JBL Live TWS 3 Earbuds Boast Touchscreen Smart Charging Case
JBL's new Live Buds, Live Beam and Live Flex TWS 3 wireless earphones elevate the charging case to a smarter level.
While each new generation of earphones and earbuds tries to improve performance, comfort and battery life, the accompanying charging cases have mostly been ignored, save for increased capacity and decreased size. Until, that is, JBL's Live TWS 3 'buds and their smart case arrived at CES 2024.
Granted, we've seen this tech on JBL's Tour Pro 2 flagship wireless buds, but the more affordable Live TWS 3 charging case now sports a smart 1.45-inch LCD touchscreen. This development means you can control almost all features and functions in real time without connecting a mobile device or the JBL Headphones App.
Offered in three different versions - Buds, Beam and Flex - you will surely find a style that suits you. All support Bluetooth 5.3, with LE (Low Energy) following via a future firmware update alongside (most likely) multipoint Bluetooth, enabling you to connect the buds to multiple devices simultaneously.
They are all packing True Adaptive Noise Cancelling, allowing you to optimise your audio experience with the Ear Canal Test in the dedicated JBL Headphones app, ensuring a bespoke sound profile.
You can expect around ten hours of playback out of the buds per charge, with the smart case adding another 30 hours of play time.
Additionally, the JBL earphones are IP55-rated dust- and water-resistant, meaning they should be strong enough to withstand the effects of dust and occasionally getting caught in the rain.
Like we have seen in the Wave true wireless range, the Live earphones follow a similar design brief, with the Live Buds being the most compact and standard earbud form.
Meanwhile, the Live Beam features a stem design with larger touch-sensitive control surfaces, whereas the Live Flex sports a more open earbud design.
Will smart cases be the latest area where earbud brands will fight it out? Apple thinks it might, as it patented a design back in September 2022 for a touchscreen-equipped AirPods case.
The JBL Live TWS 3 series will go on sale mid-June in the UK and Europe for £180/€200 in a choice of purple, blue, silver and black. Local pricing and availability has not yet been confirmed.
Visit JBL for more information
Jay Garrett
StereoNET’s resident rock star, bass player, and gadget junkie. His passion for gadgets and Hi-Fi is second only to being a touring musician.
Posted in: Headphones
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