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Customer Review
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 2 May 2024
I bought these after the battery in my AirPods stopped holding charge. I thought I'd try a cheaper alternative as I wasn't happy spending that amount of money again.
Firstly, the JBL Tune Flex earphones have really good battery life. I think they may even last longer than my AirPods did when they were new. Also, having USB-C is a big plus as everything I use is USB-C now so don't have to keep out-of-date cables on me at all times.
The design is nice and they earphones aren't huge. The case feels secure and the lid has a magnet that is strong enough that I don't feel like it's going to flop open and risk losing an earphone. They feel a bit on the cheap side though and I'm not a huge fan of the textured plastic as it feels quite slippery. I do find them a little uncomfortable if I wear them for long periods of time. They're also a bit of a pain to clean as they have interchangeable tips, rather than being one piece.
However, my main issue with the JBL earphones is the sound quality. Out of the box, they are just too bass heavy. I had to download the JBL app to alter the EQ but even then, I couldn't get them to sound as good as my AirPods. In the end, I had to maximise the treble, boost the mids, and reduce the bass just to get a somewhat balanced sound. Some people may like the heavy bass, but personally, I prefer a much more balanced sound profile.
The noise cancelling is not very good at all, to the point where I just turned it off. I didn't buy them for their noise cancelling properties so this isn't a big deal for me, but it doesn't perform well at all.
As a budget pair of wireless earphones, the JBL Tune Flex are fine, but in hindsight, I wish I'd just spent the extra on AirPods 3rd Gen.
Firstly, the JBL Tune Flex earphones have really good battery life. I think they may even last longer than my AirPods did when they were new. Also, having USB-C is a big plus as everything I use is USB-C now so don't have to keep out-of-date cables on me at all times.
The design is nice and they earphones aren't huge. The case feels secure and the lid has a magnet that is strong enough that I don't feel like it's going to flop open and risk losing an earphone. They feel a bit on the cheap side though and I'm not a huge fan of the textured plastic as it feels quite slippery. I do find them a little uncomfortable if I wear them for long periods of time. They're also a bit of a pain to clean as they have interchangeable tips, rather than being one piece.
However, my main issue with the JBL earphones is the sound quality. Out of the box, they are just too bass heavy. I had to download the JBL app to alter the EQ but even then, I couldn't get them to sound as good as my AirPods. In the end, I had to maximise the treble, boost the mids, and reduce the bass just to get a somewhat balanced sound. Some people may like the heavy bass, but personally, I prefer a much more balanced sound profile.
The noise cancelling is not very good at all, to the point where I just turned it off. I didn't buy them for their noise cancelling properties so this isn't a big deal for me, but it doesn't perform well at all.
As a budget pair of wireless earphones, the JBL Tune Flex are fine, but in hindsight, I wish I'd just spent the extra on AirPods 3rd Gen.
