JBL Tune Flex TWS review

Every week, I get at least three to four queries from readers to recommend a good pair of true wireless earbuds. The common question I get asked all the time is how to find the “perfect wireless earbuds” in their budget. In my opinion, there are no perfect wireless earbuds but I do know that the new JBL Tune Flex earbuds have a solid fit in my ears and offer good active noise cancellation along with excellent, booming audio at Rs 7,000 a pair. For the past week, I have been using them for lening to music, taking calls and watching a few YouTube videos on the iPhone 14.
Here’s what I think about the JBL Tune Flex.

Comfort and fit
The JBL Tune Flex adopts a design most of us are already familiar with, but I am glad they are not a blatant copy of AirPods. default, they have an open design like the AirPods 3 but once you add the ear-sealing tips, the Tune Flex become more like the AirPods Pro. The earbuds have a shortened-stem design and a matte finish. I found these earbuds comfortable for my ears, and I could wear them for hours. They fit securely and come with three pairs of bands (in small, medium and large) that add more grip. The IPX4 splash-proof rating should make them survive light rain; although they are not rain or sweat-proof.
I found these earbuds comfortable for my ears, and I could wear them for hours. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)
The case has a compact footprint and comes in blue, like the earbuds themselves. It’s so light and small that I sometimes forget that I am even carrying the buds case when I step outside. The case has a battery indicator on the outside. It, unfortunately, lacks Qi wireless charging, and you have to charge it via the USB-C port on the back. JBL estimates the earpieces can last 8 hours on battery and that the case can hold an additional 24 hours of charge, but your use of ANC will affect those estimates. Charging the case fully takes 2 hours and a quick 10 minutes of charge will fill the case’s battery from zero to two hours.

Controls and setup
The wireless buds have controls on either side – tap once on the right to play or pause the music, twice to skip to the next track, three times to go to the previous track and a long press to summon Siri. On the left, you can switch between Ambient aware and noise cancellation modes. The good thing is you can change gesture controls in the JBL earbuds smart app, which is available on both Android and iOS platforms.
Pairing the JBL Tune Flex earbuds is easy. Flip the case open, activate the app on the iPhone, and once the LED blinks it’s in pairing mode. Once pairing is successful, then remove the earbuds and start using them. If you have an Android smartphone, then setting up and pairing these earbuds with your device is even easier. After all, the JBL Tune Flex support fast pairing, meaning you can pair your Android phone with earbuds with a simple tap when in close proximity. It works exactly the same way how your AirPods interact with the iPhone.
The earbuds have a shortened-stem design and a matte finish. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)
The smart app offers plenty of features including firmware updates, ANC, Ambient aware and TalkThru modes, and an EQ. The EQ section labels three bands labelled Bass, Mid, and Treble in addition to five preset sound modes including jazz, vocal, bass, club and studio. You can customise the touch controls as well as use the My Find Buds feature which makes it easier to locate one or both of the buds in case they are hiding in a couch cushion.
The Sound and performance
Before you start using the JBL Tune Flex, I want to make it clear that your experience of using these earbuds will be totally different depending on whether you use them as open-style or with in-ear tips. In the beginning, I opted for a more open-style approach and what I found was that because they don’t go in your ear entirely, the lening experience wasn’t great. But after I started using the interchangeable silicone tips, not only did they provide a better seal but the buds also sound exactly like I was expecting. It was a 360-degree change.
While these earbuds deliver clear sound across frequencies, it’s clear that JBL has paid special attention to improving bass. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)
When I was lening to Lil Wayne’s “Lollipop”, the bass was surprisingly punchy. There’s a nice fullness to the bass and bass-heavy tracks have a steady thump which you won’t find on cheaper true wireless earbuds. These buds can pump out thicker bass at high volumes without losing much of the details. While these earbuds deliver clear sound across frequencies, it’s clear that JBL has paid special attention to improving bass. Tracks like Amy Winehouse’s “Back to Back” sounded cold to me but the vocals were clear. It’s evident they are not in the same league as the Sony WF-1000XM4 or the new AirPods Pro 2, and I expect most consumers who will opt for these earbuds should understand that.
The case is small and compact. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)
Besides lening to music and podcasts, I also love them for phone calls. I could take calls hands-free and even make noise while I was interviewing someone.
JBL has also added active noise cancellation (ANC) in the True Flex. Yes, they will cut some of the hums and rumbles of everyday life like when I was sitting in a living room and I could not hear the discussion my guests were having. The Tune Flex did a remarkable job cutting noises and dractions when I was taking a train at Rajiv chowk metro station. This is exactly what I wanted from noise cancelling TWS. I think Apple’s AirPods Pro 2 will easily outrank the True Flex in noise cancelling, but I think JBL’s earbuds still be a better deal considering the price.

Should you buy the JBL Tune Flex?
JBL’s Tune Flex are good — no surprise there. At Rs 7,000, they get most things right, from producing excellent audio to proving active noise cancellation. But choosing a pair of true wireless earbuds has become complicated, especially if you are willing to spend on mid-tier buds costing anywhere between Rs 5,000 to Rs 10,000 segment. I recently tried the Nothing Ear (1) and found them impressive for the price. They have a semi-transparent design, sound good for general lening and are super comfortable. Again, there’s no shortage of competition at this price, so choose your next true wireless earbuds based on the design, comfort and sound quality.