Why I'm a fan of the new JBL Live Beam 3 earbuds
You might know that JBL has already had one stab at the futuristic idea of a charging case with a built-in screen with last year's Tour Pro 2. But that originally cost over £200 and is a bit bigger and bulkier than this new version. Like all of us at Digital Spy, I'm interested in new tech that feels a little space-age, so I was always going to be keen to try the next display-toting buds.
Launching in mid-June, JBL's new Live 3 earphones (offered in the Buds, Beam and Flex designs) are back with the smart charging case, but now in a slightly more compact and pocket-friendly design, and a much more pocket-friendly £150 price tag. It's an innovative idea, but is it useful? I've been using them for just over a week to find out.
JBL Live Beam 3: Design and comfort
The first bit of good news here is that these buds are tiny. Once out of the case, these 5g buds aren't going to weigh you down. They essentially have the familiar AirPod-lookalike stem style, and I can confirm that they're comfortable enough to keep in for hours. I'm usually one for the default medium-sized tips that come pre-attached for the best fit, which I confirmed with the handy fit test available through the app. Luckily, these come with four sizes of tips, so I'm confident you'll find one that fits you.
Beyond the mini buds themselves is, well, the case. We'll go into a bit more depth on that below, but it's worth knowing that it's pocketable and just a bit bigger than most rival models. That's not surprising given the screen, but it’s still worth knowing if you're used to the 46g weight of a pair of little 2nd-gen AirPods in their case. Altogether, the JBL Live Beam 3 weighs 81g in the case – I've seen and tried marginally heavier options but this is far from the lightest out there.
JBL Live Beam 3: Charging case
That screen had better be useful then, right? It will depend on how you use earbuds, but I find this fits quite well into my routine. I'm a fan of anything that keeps me from having to dig out my phone and have to sift through the dozens of audio apps living on my device. This is, quite frankly, a lot easier.
Since my first setup of the buds, where I sorted out the personalised hearing test, the equaliser settings, the touch controls and the low-volume adaptive EQ (a welcome setting that keeps the music sounding good without you needing to turn it up), I haven't needed to continually dive back into the settings to refine and tweak anything.
I can access my custom equaliser from the case, where I can also switch to "TalkThru" mode (a conversational transparency setting that can't be programmed to touch input), turn the volume up and down, control playback and access the "Find My Buds" option to find the one that'll inevitably get lost between the sofa cushions.
If you're reading all this and still think it sounds like a gimmick, it's not for you. But I find it genuinely useful to change these settings from the case. I connected these to multiple devices (thank you, Bluetooth multipoint) and it's satisfying to tweak the controls without needing to dig my phone out or fuss about touch gestures, especially if that's not the device playing music at that moment.
JBL Live Beam 3: Sound and noise-cancelling
In-ear headphones are getting really good. It's possible to get incredibly impressive sound quality for under £100, especially now that contenders like the Nothing Ear (a) exist. While there are buds that I like more for sound quality than the new JBL Live Beam 3, these deliver a well-rounded, smooth and entertaining sound.
By default, the signature is a bit bassy with a priority on the highs and lead instruments and vocalists, but not in an unpleasant way. It'll work great for pop, electronic, podcasts and soundtracks. I've had the Dune and Challengers soundtracks on repeat while also listening to Dua Lipa, Taylor Swift, Noah Kahan and Beyoncé.
These buds bring a lot of punch and dynamism to music, and I don't think you'll be disappointed. For me, the best feature here is how good they sound at low volume – I can keep them at 50% and still feel like I'm hearing all the main details with that low-volume adaptive EQ.
What about noise-cancelling? They're not up there with the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds or the other best noise-cancelling headphones but they do a great job and do so reliably. I found them able to silence the loud rumbles of the London Underground when they hit about 85db, but unexpected noises above 90db started to be quite noticeable to me. That's not bad – noise at cruising altitude within a plane cabin is around 85db, so these will be a reliable companion on a trip.
