Apple's AirPods Pro 4 are expected to launch as early as next month, but rumors point to a broadly similar design and two versions: an affordable model and one with active noise cancellation. The JBL Tour Pro 3 could surpass it, at least in terms of features.
When JBL launched the Tour Pro 2 wireless earbuds last year, the audio company brought innovation, especially to the charging case. The addition of a touchscreen on the case is something we described in our JBL Tour Pro 2 review as a creative innovation that changed the way we interact with wireless earbuds.
While JBL doesn't make it to our list of the best wireless earbuds yet, the JBL Tour Pro 3 might make it. And the company has managed to pack even more features into the new model.
Even bigger touchscreen
JBL made this box a wireless audio transmitter, allowing audio transmission from USB or analog sources such as an in-flight entertainment system.
Released on September 22nd for a hefty $299 price tag, the third-generation JBL Tour Pro headphones look similar to the Tour Pro 2 on the outside. Available in black or “latte,” the headphones look similar, but JBL says the case has gotten smaller while offering a 30 percent larger display.
Additionally, according to JBL's announcement, they've made this box a wireless audio transmitter that can stream audio from USB or analog sources like an in-flight entertainment system. This is a similar feature to what's available in the Bowers & Wilkins PI series and LG's Tone Free T90 headphones.
Oddly, JBL claims this feature doesn't use Bluetooth, but its press release declines to explain how the earbuds and case connect directly to USB or analog sources. “The direct connection between the case and earbuds is more stable and has lower latency than Bluetooth,” they claim.
Much like the Tour Pro 2 case, the new touchscreen case can be used to control playback functions and features like active noise cancellation without having to remove your phone.
Spatial audio, “Crystal AI” calls
JBL's Spatial Audio 360 has also been added, which includes head tracking, immersive, device-independent audio intended to make watching movies or gaming more in-depth.
The list of features continues to grow, as JBL has added support for Sony’s high-resolution LDAC Bluetooth codec, which is standard on all phones running Android version 8 and above. Additionally, JBL has apparently improved calls with JBL Crystal AI, which the company says will improve clarity even in noisy environments.
Under the hood, the Tour Pro 3 features a dual-driver hybrid system in each earcup with 11mm dynamic drivers that are said to deliver cleaner bass and “lively” vocals.
While last year's charging case and feature list are nice, we found the sound to be decent, but pales in comparison to Bose and Apple. “Vocals sounded distant and there was a noticeable echo on most tracks,” we said in our review.
Hopefully the improvements JBL made to the Tour Pro 3 earbuds improve the sound quality to match the innovation in the case.