Stefan Mileschin

As an audio company, JLab is known for producing affordable but interesting products. Take one of its more recent releases, the Go Air Tones. It worked with nail care brand ORLY to create a set of earbuds available in seven Pantone colors designed to match various skin tones. Its new JBuds Air Pro offer a different value proposition. Priced at $60, they feature 6mm drivers with AAC codec support built-in, IP55 certification and up to 36 hours of playtime with the included charging case. But according to JLabs, the highlight of the JBuds Air Pro is the inclusion of Bluetooth multipoint connectivity.

That feature allows you to connect the JBuds Air Pro to two devices simultaneously. In that way, you can listen to music on your computer and then answer a call that comes to your phone without jumping into the Bluetooth settings of either device.

JLab is positioning Bluetooth Multipoint as a value-add you won’t find on more expensive earbuds like the AirPods Pro. But the reality is more complicated than that. Multipoint connectivity has been a part of Bluetooth since its 4.0 release more than a decade ago, but you have to go out of your way to find headphones that support the feature. Part of that is that it’s challenging to pull off correctly. For instance, on Sony’s excellent WH-1000XM4, multipoint connectivity only works when the headphones connect to a device via AAC. Still, it’s a handy feature and one you won’t find on many earbuds, particularly ones that cost $60.

https://www.engadget.com/jlab-jbuds-...1.html?src=rss