JBL launched the JBL Tour Pro 3, the company’s latest TWS earbuds, in India last week as the successor to Tune Beam. This has a unique touchscreen charging case with Auracast, 360 Spatial Sound with Head Tracking, and comes in ANC, LDAC, and more. So, are these the best true premium wireless earbuds for the price? Let us dive into the review to find out.
Box contents
- JBL Tour Pro 3 earbuds in Black colour
- Smart Charging Case
- USB Type-C to Type C cable
- USB Type-C to Analog 3.5mm cable
- USB Type-C charging cable
- 5 sizes of ear tips + 1 x set of foam tips
- Warranty and Safety Sheet
Design and Build
The charging case for the JBL Tour Pro 3 earbuds features a large design since it has a 1.57-inch touchscreen, so weighs 71.8 grams and with the buds these are 83g, heavier compared to the case of other earbuds. The screen lets you control playback, volume, change noise cancellation modes, and more. Even though there are options to control the screen’s brightness, minimum brightness itself is too bright for night, so your sleep might be disturbed when you want to remove the earbuds from the case.
The case has a smooth matte finish, and a rounded shape. It is designed to securely hold and charge the Tour Pro 3 earbuds. You don’t see any LED lights on the front, since the screen shows the available charge for the case and the buds. The interior of the case is moulded to fit the earbuds, and they are held in place magnetically to ensure they charge correctly and don’t fall out easily.
You can see the TOUR PRO 3 branding on the back with a rubberized finish below it, so the case doesn’t get scratched when you place them on a surface.
The USB Type-C port and pairing button are present on the bottom, along with a charging indicator.
Coming to the earbuds, these feature an in-ear design with the tiny stem. In terms of build, these also feature a matte finish. It has IP55 ratings, making them resistant to both dust and water splashes. These weigh in at about 5.6 grams each even though they are bigger compared to standard earbuds.
The earbuds are designed for an in-ear fit, utilizing oval-shaped ear tips that are intended to conform ergonomically to the ear canal for a secure and comfortable fit, as well as to aid in passive noise isolation. There are Optical Sensors for Wear Detection, so they can automatically pause the audio when you remove it from your ears and play when you put it back.
Connectivity, Pairing, and Controls
The JBL Tour Pro 3 supports Bluetooth 5.3 with LDAC, SBC and AAC codecs. The pairing process is very easy. Just place the earbuds and open the case for it to enter the pairing mode. Now open the Bluetooth settings on the phone, and it shows up as JBL Tour Pro 3, and you can connect to it. As soon as the connection is established, the blinking LED should go off. You can take the earbuds out of the case and start using.
Since it has Google Fast Pair option that supports compatible phones, it automatically pairs to the phone when you bring the case with the headset close to the phone with Bluetooth turned on. We tested it on the vivo X200 FE and the Nothing Phone (3), and never faced any pairing related issue. Since the phone pairs with the case and not the headset, you will need the case if you want to reconnect it.
There is also dual-device connection that lets you connect to two devices at the same time, and the switch happens seamlessly when I tried it on a laptop and the phone, and also between two phones. You can tap and hold any of the bud for 5 seconds and switch between the devices. When you get a call on the phone, it automatically switches to it, and when you play audio on the laptop after the call, it switches to it.
The touch controls are easy to access.
| Function | Left earphone (L) | Right earphone (R) |
| ANC / Ambient Aware | Single Tap | – |
| Accept / End calls, TalkThru ON / OFF | Double Tap | |
| Reject incoming calls, Mute / unmute mic | Tap and Hold during call | |
| Play / Pause | – | Single Tap |
| Next Track | – | Double Tap |
| Previous Track | – | Triple Tap |
| Activate voice assistant | – | Triple Tap |
You can customize the controls from the settings in the JBL headphones app on Android and iPhone. You can change actions for the single tap, and set it for volume control.
The app also lets you control the settings of the smart charging case, such as brightness, change wallpaper, enable message notification from apps, access to features, and more. In the JBL Headphones app, the Relax Mode feature helps you unwind and block out distractions by playing soothing ambient sounds for set time.
Audio Quality
The Tour Pro 3 packs dual drivers – 10.2mm dynamic + 5.1mm x 2.8mm balanced armature an ultra-wide frequency range of 20 Hz – 40 kHz. The earphones are tuned for JBL Pro Sound Signature, which offers a wholesome sound signature that’s not overly bass-boosted, but still delivers clear low-end presence. It’s designed to sound good across various music genres, with excellent performance in mids and a slightly eager extension into highs without being screechy.
Since this has LDAC codec, it offers significantly higher data transfer rates (up to three times more than standard Bluetooth codecs like SBC and AAC), preserving more audio detail from Hi-Res source files. However, if you enable LDAC, you lose Personi-Fi, Spatial Sound, Low volume EQ and Leakage Compensation.
