JLab JBuds Mini Wireless Earbuds Review

The JLab JBuds Mini Tones True Wireless Earbuds are without question the smallest, cutest yet most discreet pair of earbuds I’ve ever had the pleasure of testing out. They’re also officially the smallest true wireless earbuds that JLab has ever made, and also the smallest ever of any major headphone brand, according to JLab and Circana, respectively. When placed on a weight scale next to a pair of Apple AirPods, the JBuds Mini are lighter by over a gram. It’s no joke, the JBuds are seriously tiny.

So, when opening the box and discovering that the charging/carrying case has a small strap and keychain ring attached, it makes perfect sense. For better or worse, JBuds are exactly the kind of accessory the average user will misplace if they’re forgetful. Sadly, the JBuds Mini earbuds do not come with a “Find My JBuds” feature.

My greater concern as a reviewer was potential drop damage to the charging case while handling it, since the protective coating on the JBuds case is rather slippery. I’ve lost my grip on it and dropped it more than once. Contrary to JLab’s marketing, I wouldn’t recommend attaching the case to an actual keychain, as it is likely to get scratched up badly.

“The JLab JBuds Mini Tones True Wireless Earbuds are without question the smallest, cutest yet most discreet pair of earbuds I’ve ever had the pleasure of testing.”

However, strapping the JBuds to a small loop on a backpack, a belt loop on pants, or a similar band in a purse is just as effective for keeping the JBuds and their case safe. On that note, the JBuds themselves are rated IP55 water resistant and dustproof, so they should easily survive sweat, rain, or a quick splash from a puddle.

Packaging-wise, the JBuds Mini Tones are all killer, no filler; only the bare essentials are supplied. You get the dime-sized earbuds, the charging case, a pair of small and large gel tips to go along with the medium pair installed on the JBuds by default, and a very short, JLab-branded male-to-male USB-C cable for charging the buds when they are stored in the case.

No wall adapter plug is included, but the buds can charge from just about any source that can deliver 2.5 to 5 watts, such as the charger that likely came with your smartphone (provided it has a female USB-C jack). If you lack that, you might need to purchase an adapter or charger to complete the connection.

Those familiar with JLab’s extensive lineup of True Wireless Earbud products will be well aware of the company’s genuine sense of playfulness and fun in their variety of designs, often translating into vibrant colourways like teal, fuchsia and neon; unique variations (even translucent); and collabs with legendary geek brands like Transformers.

While no less bold, the “Tones” line of JBuds however take an intriguing step back in terms of vibrancy to instead celebrate the uniqueness of their customers in a different way, namely taking inspiration from various POC skin complexions and distilling them into three neutral monotones meant to compliment skin tones most commonly found in Black, Hispanic and Asian communities. As a POC myself, the above emphasis is a welcome and refreshing thing to see. 

With earbuds as small-scale as the JBuds, it’s only natural to expect some trade-offs, and unfortunately, overall sound performance is one of them. The 6mm dynamic drivers deliver fairly decent sound, and the gel tips are small enough to provide a good seal to the ear canal, but when in a noisy environment or out of doors, I regularly found that much of the lower frequencies would be drowned out by my surroundings, turning my daily commute into a “treble-fest.”

There’s nothing necessarily wrong with the JBuds if you have modest expectations; they’re good for a workout session at the gym, and great for lounging about quietly with one’s tunes, but realistically, one can only expect so much from the limited bass response.

While the EQ option provided in JLab’s official app can’t make up for the above shortcoming, it comes admirably close. It offers three presets: JLab Signature, Balanced, and Bass Boost, as well as a fourth “Custom” setting that can be tweaked to the user’s preference using virtual sliders. Obviously, these settings won’t make an extra set of dynamic drivers magically appear out of nowhere.

Still, at the very least, using the Signature and Bass Boost modes as benchmarks, I was able to tweak my own preferred setup to give me the best sound (in my estimation, anyway) with the tools available. There’s also a fairly decent Movie Mode that provides a more immersive soundscape for watching films and other streamed video content, which is a nice plus.

“The JBuds feature noise-cancelling mics that ensure clear calls but do not offer active noise cancellation for listening.”

Noise-cancellation is indeed a feature of the JBuds, but don’t get too excited; the tech is specifically limited to the MEMS noise-cancelling mic found in each earbud, which ensures clear calls where your voice will be heard on the other end. In other words, there isn’t an ANC listening mode for the wearer. Conversely, the JBuds instead feature “Be Aware,” a mode that, conversely, is all about letting the surrounding noise in so that the user can hear and remain alert to their surroundings.

It’s hardly a new feature in earbuds these days, but given how easily earbuds as small as the JBuds Mini lend themselves to outdoor activities like walking, running, and carrying on conversations all while listening to music, having a feature like this is a must for keeping users safe.

Also buried in the app are some extras that I was quite surprised to see included, such as a selection of nine, built-in ambient sound loops that can be infinitely played as an alternative to music, such as the sound of waves crashing on a beach, the hum of fans on a passenger plane, rainfall, midnight wilderness, or even the vacuum of space.

These loops can be played alone, in conjunction with each other, or even at the same time as playing one’s music, and the volume level of each ambient sound can be independently adjusted. For writers like myself, this is a much-welcome tool. And for those who enjoy calibrating their devices to perfection, there’s even a “Burn-in Tool” for achieving optimal performance through an extended playback period. 

It should also be mentioned that the JLab App allows for full customization of the JBuds Mini’s touch controls. Just about any command associated with playing music, making calls, or summoning a smartphone’s Digital Assistant can be easily assigned to long-press, single-tap, double-tap, and triple-tap commands to suit the user’s preferences. Better yet, they can be set up differently for each earbud. For example, in my day-to-day experience, touch controls are always slippery and prone to being entered incorrectly, so I greatly appreciate being able to assign the Next Track and Previous Track commands to Triple Tap on the Right and Left Earbuds respectively, as I’m far less likely to “overdo” a triple-tap and skip a song by accident.

Lastly, JLab claims the JBuds Mini earbuds have a total playtime of 20 hours, which matches my own experience. A fully charged pair of earbuds provided approximately 5.5 hours of playback before needing a recharge, and the case can supply four recharges before it needs to be charged. It takes approximately 1.5 hours to fully charge the JBuds, and an additional half-hour to fully charge the case. Users can also choose to use only one earbud at a time to extend that playtime even further.

In summary, aside from their less-than-stellar bass response, the JLab JBuds Mini Tones True Wireless earbuds present an excellent bargain at $39.99 USD. They’re ultra-compact and include numerous features typically found in more expensive earbuds. Additionally, they can be customized using the JLab App to optimize sound quality while providing the user with comprehensive and intuitive navigational controls. And last but not least, as per their namesake, the JBuds Mini Tones introduce new colorways that cater to customers’ diverse complexions with natural, warm, or neutral tones, highlighting a need in this market segment that is often-overlooked.

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