The year 2019 helped wireless earbuds go mainstream. Apple started the trend almost four years ago with the release of AirPods but sales actually skyrocketed in the previous year, witnessing a 183% Year-on-Year increase in the last quarter alone.
Apple continues to drive the market growth, holding 43% of the stakes, as of yet. This number is likely to increase after the launch of AirPod Pros. Competitition will be there. As Samsung, Sony and Google also battle it out to secure high stakes, other players aim to compete through significant price cuts.
JLab’s Go Air True Wireless Earbuds, priced at a very modest $30, are based on Xiaomi’s AirDots. This Chinese manufacturing giant controls approximately 7% of the market, slightly above Samsung.
JLab has lots of potential to set its foothold in the wireless earbuds market. Pricing is definitely their defining characteristic. You can almost buy eight pieces of JLab’s airpods for the price of one AirPods Pro. Obviously, this price cut is on account of the different market they cater to.
It’s true that JLab may have saturated the market with different models. It claims being the top manufacturer of sub-$100 wireless earbuds in the US. They’re light, give 5 hours play time on a full charge (as also 15 hours from the case) and resist sweat.
The drawbacks, as expected, are many. The sound isn’t “good”, the earbuds and charging case feel “cheap” and it uses a half-USB connector dongle.
Also, the earbuds don’t automatically switch off when you take them off. You’ll have remember to pause playback before you pop them out.
If you’re looking for quality earbuds, look elsewhere. But if you’re looking for something that’s cheap, JLab’s there for you.