If true wireless earbuds ushered in a new era of wireless audio, they also raised the bar on pricing.
Thus far, the best pairs have been quite expensive, to the tune of $150 and up.
Thus, the $50 JLab JBuds Air earbuds are easy to get excited about based on price alone.
Sonically, they offer above-average audio quality with boosted lows that will appeal to bass lovers.
Things could be better from a design standpoint, as the buttons can be difficult to operate and the earpieces don't always disconnect when docked.
For the price, however, you won't find a better pair of completely wirless earphones for significantly less than $100.
Honest, Objective Reviews
Daxdi.com is a leading authority on technology, delivering Labs-based, independent reviews of the latest products and services.
Our expert industry analysis and practical solutions help you make better buying decisions and get more from technology.
Design
Few manufacturers have managed to notably differentiate their true wireless designs from the rest of the pack, and the ones that have haven't necessarily come up with an improvement on the basic blueprint.
The JBuds resemble your typical true wireless pair, with chunky but lightweight earpieces that dock inside a portable charging case.
Aside from the status LEDs that are on the outer panel of the earpieces and flash various colors depending on what's happening, the entire design and included range of accessories is covered in a matte black finish.
The charging pod is oval, with a flip-top lid and battery life LED indicators on the outside panel.
A built-in USB charging cable snaps into the bottom—the plus here is that you won't lose the cable, the negative is that the cable is really short, and if it ever fails, you'll need a new charging case.
JLab estimates the JBuds get roughly three to four hours of battery life—not great, but also par for the course in the true wireless realm.
JLab estimates the charging case holds up to 14 hours of additional battery life, which is also consistent with most of the true wireless options we've tested.
Keep in mind, these estimates will vary dramatically with your volume levels.
There are three pairs of black silicone eartips (small, medium, and large), as well as silicone bands that fit around the contour of the JBuds and make them a bit larger, with better grip.
The in-ear fit is lightweight and secure, and should stay in place during exercise.
JLab rates the JBuds Air at IP55—that number means they offer modest protection from particles like dust, and from water and sweat.
They cannot be submerged, however, and the charging case isn't waterproof at all.
The earpieces feature a single button on each ear—pressing them for varying lengths of time, or multiple clicks, determines how the buttons function.
They can be a tad annoying to operate at times, but you get used to it—you have to basically grasp the earpieces with your fingers that aren't pressing the button in order to create enough resistance for the click to register.
The on-ear controls are divided in function between the left and right earpiece—volume up and track forward, for instance, are controlled by quick taps or longer holds on the right ear, and volume down and track backward are handled by the left ear.
Double-clicking the left ear handles play/pause, while double-clicking the right ear summons Siri or Google Assistant.
There's built-in EQ, as well—three clicks will cycle through the three EQ modes (Signature, Balanced, Bass Boost), but you need to press the button (on either ear this time) three times to switch to a new mode.
Cycling through all three modes involves a series of nine clicks.
It's not awful, it's just not graceful—an app would have made far more sense than a button for these functions.
The mic offers average intelligibility—using the Voice Memos app on an iPhone 6s, we could understand every word recorded, but the mic sounds far away from the mouth (because it is) and the signal is a little weak as a result.
That, and the fact that the audio on calls is only in one ear, makes the JBuds Air a very typical performer in the true wireless communications department—mic clarity and call quality are not strengths of this category yet.
One thing to watch out for on the battery life front: It is exceptionally easy to dock the earpieces in the case and have them remain connected to your phone, draining your battery, even as the earpiece LEDs reflect that they're properly docked.
According to JLab, this will only occur when you've accidentally placed the left earpiece in the right earpiece's dock and vice versa—they're labeled, but they also look similar, and even when placed in the opposite dock, the earpieces will charge.
However, the connections don't line up perfectly, so they will possibly not disconnect from your phone.
Obviously the solution here is to pay attention to make sure the left and right earpieces go in their respective docks.
Performance
On tracks with intense sub-bass content, like The Knife's "Silent Shout," the earbuds deliver a sculpted, bass-forward sound.
The drivers don't distort on this track, and at this price, that's impressive.
It's not accurate, but it's a clean, balanced sound signature with powerful lows.
Of course, if you go into Bass Boost mode, things start to sound ridiculous.
