AirPods vs JBL Endurance PEAK
· Michel Aguilera
A keen AirPods user, I had only one complaint: they don’t always stay put in my ears. And since I can’t, or don’t always want to, wear headphones that cover the whole ear, I went looking for a (good) alternative. So here is a serious competitor to Apple’s earbuds. Let’s discover it.
In my wanderings towards cable-free listening, I came across this product, which competes with Apple’s AirPods and the PowerBeats Pro (coming out in the course of the summer).
The JBL Endurance PEAK communicate via Bluetooth 4.2 and are waterproof to the IPX7 standard (a big plus compared with the AirPods), which means that YES, they can even be submerged. Lightweight, with a good fit (thanks to the ear hooks). These hooks have a particular feature, by the way: thanks to PowerHook technology, the JBL Endurance PEAK earphones switch on and off as soon as you put them on or take them off. They have other features, such as TwistLock™ and FlexSoft™ technologies; these earphones are ergonomically designed to ensure comfort and a secure fit whatever the activity.
These earbuds can switch from mono to stereo mode, letting you easily control your sound or your calls with the handy touch controls.
Once activated, the touch controls let you easily manage your music and your calls by controlling volume, play, pause, mono and stereo modes and track order with a simple tap. An ultra-practical feature so that you never have to stop.
The charging case is admittedly bigger than the AirPods one. Delivering more than 28 hours of battery life, it lets the earbuds work all day long (10 minutes of charging gives you one hour of listening). The case charges via micro-USB (no USB-C, unfortunately). Pairing is very simple: you use the right earbud and lift the hook to activate discovery / pairing mode.
Here is the official product introduction video:
For comparison, here is a video (Unbox Therapy) on the competition, the PowerBeats:
In short, should you get the JBL Endurance PEAK?
After a week of use, I have to say that although these in-ear earphones are intended for sports use, I also enjoy them for a more sedentary daily routine. Good audio rendering, no overly deep or heavy bass (just what’s needed), and my ears were not marked by the hooks (which are quite comfortable). If you like listening to techno with a big sound, the Powerbeats will be the earbuds for you. But if your listening is fairly general, the JBLs will give a more pleasant sound. What’s more, during phone conversations, I appreciated the very good call quality.