JBL Tour Pro 3 review

Your smartphone has a screen, and your smartwatch does too. The engineers at JBL HQ must have looked around and decided your wireless earbuds needed one next.

They went ahead and fitted the Tour Pro 3 with a 1.57-inch LCD touch screen, and honestly, it’s a brilliant idea. Let’s dive into how useful that screen is, besides the other juicy stuff in our detailed JBL Tour Pro 3 review.

JBL Tour Pro 3 review: Build and design

Fair to say, the JBL Tour Pro 3 is a guaranteed conversation starter. It’s not just because of that screen either; the build quality and that gorgeous Latte colourway we received have equal roles to play. But it’s the display that’s the real showstopper.

There are plenty of moments when your phone is out of reach, but the case is right there in your pocket. And that’s why this little screen exists – to give you the same degree of control over your earbuds you would have with your phone. After all, there is only so much you can command with taps and gestures on the buds themselves.

Even if you are a sceptic who wouldn’t use the display for controls, the screen is still clutch for seeing vital details. A quick glance shows the battery levels, so you always know when it’s time to plug these bad boys in without needing your phone.

Once you open your mind to the possibilities, the sheer level of control the case offers is astounding. You can tweak the equaliser, get app notifications, trigger the find my earbuds buzzer, and flip between spatial sound modes. You can even change the wallpaper on the display. The whole concept is absolutely bonkers.

Unfortunately, strapping a screen onto something this small was going to have some trade-offs. You can’t cheat physics, after all. Displays aren’t exactly lightweight, and the case has a bit of heft as a result, tipping the scales at around 83 grams.

JBL Tour Pro 3 review: Fit and battery

Of course, a screen consumes a lot of power, which means the case needs a bigger battery. That’s why you get an 850mAh unit, which is almost double what you’d find in many other earbuds. The result is additional grams from the screen in the case, and then even more weight from the larger battery needed to power it. It’s a double whammy.

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That said, any worries you might have about the display sipping too much power are immediately nullified because the larger battery more than offsets its consumption. The charging case is claimed to offer 33 hours of battery life. The earbuds themselves are good for a continuous playback of a whopping eight hours based on our testing.

This impressive stamina shouldn’t be a surprise as these earbuds themselves are large and heavy, though they never feel uncomfortable. In fact, as someone with larger ears, I found the fit to be the best I have tried with any earbuds so far.

They slide in and almost lock into place with a reassuring click. That said, they may not be the perfect choice for smaller ears. As for the overall build, the quality feels entirely appropriate for their price.

JBL Tour Pro 3 review: Audio and ANC

Alright, let’s talk about the main event… how do the JBL Tour Pro 3 sound? While these aren’t my favourite, the quality was still a pleasant surprise. The bass is strong, the treble extends well enough, and there aren’t any flaws to point out. They also follow the modern trend of TWS earbuds sporting slightly emphasised bass and treble, a sound profile which appeals to a wider audience.

If you don’t dig this, you can always dive into the JBL Headphones app to set a flatter sound or mess with other settings, sound profiles, equaliser, spatial audio, LDAC, and even create a personalised audio profile. The app itself works fine for the most part, though it fails to detect the earbuds occasionally for some reason and can be a bit slow at times.

Another feature worth highlighting is the noise cancellation. With active noise cancellation on and some music playing, sitting in a crowded office feels like listening to tunes in a completely quiet room. Some noise inevitably does get through when you’re outside, like the rumbling engine of an autorickshaw, but that much is expected.

All in all, this is still among the best ANC I have experienced on any TWS earbuds to date – provided you don’t mind the slight pressure they create in your ears.

Unboxed Take: Who should buy the JBL Tour Pro 3?

At Rs 22,999, the JBL Tour Pro 3 earbuds are a compelling entry into the premium TWS market. That clever display justifies the cost, but JBL has also nailed all the fundamentals. And on top of everything else, you get that ridiculously good noise cancellation.

It gets a solid 4/5 rating from us. What do you think of the JBL Tour Pro 3? Drop a comment to let us know, and stay tuned to Unboxed by Croma for detailed gadget reviews.