There's really no need—both Signature and Balanced modes deliver a solid listening experience with plenty of bass depth, whereas Bass Boost sounds not only unnatural, but muffled.
Bill Callahan's "Drover," a track with far less deep bass in the mix, gives us a better sense of the general sound signature.
In Signature mode, the drivers add some thump to the drums and also some unnecessary boost in the low-mids to Callahan's baritone vocals.
We found that Balanced mode served this track far better—there's still bass presence, but the high-mids are brought out more in the mix, making things more crisp.
On Jay-Z and Kanye West's "No Church in the Wild," the kick drum loop receives enough high-mid presence to retain some of its punchy attack, though it can sound muffled in all three modes to a degree.
The sub-bass synth hits that punctuate the beat are delivered with power here—again, this is a bass lover's earphone pair, regardless of which mode you're in.
The vocals are delivered with enough crisp presence to keep their clarity intact, but at times they can sound a tad muffled in Signature mode—Balanced mode brings out a bit more crispness in the mix.
Orchestral tracks, like the opening scene from John Adams' The Gospel According to the Other Mary, don't sound terribly accurate in any mode here—the bass is always significantly boosted.
This pushes the lower register instrumentation too far out into the mix, upsetting the balance somewhat—it doesn't sound awful, but this is not a sound signature that will appeal to classical and jazz aficionados.
Conclusions
The JBuds Air's buttons are a little annoying to operate, the earpieces sometimes connect while in the case, and sonically, this is a bass lovers-only affair no matter what mode you're in.
But for $50? These things are forgivable.
As we said earlier, if you're looking for true wireless earbuds on a budget, you won't do better than the Jbuds Air.
If you have more room in your budget, we're fans of the Jabra Elite Active 65t, the JLab Epic Air, the Altec Lansing True Evo, and the Jaybird Run, all of which deliver a stronger overall experience, but cost much more.
Pros
Affordable.
Powerful bass depth.
Three EQ modes.
Sweat-resistant.
View More
The Bottom Line
The JBuds Air from JLab are far from perfect, but they're one of the best bargains you'll find among true wireless earbuds.
If true wireless earbuds ushered in a new era of wireless audio, they also raised the bar on pricing.
Thus far, the best pairs have been quite expensive, to the tune of $150 and up.
Thus, the $50 JLab JBuds Air earbuds are easy to get excited about based on price alone.
Sonically, they offer above-average audio quality with boosted lows that will appeal to bass lovers.
Things could be better from a design standpoint, as the buttons can be difficult to operate and the earpieces don't always disconnect when docked.
For the price, however, you won't find a better pair of completely wirless earphones for significantly less than $100.
Honest, Objective Reviews
Daxdi.com is a leading authority on technology, delivering Labs-based, independent reviews of the latest products and services.
Our expert industry analysis and practical solutions help you make better buying decisions and get more from technology.
Design
Few manufacturers have managed to notably differentiate their true wireless designs from the rest of the pack, and the ones that have haven't necessarily come up with an improvement on the basic blueprint.
The JBuds resemble your typical true wireless pair, with chunky but lightweight earpieces that dock inside a portable charging case.
Aside from the status LEDs that are on the outer panel of the earpieces and flash various colors depending on what's happening, the entire design and included range of accessories is covered in a matte black finish.
The charging pod is oval, with a flip-top lid and battery life LED indicators on the outside panel.
A built-in USB charging cable snaps into the bottom—the plus here is that you won't lose the cable, the negative is that the cable is really short, and if it ever fails, you'll need a new charging case.
JLab estimates the JBuds get roughly three to four hours of battery life—not great, but also par for the course in the true wireless realm.
JLab estimates the charging case holds up to 14 hours of additional battery life, which is also consistent with most of the true wireless options we've tested.
Keep in mind, these estimates will vary dramatically with your volume levels.
There are three pairs of black silicone eartips (small, medium, and large), as well as silicone bands that fit around the contour of the JBuds and make them a bit larger, with better grip.
The in-ear fit is lightweight and secure, and should stay in place during exercise.
JLab rates the JBuds Air at IP55—that number means they offer modest protection from particles like dust, and from water and sweat.
They cannot be submerged, however, and the charging case isn't waterproof at all.
