Building on the enviable success of the fantastic JBL Live Beam 3 and (although I haven’t tested them yet) the very good JBL Tour Pro 3 earbuds, this is certainly the right choice for JBL: the next-gen screens on the earbuds are an instant hit!
So it’s a little strange that two pairs of next-generation JBL earbuds – and their screen-less cases – have just appeared via NCC certification (thanks to 91 Mobile Phones to spot them) along with images. To clarify, the entire mid-tier JBL Live 3 lineup launching in January 2024, consisting of the Buds, Beam, and Flex, had a screen, but the next-gen Buds seen here do not.
What you’re looking at are (presumably) the JBL Endurance Race 2 and Wave Beam 2. Yes, it sounds like a team-building exercise followed by something a director might shout on set, but they’re actually two new second-generation earbuds from the hi-fi giant – and with vastly different designs.
JBL Endurance Race 2 and Wave Beam 2: What to expect?
So what can you expect from JBL’s new earbuds? The listing includes some images but no specs (so we can’t tell you about battery life, Bluetooth version, codec support, and the like); but there’s still plenty to unpack.
The Endurance Race 2 have a ‘traditional’ earbud shape – i.e. no AirPods-like stem, but rather a bulbous eartip shape that’s (hopefully) ergonomically designed to sit comfortably in the ear. They’re an update to the original JBL Endurance Race, launched in August 2022, and should not be confused with the February 2023 JBL Endurance Peak 3 or the older JBL Endurance Sprint from 2018.
The case appears to open from the top, with “JBL Endurance Race 2” branding on the lid, and there’s a nice orange USB-C to USB-A cable in the images. This is JBL, so we’d expect on-ear functionality, a solid companion app, and decent battery life (it’s all in the name), but again, we can’t tell that from the listing alone.
The original Endurance Race cost $79.95 / £69.99 (around AU$150), so it’s safe to assume that the Endurance Race 2 are entry-level earbuds (and could be contenders for our buying guide for the best budget earbuds).
The Wave Beam 2 sound a bit like surfer’s earbuds, and the oval-shaped housing looks durable and highly portable, though we can’t tell you whether there’s a decent IP rating for water ingress. These earbuds adopt the ‘toothbrush head’ style, which you’ll either love or hate, but JBL has had success in this area – check out the excellent JBL Live Pro 2 for starters.
According to the images, this option will be available in white, black, and blue. The good news is that the Wave Beam 2 could be even cheaper than the Endurance Race 2 (we can’t promise that, though), as the current Wave Beam retailed for around $59 / £49.99 / AU$95.
And once they actually arrive, you’ll be the first to know…