JBL is expanding its touchscreen smart cases for three new earbud designs, the Live Buds 3, Live Beam 3, and Live Flex 3.
Revealed at CES, all new earbuds will have personalised adaptive noise cancellation, six mics for calls, LDAC support for high-res listening, wireless charging, and multipoint Bluetooth connectivity. There has also been a slight design update for the smart cases.
Design and fit are how the new earbuds differ with the Live Buds 3 being positioned as the more “traditional” style of earbuds.
The Live Beam 3 and Live Flex 3 are more comparable to AirPods-like stick buds, but the Beam 3 entirely surrounds a user’s ears whereas the Flex 3 are a more open, allowing users the option to choose to their preferences.
The Flex 3 boasts being IP54 rated but the other two pairs of earbuds are IP55 and have bigger 12mm drivers. For the Buds 3 and Beam 3, they both have 10mm components. Battery life is also unique to each set of buds.
The Live Buds 3 has three charges in the case and 10 hours of listening with active noise cancellation (ANC). The Live Beam 3 also has 3 charges from the case but can be used two hours longer from the Live Buds 3 to a maximum of 12 hours use with ANC off. As for the Live Flex 3, like the Live Buds 3, these buds also have 10 hours of operation but four full charges in the case.
Pricing and availability have yet to be announced in Australia.
