JBL's new true wireless earbuds have an amazing feature that's visible right out of the box. It's also one that users will find pretty useful.
JBL's Tour PRO 2 earbuds have a pretty nifty feature that set them apart from the competition. JBL is an audio brand owned by Harman International, which is a subsidiary of Samsung. JBL's consumer product lineup includes earbuds, Bluetooth speakers, soundbars, noise-canceling headphones, and even gaming headphones.
Despite being a part of Samsung, the Korean giant treats it as a separate business entirely. JBL audio technology doesn't even appear in Samsung earbuds. Back when Samsung was still shipping earphones with its smartphones, the earphones were made by AKG, which is another Harman-owned brand.
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The JBL Tour PRO 2 earbuds are short-stemmed with an in-ear design. They will be available in two colors - Black and Champagne. As to be expected with any pair of premium earbuds, the Tour PRO 2 earbuds have active noise cancellation and adaptive noise cancellation. However, its main feature is the touch display on the front of the carrying case which JBL says is the world's first smart charging case. Think of it as a cover display similar to that of the Galaxy Z Flip 4. The 1.45-inch LED screen shows important details such as the battery level of each earbud as well as the case. There is also a clock icon and even pre-installed wallpapers.
The case features settings for managing the earbuds, such as turning on ANC, switching between ANC modes, activating ambient sound mode, and controlling playback. Users can also receive calls, check messages, and view notifications right on the display of the case, thus eliminating the need to whip out a phone to use the JBL Headphones app. It is a pretty neat addition and one that a lot of users may find useful, at least, until the novelty wears off.
The earbuds are equipped with 10mm dynamic drivers powered by JBL PRO sound. Owners will have the option to customize the sound output thanks to JBL's Personi-fi 2.0 feature. There is also an Ear Carnal Test that users can take in a noisy environment to adjust ANC. There are six microphones across both earbuds and JBL says they “guarantee crystal clear audio”. Furthermore, the earbuds have spatial sound. The JBL Tour PRO 2 have a battery life of up to 10 hours on a single charge with an additional 30 hours provided by the case. This is with ANC turned off, so expect lower values when ANC is activated.
The earbuds also feature Bluetooth 5.3 with support for Low Energy Audio and can be connected to not only Android and iOS devices but also PCs. In fact, PC users will actually find the case pretty useful since there is no desktop app. JBL has priced the earbuds at $249 which is slightly higher than the $229 Galaxy Buds 2 Pro. While the company has yet to confirm when they will go on sale in the US, they will be available in Europe in January 2023 for €249. That's a pretty long waiting time for a pair of earbuds.
Habeeb has years of experience covering consumer technology and has written for multiple publications. As a Senior Writer at Screen Rant, he enjoys writing about wearables, smartphones, tablets, and Chromebooks. Several of his articles include guides and comparisons that help users get the best out of their devices or choose the one that bests suits them. When he's not writing, he's catching up on the latest TV shows. He considers The Crown as peak drama and Castlevania as one of the best game-to-screen adaptations. And on days when there is nothing to watch (is that even possible?), he sneaks in a few hours of games on his PlayStation and Nintendo Switch.