Transparency is good too. You get two modes for awareness, a simple ambient awareness mode that's programmed to a tap of the left bud by default, and a separate "TalkThru" mode you can access in the app or from the case.
Both work well – the ambient mode is good for keeping you aware of your surroundings without boosting any external sounds too much. Meanwhile, I found myself able to have a conversation with the barista at the local cafe while in TalkThru. Keeping these modes separate works, and more rivals should try this approach.
JBL Live Beam 3: Controls and app features
Ignoring the case, you may want to control the buds with the touch controls on each earphone. These are reliable and responsive, but I'm not a big fan of the limitations when it comes to customisation. You have to pick a scheme determined by JBL, rather than having complete freedom to set them up just how you want.
That means it's not possible to have noise-cancelling, playback and volume mapped to the on-bud control system all at the same time, you'll have to pick and choose when setting them up in the app. It's a small but notable frustration.
Speaking of the app, it's absolutely stuffed full of so many extras that we haven't tried them all and may not even be able to mention every single one here. You can tweak everything about the call quality, sound equaliser, access relaxation sounds with a sleep timer, use the "Find My Buds' feature and much more.
One of my most appreciated features is the "Personi-Fi" hearing test, it's easy to do and feels like it makes the audio reproduction just a little more full and rich by tailoring it to the unique profile of your ears.
JBL Live Beam 3: Battery life
One of the best benefits of the JBL Live Beam 3 compared to others is that you’ll always know the battery life. There's no more interpreting dots on the case or remembering what different lights mean, each time you tap on the screen you’ll see the exact percentage of battery left in each bud and in the case. Even if you didn't use all the other features of the little charging box, this one is quietly game-changing. I never felt like I didn't know how much battery was left in these buds.
Is it enough battery life? From my perspective, it's more than good enough. You're getting a competitive 10 hours of playtime on a single charge with ANC off, which will reduce when either noise-cancelling or the ambient awareness mode is switched on. At the moment, I don't have those numbers from JBL, but I've asked for them and will update this review when they're available.
Notably, it doesn’t feel like the case battery drains any faster than it does on rivals, even with the display, and the case should deliver an extra 36 hours of life for your buds. Given that you'll probably always be putting them back in for a recharge, this shouldn’t be much of an issue. When it comes to recharging, you can charge them via a USB-C cable (where a fast charge of 10 minutes delivers four hours of playtime with ANC off) or pop them on a wireless charging pad too.
JBL Live Beam 3: Verdict
I think these are brilliant buds with an innovative case, and I'm surprised they cost just £149.99, which is a whole lot lower than the $199.95 price tag first announced at CES 2024. They challenge rivals that are much more expensive and are stuffed full of extra features in the companion app and from the case. Of course, that case isn't quite as compact as some, but it's also far from the biggest one I've seen in my time testing earphones.
The sound is high-quality and customisable, the battery life is solid, the ANC and transparency modes are all effective and they've got wireless charging and a good water-resistance rating. Some may see the case as a little bit of a gimmick, but I found myself using it often. Overall, it makes the buds feel just a bit more futuristic, more useful and more personal.
JBL Live Beam 3: Other products to consider
While the JBL Beam 3 is an excellent all-rounder pair; there are a couple of other options worth considering, especially if you don't think you're going to use the screen on the case.
The Soundcore Liberty 4NC is cheaper and cancels a lot more noise with its adaptive ANC, while the new Nothing Ear and Nothing Ear (a) are both more affordable, come in more compact charging cases and deliver terrific sound quality. If you want buds that are a bit more premium, it might be worth going for Apple's AirPods Pro (2nd Gen) which boasts a rich sound, high-quality ANC and loads of Apple integrations.
The best noise-cancelling earbuds we've tested at the time of writing are the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds, and these are a brilliant option for flights, commutes and the office. After a slightly more premium option with JBL's smart charging case? While we found the Tour Pro 2 case marginally more responsive to our taps, they're otherwise the same so we'd recommend going for these newer buds as they've got a slightly more compact case and just as many features.
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