JBL's new WAVE 300TWS are simple, easy to use non-ANC earbuds perfect
for those looking for just the basics! Battery life is respectable at 6
hours (at 50% volume) for the earbuds and 20 hours battery life for the
charging case which is enough power to recharge the earbuds one time.
The WAVE 300TWS earbuds are equipped with the latest
Bluetooth 5.2 chip, which supports bluetooth multipoint connection for
up to 2 devices (same as the JBL LIVE PRO earbuds and the new JBL Tour PRO 2) so, you can connect the earbuds to two devices at the
same time. The WAVE 300TWS earbuds support quick charge too, which is
always useful when forgetting to charge the earbuds the night before.
From a 10 minute quick charge, you can get around 1 hour of playtime.
The WAVE 300TWS earbuds full charging time is 2 hours - same as the
charging case.
Touch control functionality is another feature you get with the WAVE 300TWS. Touch control gestures include single tap, double tap for skipping track to next and calls (answer/reject), triple tap (track skipping to previous) and long press (voice assistant). There is no volume control function and no mobile app support; hence you cannot remap the WAVE 300TWS touch controls, which are highly sensitive. The slightest of touches is all you need to activate the touch control panel, which makes a subtle tone beep every time you touch the touch control area. The tone feedback can be useful but would be nice if could be disabled.
The JBL WAVE 300TWS come with a branded JBL cable, which is short but premium quality. The cable is neon orange and has a thick and flat rubber sleeve with thick strain reliefs and JBL branding carved into the rubber plug connectors. The WAVE 300TWS charging case is small, compact and lightweight (37 grams) and has the classic panini grill design you get with a lot of true wireless earbuds. The square shape (5.5cm long, 5cm deep and 2cm high) makes it easier to hold the charging case in the hand and the flat base is always convenient for resting the charging case on a desk.
You can easily slip the WAVE 300TWS charging case into a small pocket without bulging out the pocket. The charging case has a smooth matte finish on the outside with JBL engraving on top of the lid, as well as a deep slit cutout on the front to help open the case. The lid has a strong spring loaded hinge mechanism, which flips open the lid with force, making the WAVE 300TWS charging case one of the easiest to use.
Opening the case lid does not trigger automatic pairing so, you have to remove the earbuds from the case. This is not a problem but, it means you cannot connect the earbuds whilst in the case like with some earbuds.The earbud charging dock area is very wide and magnetized and wide enough that you can put the earbuds right on the edge of the dock dangling in mid-air. Whether this is meant to be a feature or not, it is useful for air drying the earbuds after a sweaty session!
Touch control functionality is another feature you get with the WAVE 300TWS. Touch control gestures include single tap, double tap for skipping track to next and calls (answer/reject), triple tap (track skipping to previous) and long press (voice assistant). There is no volume control function and no mobile app support; hence you cannot remap the WAVE 300TWS touch controls, which are highly sensitive. The slightest of touches is all you need to activate the touch control panel, which makes a subtle tone beep every time you touch the touch control area. The tone feedback can be useful but would be nice if could be disabled.
The JBL WAVE 300TWS come with a branded JBL cable, which is short but premium quality. The cable is neon orange and has a thick and flat rubber sleeve with thick strain reliefs and JBL branding carved into the rubber plug connectors. The WAVE 300TWS charging case is small, compact and lightweight (37 grams) and has the classic panini grill design you get with a lot of true wireless earbuds. The square shape (5.5cm long, 5cm deep and 2cm high) makes it easier to hold the charging case in the hand and the flat base is always convenient for resting the charging case on a desk.
You can easily slip the WAVE 300TWS charging case into a small pocket without bulging out the pocket. The charging case has a smooth matte finish on the outside with JBL engraving on top of the lid, as well as a deep slit cutout on the front to help open the case. The lid has a strong spring loaded hinge mechanism, which flips open the lid with force, making the WAVE 300TWS charging case one of the easiest to use.