The earpieces feature a single button on each ear—pressing them for varying lengths of time, or multiple clicks, determines how the buttons function.
They can be a tad annoying to operate at times, but you get used to it—you have to basically grasp the earpieces with your fingers that aren't pressing the button in order to create enough resistance for the click to register.
The on-ear controls are divided in function between the left and right earpiece—volume up and track forward, for instance, are controlled by quick taps or longer holds on the right ear, and volume down and track backward are handled by the left ear.
Double-clicking the left ear handles play/pause, while double-clicking the right ear summons Siri or Google Assistant.
There's built-in EQ, as well—three clicks will cycle through the three EQ modes (Signature, Balanced, Bass Boost), but you need to press the button (on either ear this time) three times to switch to a new mode.
Cycling through all three modes involves a series of nine clicks.
It's not awful, it's just not graceful—an app would have made far more sense than a button for these functions.
The mic offers average intelligibility—using the Voice Memos app on an iPhone 6s, we could understand every word recorded, but the mic sounds far away from the mouth (because it is) and the signal is a little weak as a result.
That, and the fact that the audio on calls is only in one ear, makes the JBuds Air a very typical performer in the true wireless communications department—mic clarity and call quality are not strengths of this category yet.
One thing to watch out for on the battery life front: It is exceptionally easy to dock the earpieces in the case and have them remain connected to your phone, draining your battery, even as the earpiece LEDs reflect that they're properly docked.
According to JLab, this will only occur when you've accidentally placed the left earpiece in the right earpiece's dock and vice versa—they're labeled, but they also look similar, and even when placed in the opposite dock, the earpieces will charge.
However, the connections don't line up perfectly, so they will possibly not disconnect from your phone.
Obviously the solution here is to pay attention to make sure the left and right earpieces go in their respective docks.
Performance
On tracks with intense sub-bass content, like The Knife's "Silent Shout," the earbuds deliver a sculpted, bass-forward sound.
The drivers don't distort on this track, and at this price, that's impressive.
It's not accurate, but it's a clean, balanced sound signature with powerful lows.
Of course, if you go into Bass Boost mode, things start to sound ridiculous.
There's really no need—both Signature and Balanced modes deliver a solid listening experience with plenty of bass depth, whereas Bass Boost sounds not only unnatural, but muffled.
Bill Callahan's "Drover," a track with far less deep bass in the mix, gives us a better sense of the general sound signature.
In Signature mode, the drivers add some thump to the drums and also some unnecessary boost in the low-mids to Callahan's baritone vocals.
We found that Balanced mode served this track far better—there's still bass presence, but the high-mids are brought out more in the mix, making things more crisp.
On Jay-Z and Kanye West's "No Church in the Wild," the kick drum loop receives enough high-mid presence to retain some of its punchy attack, though it can sound muffled in all three modes to a degree.
The sub-bass synth hits that punctuate the beat are delivered with power here—again, this is a bass lover's earphone pair, regardless of which mode you're in.
The vocals are delivered with enough crisp presence to keep their clarity intact, but at times they can sound a tad muffled in Signature mode—Balanced mode brings out a bit more crispness in the mix.
Orchestral tracks, like the opening scene from John Adams' The Gospel According to the Other Mary, don't sound terribly accurate in any mode here—the bass is always significantly boosted.
This pushes the lower register instrumentation too far out into the mix, upsetting the balance somewhat—it doesn't sound awful, but this is not a sound signature that will appeal to classical and jazz aficionados.
Conclusions
The JBuds Air's buttons are a little annoying to operate, the earpieces sometimes connect while in the case, and sonically, this is a bass lovers-only affair no matter what mode you're in.
But for $50? These things are forgivable.
As we said earlier, if you're looking for true wireless earbuds on a budget, you won't do better than the Jbuds Air.
If you have more room in your budget, we're fans of the Jabra Elite Active 65t, the JLab Epic Air, the Altec Lansing True Evo, and the Jaybird Run, all of which deliver a stronger overall experience, but cost much more.
Pros
Affordable.
Powerful bass depth.
Three EQ modes.
Sweat-resistant.
View More
The Bottom Line
The JBuds Air from JLab are far from perfect, but they're one of the best bargains you'll find among true wireless earbuds.
