JLab's new sports earbuds have a marathon 52-hour battery life

A black pair of JLab Epic Sport ANC 3 earbuds on a white background.

(Image credit: JLab)

JLab's new sports earbuds certainly go the distance. They boast a marathon 52-hour battery life, or 42 hours with active noise cancellation turned on. Even we could run a marathon in that time.

That equals the battery life of the Cambridge Audio Melomania M100. Impressive.

But there's a lot more to the Epic Sport ANC 3 than a long battery life. They're made in collaboration with Knowles, a company which supplies audio components to all sorts of devices, and feature a 10mm dynamic driver and a Knowles balanced armature (BA) driver. There's also the Knowles Preferred Listening Response Curve, which adjusts the frequency response to match the majority of listeners' preferences.

The JLab Epic Sport ANC 3 support hi-res audio, Bluetooth LE and spatial audio, and you can customise their sound and select equaliser presets using the JLab app. They give you 12 hours of use from the buds alone, and the Be Aware Audio mode lets in outside sounds so you stay aware of your surroundings. They also have Bluetooth multipoint for switching between wireless devices, an IP66 rating and hooks for keeping them in place during a workout. You can charge them three ways: wirelessly, using the integrated USB-C cable or via a USB-C port.

They go on sale later this month online (in shops next month) for £99.99 / $99.99 / AU$199.99.

Two new Open models

A teal pair of JLab Flex Open Clip earbuds and carry case on a concrete surface next to a foot in a white running shoe. — (Image credit: JLab)

JLab has also launched two more pairs in its Open range. The Flex Open Clip Wireless Earbuds (above) have a unique ear-clip cuff design that makes them look more like a piece of jewellery, while the JBuds Open Sport have a sport ear hook. Both allow you to stay aware of your surroundings by letting in outside noise.

The Flex have 12mm drivers and the Open Sport 14.2mm air conduction drivers to deliver what JLab claims is an "unparalleled audio experience". The Flex weigh 12g, and their cuff design flexes as you move to make them more comfortable. Total battery life is 21 hours (decent but far from market-leading), including seven hours from the buds. This is bettered by the Open Sport, which deliver 26 hours and nine hours, respectively.

Both offer multipoint for easy switching between devices without having to re-pair each time. And they boast customisable audio via the app.

The Open Sport also have a two-microphone Environmental Noise Cancellation (ENC) system, which will counteract outside sounds during calls.

The JLab Flex Open Earbuds are out now in the US and available to pre-order in the UK for £49.99 / $49.99 / AU$79.99, while the JBuds Open Sport ship later this month for £79.99 / $79.99 / AU$99.99.

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Joe has been writing about tech for 20 years, first on staff at T3 magazine, then in a freelance capacity for Stuff, The Sunday Times Travel Magazine (now defunct), Men's Health, GQ, The Mirror, Trusted Reviews, TechRadar and many more. His specialities include all things mobile, headphones and speakers that he can't justifying spending money on.