JBL Live Beam 3

The JBL Live Beam 3 nails ANC, battery life, and call quality, all in the 95th percentile or higher. The touchscreen charging case is a genuinely useful gimmick. But sound quality is just average for the price, and firmware bugs are a recurring owner complaint. Worth it if you want the case screen and strong ANC under $200.

ANC and mic quality are the standouts here. Both land in the 97th percentile of our database, which puts them ahead of most earbuds we've tested. Call quality is genuinely impressive for a stick-style bud, and the adaptive noise cancelling does a solid job of adjusting on the fly. Battery life is also top-tier at 12 hours per charge, and the 10-minute quick charge giving you 4 hours is a nice touch. Sound quality is good but not great, sitting around the 74th percentile. The JBL signature tuning means punchy bass and a fun, energetic profile, but it's not the most detailed or refined sound you can get at this price. Comfort is also middle of the pack, which is worth noting if you plan to wear these for hours at a time.

Stacked against the Sony WF-1000XM6 and Bose QuietComfort Ultra, the Live Beam 3 holds its own on ANC and battery but falls behind on pure sound quality. The Sony and Bose both deliver more refined, detailed audio, and their ANC is at least as good if not better. The Samsung Galaxy Buds3 Pro offers a more comfortable fit and tighter integration with Samsung phones. The Technics EAH-AZ100 is the dark horse here, with arguably the best sound quality of the bunch. Where the JBL wins is the case screen and the price, it undercuts most of these competitors by a meaningful margin. But you're trading some polish for that savings.

At $170 USD, the Live Beam 3 sits in a competitive but reasonable spot. You're getting flagship-level ANC, excellent battery life, and a feature nobody else has in the touchscreen case. That said, the sound quality doesn't quite match the price tag, and the firmware issues reported by owners are a real concern. If the case screen appeals to you and you want strong ANC without paying Sony or Bose money, this is a solid deal. If you're purely after the best sound quality per dollar, there are better options.

The JBL Live Beam 3 is a weirdly ambitious pair of earbuds. The headline feature isn't the sound or the ANC, it's the charging case with a full 1.45-inch touchscreen built into it. You can tweak EQ, skip tracks, check messages, and even set a custom screensaver without ever touching your phone. That's either a gimmick you'll love or a battery drain you'll ignore, but it's undeniably different.

Under the hood you get 10mm dynamic drivers, adaptive ANC, six mics, multipoint Bluetooth 5.3, and an IP55 rating. Battery life is a genuine strong point at 12 hours in the buds and 48 total with the case. The spec sheet reads like a flagship, and in several areas it actually performs like one.

Skip these if sound quality is your top priority. The 74th percentile sound score means you're getting good but not great audio, and at this price you can find better-sounding options from Technics or Sony. Also skip if you're not patient with firmware updates, the reported issues with earbuds failing after updates are a real risk. And if you just want earbuds that disappear into your ears and you forget about, the average comfort and the fiddly touchscreen case might annoy you more than they delight you.

The JBL Live Beam 3 is for people who want a feature-packed pair of earbuds and don't mind a few rough edges. The touchscreen case is a legitimately cool party trick that turns out to be genuinely useful, and the ANC and battery life are excellent. But the sound quality is merely good, not great, and the firmware issues reported by a chunk of owners give us pause. If you're a JBL fan or you love the idea of controlling everything from the case, you'll be happy. If you want the absolute best sound or the most polished experience, look elsewhere.