Opening the case lid does not trigger automatic pairing so, you have to remove the earbuds from the case. This is not a problem but, it means you cannot connect the earbuds whilst in the case like with some earbuds.The earbud charging dock area is very wide and magnetized and wide enough that you can put the earbuds right on the edge of the dock dangling in mid-air. Whether this is meant to be a feature or not, it is useful for air drying the earbuds after a sweaty session!
Speaking of sweat, the JBL WAVE 300TWS earbuds have IPX2 rating, which is unusually low for earbuds and means these earbuds have a very small amount of sweat resistance. That said, you can still sweat in them when running and jogging but, you can't wash them under running water, wear them while raining or while taking a shower (the earbuds need to be at least IPX5, although preferably IPX6 or IPX7)
The rear facing charging port is deeply recessed into the body of the case, which is a good design as this reinforces the charging port, preventing it from wearing out prematurely. The WAVE 300TWS earbuds and charging case are made of the same nice matte finish coating, which is smooth and doesn't mark easily with oily fingers.
Being a pod style
earbud, the WAVE 300TWS earbuds have a pebble like shell with no nozzle
neck, making the earbuds sit on the outer of the ear canal rather than
inside the ear canal like most in-ear earbuds. If you don't like or
can't tolerate in-ear earbuds, the WAVE 300TWS pod style is perfect.
They're much more comfortable to wear (weigh only 4 grams), they are
easier on the ears and allow you to hear external sounds better without
the need of ANC transparency mode.
The only drawback with the WAVE 300TWS pod style is that it doesn't seal the ear canal as good, which weakens the bass response and passive noise isolation. That said, the 12mm dynamic drivers fire a decent amount of volume (105dB sensitivity) and good sound too so, you can enjoy some bass and hear vocals and instruments clearly.There is an status light on the front bottom side of the left and right earbud, which does not light up when listening to audio. This can be a plus if you find blue blinking lights on earbuds annoying.
The WAVE 300TWS doesn't have a rubberized nozzle tip like some pod style earbuds but the 3cm long stem helps anchor the earbuds in the ears a bit better. The lack of rubber is okay since it can be an advantage as they are easier to maintain and provide a more universal fit without having to fiddle around with different ear tips. There is one microphone per earbud and the mic quality is good but the background noise filtering is very low so, in a loud environment they pick up a lot of noise during calls.
The WAVE 300TWS simple and minimalist approach will be appealing to those looking for a basic pair of good true wireless earbuds without all the bells and whistles. That said, at the current price point of the JBL 300TWS, they face stiff competition from more affordable earbuds offering features such as mobile app support, low latency gaming mode, dual mics and ANC/transparency mode as standard. You can buy the WAVE 300TWS from amazon. Check out the review of the JBL QUANTUM ONE gaming headset. Check out the review of the JBL LIVE PRO 2 earbuds and JBL Tour One M2 headset.
The only drawback with the WAVE 300TWS pod style is that it doesn't seal the ear canal as good, which weakens the bass response and passive noise isolation. That said, the 12mm dynamic drivers fire a decent amount of volume (105dB sensitivity) and good sound too so, you can enjoy some bass and hear vocals and instruments clearly.There is an status light on the front bottom side of the left and right earbud, which does not light up when listening to audio. This can be a plus if you find blue blinking lights on earbuds annoying.
The WAVE 300TWS doesn't have a rubberized nozzle tip like some pod style earbuds but the 3cm long stem helps anchor the earbuds in the ears a bit better. The lack of rubber is okay since it can be an advantage as they are easier to maintain and provide a more universal fit without having to fiddle around with different ear tips. There is one microphone per earbud and the mic quality is good but the background noise filtering is very low so, in a loud environment they pick up a lot of noise during calls.
The WAVE 300TWS simple and minimalist approach will be appealing to those looking for a basic pair of good true wireless earbuds without all the bells and whistles. That said, at the current price point of the JBL 300TWS, they face stiff competition from more affordable earbuds offering features such as mobile app support, low latency gaming mode, dual mics and ANC/transparency mode as standard. You can buy the WAVE 300TWS from amazon. Check out the review of the JBL QUANTUM ONE gaming headset. Check out the review of the JBL LIVE PRO 2 earbuds and JBL Tour One M2 headset.
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