The JBL Headphones app offers a comprehensive equalizer, allowing users to fine-tune the sound to their personal preferences. You can choose from presets or create your own custom sound curves, making the earbuds highly adaptable to different genres or individual tastes.
With Personi-Fi 3.0, you can customize sound profiles, gestures, and audio settings through the JBL Headphones app. Personi-Fi 3.0 is designed to create a personalized sound profile based on your individual hearing and preferences. It typically involves a short test or series of questions within the app that helps to understand how you hear different frequencies. Based on this information, the app creates a custom sound curve that is optimized for your ears, aiming to provide a more tailored and potentially enhanced listening experience. This feature goes beyond standard EQ adjustments by considering your unique hearing characteristics.
The JBL Spatial 360 Sound with Head Tracking offers a more immersive, theater-like audio experience, transforming stereo sound into a multi-dimensional soundstage. With head tracking, the audio can stay anchored in space as you move your head, which is particularly effective for movies and games. While not everyone uses spatial audio for music, it’s a valuable addition for immersive media consumption.
Overall, the Tour Pro 3 offer clear vocals, detailed instrument separation, and a good soundstage.
Noise Cancellation and Call Performance
The JBL Tour Pro 3 features True Adaptive Noise Cancelling 2.0 with real-time calibration and custom control. The Hybrid ANC uses multiple microphones (six in total, three per earbud) to detect both external and internal noise, allowing it to effectively cancel out a broad range of frequencies. You can select foam ear tip for better passive sound isolation, in addition to ANC.
With Adaptive feature, the earbuds listen to your surroundings and adjust the ANC level in real-time. So, if you move from a quiet room to a noisy street, the ANC will automatically intensify to compensate. Through the JBL Headphones app, you can manually adjust how much or how little of the outside world you want to let in.
Smart Ambient Mode is the transparency mode, allowing you to hear your surroundings without removing your earbuds. It can also adjust volume in real-time based on ambient noise. The TalkThru Mode automatically lowers music volume and lets in ambient sound when you speak so you can have quick conversations.
The JBL Tour Pro 3 offers very good call quality, making them a reliable choice for hands-free communication. JBL employs an AI-powered algorithm to further enhance voice clarity and reduce distractions. This technology helps to isolate your voice from the environment, ensuring that the person on the other end hears you clearly, even in moderately noisy settings.
Wind noise suppression is good, and background noises like traffic, office chatter, and general ambient sounds are blocked. Since this is Zoom Certified, it is optimized for clear communication in virtual meeting environments.
Battery Life
The earphones pack 65mAh battery that promises about 11h (without ANC) / 8h (with ANC) standalone battery life. During my use with LDAC, I got about 9 hours with mixed use of with and without noise cancellation in about 60% volume, so it is decent. Talk time is about 5.2h if you enable ANC and 5.5h without it. It also has fast charging support, which offers up to 3 hours of music playback (Case and Buds) on an 10-minute charge.
With the 850mAh battery in the charging case, it promises up to 44h (without ANC) / 32h (with ANC). There is also wireless charging support. It takes about 1 hour to charge the buds fully, and charging the case fully takes about 3 hours
Conclusion
The JBL Tour Pro 3 earbuds are a compelling entry in the premium true wireless market, primarily distinguished by their innovative touchscreen charging case that also acts as a wireless audio transmitter for wired sources.
Beyond the case, the Tour Pro 3 delivers a superb audio experience thanks to its hybrid dual-driver design, Hi-Res audio support (LDAC), and extensive sound customization options through the JBL Headphones app. Active noise cancellation is very effective, capable of significantly reducing ambient noise, and call quality is consistently strong with good background noise and wind suppression. Battery life is also a notable strength, offering more playtime than many competitors.
However, the touchscreen case, while innovative, is larger than average, and the earbuds themselves can be somewhat bulky for smaller ears. While ANC is excellent, it may not quite match the absolute top-tier performance of rivals in specific, extremely noisy scenarios.
In the competitive landscape, the JBL Tour Pro 3 stands out for its feature set, especially the smart case. Its sound quality and ANC are very strong and comparable to the best. However, if absolute noise cancellation is your paramount concern, the Sony WF-1000XM5 often retains a slight edge, while Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds are also highly regarded for their ANC capabilities.
The JBL Tour Pro 3 is now available from JBL’s official website at in.jbl.com, as well as on Amazon.in for Rs. 22,990, and the introductory price was Rs. 19,999.
Pros
- Excellent audio quality with dual drivers, LDAC
- Good Active Noise Cancellation (ANC)
- Enhanced call quality with 6 microphones
- Good battery life with fast charge
- IP55 water and dust resistant ratings for the earbuds
- Unique touchscreen charging case for quick controls
- Auracast Support for easy sharing
Cons
- Bulky charging case
- Size of the earbuds might be big for some
- ANC not always best-in-class