JBL Tour Pro 2 review: these earbuds have a screen

Is the future of wireless earbuds in your hands, or are JBL’s Tour Pro 2 earbuds (with a dedicated display and built-in charging case) a parlor trick negated by smartwatches? Why would you want those controls directly on a physical product when you can easily access them via an app on your phone? is a difficult question.

The Tour Pro 2 is the first product to bring an interactive case to market. HP announced something similar (though focused on enterprise customers). Apple’s patent application states that the AirPods maker has at least explore this concept. But JBL’s earbuds are here now, starting shipping in the US today after launching in other markets earlier this year.

See, we all know we’re all in for some weird case experimentation with screens. Tour Pro 2 contains an exhaustive and balanced list of features. Adaptive noise cancellation, which adjusts in real-time based on the loudness of the environment, is extremely powerful and rivals the top tier of the competition. Battery life is another highlight, with up to 8 hours of ANC on and he 10 hours off, plus an additional 24 or 30 hours of continuous listening from the case. This outlasts the AirPods Pro, Samsung’s Galaxy Buds 2 Pro, Nothing Ear 2, and other premium options.

According to JBL, the sound signature of these 10mm drivers follows the revered Harman response curve, albeit with some added bass. And while the Tour Pro 2 sound perfectly fine, I still prefer the audio fidelity of the second-generation AirPods Pro, Samsung’s flagship earbuds, and Sennheiser’s Momentum True Wireless 3 earbuds. To me, these earbuds have more depth, more dynamic range, and more clarity no matter what music is playing.The Tour Pro 2 don’t sound like $250 earbuds to me. So the case takes into account its price. There are several equalizer settings to choose from, and JBL’s Personi-Fi feature allows you to further adjust the audio output frequency based on your hearing characteristics and preferences.

The company also piles on other tricks like multipoint, unique spatial audio profiles (music, movies, games, etc.), an earbud locator utility, and voice detection for automatically activating ambient sound modes. Its transparency/ambient sound mode was where I was least impressed. It’s very stuffy, doesn’t sound articulate, and lags far behind its modern competitors. However, voice call performance is clear and satisfying, and the earbuds have a water and sweat resistance rating of his IPX5.

In summary, the Tour Pro 2 is comfortable, has excellent if not great sound quality, and has decent battery life. JBL also mentions that the earbuds are ready for the LE Audio spec and will be updated to enable it once the spec goes mainstream. could be further improved. Bluetooth codec support is currently limited to his AAC and SBC.

Now, the main attraction is its case. It incorporates a 1.45-inch touchscreen LCD on the front, so it’s pretty big by today’s standards. But there’s at least wireless charging support, but that’s not always guaranteed, even if it’s bulky. Want something cool like OLED or E Ink for your screen? Sure. Out of the box, you can adjust between three different brightness levels, but even the lowest setting isn’t particularly dim. must be kept in good condition. JBL says it may offer a standalone replacement case as the dilemma of “dropping the earbuds and breaking the screen” exists, but if either the earbuds or the case are damaged individually may replace both.

Tap the display to see the selected wallpaper. (There are presets, but custom images are also available. JBL preloaded) The Verges Add your logo to the review unit. ) slide your finger to the right to start cycling through the different functions. And there’s more than you might think:

• playback control
• Volume
• Sound modes (ANC, transparency, etc.)
• equalizer
• Timer: Turns off the earbuds after a selected amount of time
• spatial audio
• screen brightness
• wallpaper selection
• VoiceAware: Determines the sensitivity of voice detection
• SilentNow: Enable ANC without playing music for a preset amount of time
• Auto play/pause ear detection
• notification
• looking for buds
• flashlight

It’s all about having lots of widgets to swipe all the time. Via JBL’s mobile app for Android or iOS, you can prune the unwanted and reduce that list to five or six more manageable screens.

The track controls and volume controls work well, but the currently playing song is never displayed. It’s just a control. (Holding down the button does not fast-forward or rewind.) Other core tasks, such as switching between audio and EQ modes, are no problem. But again, I’m already wondering if a display is needed and how much convenience it adds. You can do it using your favorite earphone gesture controls. Yes, they all show up in his JBL app on the phone.

but Several Screens have their own advantages. For one thing, there’s no mistaking whether the earbuds are charged or how much battery is left. I don’t know how many times I’ve rolled up a single fully charged AirPod (insert any earbud brand here, honestly). But with the Tour Pro 2, that information is always displayed in small font at the top of the display. Also, since this is the most immediate data for the earbuds, it will remain there even if you swipe other widgets.

It throws in some rudimentary and very basic smartwatch-like features. Case lets you see and answer/reject incoming calls and get alerts whenever you get a message on your phone. Don’t expect too much context because it just says Message notifications disappear quickly and are of little use.

Does the case make life easier overall? …perhapsTechnically it’s faster to grab the case and change some random setting than to take out the phone, unlock it, find the JBL app, open it and go find the same toggle.? If you open up and can’t find one or both earbuds, it’s nice to have the Find My Buds tool right there.

But all these “benefits” have a big premise. Earphones: Does she always have her case with her, often in the breast pocket of her backpack or coat? If that’s your case, the benefits of this interactive case go out the window unless you change your habits and keep it within reach.

I doubt anyone who wears a smartwatch on a daily basis will see so much to get excited about with the Tour Pro 2. Apple, Samsung, and Google all offer detailed control over their earbuds from their wearables. Apple Watch now tells you in real time how much noise your AirPods Pro (or Max) are canceling. Additional synergies are created in these walled gardens. However, JBL has no horses to run in that race. Many companies do not. So, considering the platform-agnostic audio brand is trying to stand out, the Tour Pro 2 makes a little more sense.

And they definitely got me thinking about what’s to come. How long will it be before earbuds become a fully independent source of entertainment? It is not hard to imagine that there are companies that can synchronize You can already do it with your smartwatch. Why not extend that to real listening devices? In a few years, you’ll probably be using AirPods with an iPod nano stuffed in a case.

We haven’t found the single compelling reason to keep using the JBL Tour Pro 2 instead of your favorite wireless earbuds. Solid battery status is useful, but it’s too sticky to give earbuds precious pocket space.At least, for this first attempt.

This concept doesn’t start or end with JBL or HP. I think other people will try the “smart” earbud case. To be honest, I’ve never had the idea that Samsung has more, but I think the Galaxy Watch lineup covers a similar base. Someone might figure out a great reason why you need a screen on your earbuds. Right now, this feels like he has one screen too much.

But I can’t beat creativity and trying something new.The Tour Pro 2 fall short of the best earbud contenders when it comes to sound, but they definitely have some unique gimmicks. is. Let’s keep getting weirder. Something good should come out of it.

Photo by Chris Welch/The Verge