At least, until now, that is.
TheJLab Work Budsfeature an external mic for better voice and call quality, which is a first.
Theyre not perfect, but theyre surprisingly flexible.
Price & Availability
The JLab Work Buds only come in one color option, black.
To this end, there is nowater resistanceat all.
For my listening tests, I started from a custom EQ setting that I set completely flat.
For a fairly affordable set of work-focused earbuds, I wasnt expecting such handling of relatively detail-focused audio.
This works fine in a pinch, but its easily outclassed in sound quality by the external mic.
Switching to the external microphone, the difference in voice pickup is noticeable.
Hannah Stryker / How-To Geek
The internal mic sounds unfocused and distant compared to the external microphone.
The Work Buds dont featureactive noise cancellation, which is understandable given the price.
One area where the Work Buds fall down somewhat is the range.
The JLab Work Buds feature an external microphone, something unseen in wireless earbuds until now, and that makes them a great pick for calls and video chats. They also work quite well for music, podcasts, and videos, making them a great all-around set of affordable earbuds.
Like plenty of earbuds, the JLab Work Buds feature capacitive touch controls.
The app also has other functions in addition to customizing the controls.
Finally, the app features a toggle between Music Mode and Movie Move.
The JLab Work Buds feature an external microphone, something unseen in wireless earbuds until now, and that makes them a great pick for calls and video chats. They also work quite well for music, podcasts, and videos, making them a great all-around set of affordable earbuds.
At first, these may seem similar, and they are, at least when it comes to sound.
The included charging case takes roughly two hours to charge the earbuds from empty to full.
Battery life outside of the charging case is lower with the Audio-Technica earbuds as well.
Hannah Stryker / How-To Geek
At least for now, the JLab Work Buds stand in a category of their own.
Should You Buy the JLab Work Buds?
Hannah Stryker / How-To Geek
Hannah Stryker / How-To Geek
Hannah Stryker / How-To Geek
Hannah Stryker / How-To Geek
