JBL has announced the launch of the Tune Flex TWS earbuds in India. These are JBL’s first earbuds to feature their’ Sound Fit’ feature. Further, the earbuds have six Active Noise Cancellation modes and promise up to eight hours of playback on a single charger. The buds also support JBL Headphones App.
JBL Tune Flex: Price & Availability
The JBL Tune Flex earbuds come in JBL’s latest eco-friendly packaging and are available in black at Flipkart and JBL’s website at an inaugural launch price of Rs 6,999.
JBL Tune Flex: Features
JBL Tune Flex are the latest offering from the Audio brand, which brings six modes of ANC tuning so whether using open or sealed ear tips, on the go or at home, you can choose the best noise cancelling experience to suit you.
The earbuds have two different hearing styles that help you stay connected to your surroundings. The first one is the natural open design while the second one is the sealed design where you cam pop on a pair of the sealing ear tips. There are three sizes included in the box. This will block out distractions and prevent sound leakage.
Using JBL Headphone App one can flex between the open or sealed design and then further personalise performance with ‘Sound Fit’. The JBL Tune Flex buds has up to 8 hours battery life and more 24 hours in the case with ANC Off.
The Dual Connect feature enables you to connect with one earbud or both, plus four different microphones so you can take your calls hassle free. It also has the hands-free voice control feature which can be controlled using Google Assistant. Apart from this, the buds have Speed Charge support and are IPX4 splash-proof certified.
JBL Tune Flex: Alternatives
The price range in which JBL Tune Flex sit is a competitive one. So here are a few alternatives which you can consider before going for the JBL Tune Flex:
Nothing Ear (1): Rs 6,999
The Nothing Ear (1), launched a year ago, is still one of the coolest looking earbuds out there that also offers a bunch of features. Priced at Rs 6,999 (and sometimes Rs 5,000 with offers), the Nothing Ear 1 TWS come with Active Noise Cancellation, and a dual-driver setup. They feature 11.6mm, dynamic drivers. The earphones support Bluetooth 5.2 connectivity with SBC and AAC codecs.
The earbuds have a battery capacity of 570mAh. It is claimed to offer four hours of battery life with ANC enabled and up to 5.7 hours with ANC turned off. With the charging case combined, users can get up to 34 hours of battery life.
During our review of the Ear 1, we found the design of the earbuds attractive. The case and earbuds are transparent to some extent but not 100 percent. In addition, the stem of Earbuds is transparent on one side, and the other side, though transparent, appears black.
On the other hand, earbuds are made of hard white plastic. The placement of mics, internals, and magnets on the stem used for charging is neatly done and will grab attention. The app is neat and clean, but we felt that an equaliser would have been handy instead of the preset option. Overall, the earbuds are an excellent alternative to the JBL Tune Flex with a slightly better design in our opinion.
Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro: Rs 7,990
The case of the Galaxy Buds Pro gives you 20 hours of battery life along with eight hours of playback which you get on a single charge. It is dropped down to as low as five hours with ANC switched on always. Audio is handled by a 11nm woofer and 6.5 tweeter in a new dual driver design.
Each earbud is equipped with 3 microphones for active noise cancellation (ANC) and there’s also a Wind Shield Mode for better calling experience. The 3 ANC microphones can intelligently identify when you are talking and automatically switch to ambient mode. This is paired with 360 Audio with Dolby Head Tracking tech for an even immersive experience, which the JBL Tune Flex misses out on. The buds are IPX7 rated as well.
OnePlus Buds Z2: Rs 4,999
The OnePlus Buds Z2 come with Adaptive Noise Cancellation that cancels noise up to 40dB. They also have support mono mode and transparency mode. TIn addition, theycome equipped with an 11mm dynamic driver similar to that of the OnePlus Buds Z.
The OnePlus Buds Z2 packs a 40 mAh battery that can deliver up to seven hours of playback, while the case has a 520 mAh battery. OnePlus claims that the Buds Z2 can deliver up to 38 hours of battery life on a single charge.
OnePlus’s Flash Charge technology can give you 5 hours of music playback from a 10-minute charge. The TWS earbuds are IP55-certified, though the charging case has an IPX4 certification.
The new true wireless stereo (TWS) earbuds come with Bluetooth 5.2 connectivity with AAC/SBC codecs support. TIn addition, there’s94ms ultra-low Latency and Dolby Atmos on select OnePlus devices. With a price lower than that of JBL Tune Flex, the Buds Z2 from OnePlus has some features which Tune Flex lacks, such as IP rating for the case, and a better battery life.
Jabra Elite 4 Active: Rs 6,999
The Jabra Elite 4 Active comes with Active Noise Cancellation and Secure Active Fit ergonomic wing-free design for a noise-isolating fit. They are claimed to provide seven hours of playtime on a single charge and 28 hours with the case. One can get 1 hour of playtime with a quick 10-minute charge as the case supports fast charging.
The earbuds can get fully charged within a span of 3 hours. The Elite 4 Active earbuds also include Alexa integration and also have support for Siri and Google Assistant. In addition, the earbuds are compatible with Jabra’s Sound+ app to adjust the ANC intensity and tune the equaliser for a personalised audio profile. Further, you get an adjustable HearThrough feature as well.
Moreover, they come with four built-in MEMS microphones protected by a special mesh covering that further protects the sound from wind noise and offers enhanced noise cancellation. Jabra says that the earphones can also be used independently through a Mono Mode. The Elite 4 Active TWS earphones come equipped with 6mm drivers and support Qualcomm aptX and SBC audio codecs.
These earbuds connect via Bluetooth 5.2 and have IP57 protection for dust and water resistance. Lastly, users can pair up to 6 devices and the earbuds feature Auto on/off feature as well. For the same price as as JBL’s buds, you get a better IP rating, multi-device pairing with support for more devices, and then Qualcomm aptX codec as well.