Review: JLab JBuds ANC 3

Sometimes, I’m convinced JLab is conjuring its prices from a corporate time machine. How else can it make utterly decent wireless earbuds for less than I’d pay for a meal for two at Olive Garden? Or the new ANC 3 buds, which have nearly all of the same features as AirPods Pro (8/10, WIRED Recommends) and clock in at $59.99?

There simply isn’t another pair of earbuds at this price that has excellent dust and water resistance, decent noise-canceling, and quality sound. If you find yourself in need of a bit more silence than other cheap buds can muster, whether working out or working at home on Zoom, these are a great, easy-to-use pair you won’t freak out about losing.

Cheap Date

The plasticky pillbox charging case that comes with the JBuds ANC 3 is probably the biggest giveaway that these headphones cost significantly less than AirPods, Jabras, or any other much more expensive buds. That said, one of the things that sets JLab apart from competitors is that it often includes the charging cable in the design of the charging case. On the ANC 3, a slim little USB-C cable nestles perfectly in the bottom of the case, so you’ll never have to remember a cable when in a pinch.

Open the clamshell and you’ll find two black buds that are ergonomically designed to fit in your ears without the elephant-nose design of AirPods and others. These aren’t as small as the Jbuds Mini, which we recommend even to folks who often struggle with fitting even the tiniest earbuds in their canals, but they’re not too far off. I have hilariously average ears, and buds fit perfectly in my ears with the medium-size silicone ear tips on (they also come with smaller and larger tips, depending on your ears).

They’re light, comfortable, and stable enough that they didn’t get dislodged when running at the gym or doing my biweekly weight-lifting sessions (when earbuds often slip out as I lie on my back on the bench).

The ANC 3 are IP55 rated for dust and water resistance, and that was very confidence-inducing when bringing them with me. I wore them in the shower, took them on muddy trails with my dog, and rinsed them off when they got gross from my hands. It’s nice to be able to treat a digital appliance like this, especially one this affordable.

Sound On

Inside the earbuds are 10-mm dynamic drivers that do well to compete with the vast majority of earbuds on the market, providing robust bass and relatively crisp and clear mid- and high-end response. If you’ve heard other, cheaper JLab buds, these are a bit clearer and better sounding.

They sound good in a wide variety of settings and with a wide variety of material. I liked using the buds to listen to both Netflix episodes and my classic rock workout playlist. They have really nice balance at lower volumes, which means you don’t have to turn them up really high to get good bass during your reps.

Even classics like Eddy Arnold’s Cowpoke sound fantastic in these earbuds, with the acoustic guitar hiding on the left side and the vocal harmonies on the right, and Arnold’s rich baritone in the middle of the mix. Everything sits perfectly in the mix, as though you’re listening to it on a pair of headphones that, truly, would have cost hundreds of dollars just a few years ago.

JLab also offers features that would have cost you that much, too, with an app that lets you control equalizer settings, noise-canceling, and transparency mode (pumping in the sound of the outside world so you don’t have to take the buds out for a quick chat).

Battery life is a solid nine hours with ANC off, and about six with it on in my testing (depending on volume and what you’re listening to). Call (and Zoom) quality is good, too. Controlling the buds on the go is easy, with presses on the outside of each bud enabling you to play or pause music, switch songs, and toggle noise-canceling settings.

As far as noise reduction goes, these do very well with lower frequencies like those from HVAC systems or distant gym speakers, but they don’t do battle with high-frequency noises like the click of my mechanical keyboard as well as options from Jabra, Apple, and Sony that cost two or three times as much. If you’re buying headphones exclusively to drown out the loudest environments, you probably should be looking at a nicer pair of buds, and probably a set of foam ear tips to pair with them. But for the average everyday needs of commuters, gym-goers, and Zoom-callers, these buds offer more than enough noise reduction.

I came to similar conclusions with the transparency mode. It is a bit brighter than AI-based transparency algorithms from competitors and clearly isn’t meant to be used for more than one short conversation at a time. Then again, how often do you have a conversation for more than a second or two before pulling out your earbuds anyway? In the real world, I barely ever use these transparency features. It’s just not that hard to take out an earbud and put it back in.

I love products that cost less but perform as well (or very nearly as well) as competitors. JLab lives, breathes, and breeds new products in this space. Even in its lengthy catalog of fantastic, affordable buds, these are a standout pair. They’re my new favorite cheap earbuds, and I have a hard time imagining anyone—other than JLab itself—can top these anytime soon.