage. The app provides a Best Fit test that will help you select the best wearing position and also the best ear tip size for you.
Despite being connected via Bluetooth, the LDAC code support ensures high-resolution sound, hence its Hi-Res certification. This is complemented by a comprehensive equaliser.
The JBL Spatial 360 and Head Tracking technology are very clever. Regardless of the source, the sound seems to come from a specific point in space — in front of you for example—and regardless of how you move your head it sounds as if it’s always coming from the same spot. Depending on the source, you feel as in a live concert or inside of a movie scene. It’s a bit strange at the start because it’s not something we are used to but in a matter of minutes you are enjoying it. The only thing to be aware here is that the spatial sound is only available if the high-resolution audio (LDAC) is disabled.
The result of all this tech is an amazing sounding pair of earbuds, with nice bass and trebles that really shine when playing music and does a great job when playing othger media. like movies and TV series.
Gesture control is fully customisable, with up to seven different gestures available to control music, noise cancellation and voice assistant activation.
The JBL Tour Pro also gives you two ways to disconnect. The first one is the Relax Mode, that plays white noise (ocean, night, fireplace, forest and rain). This is only available through the app. The other is SilentNow, which will completely disconnect the earbuds but keep the noise cancellation active, so you can use it for sleeping or meditation. You can set its duration and have an option for an alarm to bring you back to reality. SilentNow is available through the app and the smart charging case.
The JBL Tour Pro 3 is available in New Zealand now, from authorised retailes, with a RRP NZ$ 429.95.
