Mobile reviews

Pros Enjoyable, powerful sound Impressive ANC Long battery life Above average call quality Exhaustive customisation options Cons Better-sounding options available for similar outlay Stronger alternatives for ANC Key Features Review Price: £179.99 LDAC support Wireless hi-res audio streams via LDAC Bluetooth Smart Charging case Customise the performance of the Live Beam 3 through the case Battery 48 hours of battery life in total, 12 per charge Introduction No one is struggling to find a pair of wireless earbuds. Every audio brand offers one, so to stand out, you need something interesting: enter the JBL Live Beam 3. Truth be told, the Live Beam 3’s smart charging case isn’t new – JBL introduced it with the JBL Tour Pro 2 , but the Live Beam 3 isn’t the flagship model and, therefore not as expensive, bringing this tech to a potentially wider audience. In usual JBL form, the Live Beam 3 packs all the features. Considering how much ...

Pros Comfortable to wear for long periods Customisable sound Good gesture controls Cons Questionable long-distance connectivity claims App needed to switch between EQ modes Weight balance between bud and ear hook Squirrel Widget Key Features Review Price: £99.99 Bluetooth 5.4 Huawei claims a much stronger Bluetooth connection over longer distances IP57 You could dip them into water (but not for too long) Open-ear They let in sound for more self-awareness Introduction The Huawei FreeArc is Huawei’s second attempt at making open-earbuds and unlike its first effort, the FreeArc is aimed at being on your ears when it’s time to exercise. Along with a more fitness-friendly design, Huawei promises multiple listening modes, less sound leakage and improved long-range Bluetooth connectivity. The number of open-ear sports earbuds that sit in and around the FreeArc is plentiful and the good news is that Huawei offers one of the better options y...

Pros Comfortable to wear for long periods Plenty of EQ presets options Good set of touch controls Cons Not the best in class open-ear sound A smaller design would be nice Questionable battery numbers Key Features Bluetooth SBC, AAC and hi-res wireless audio with LDAC IP rating IP55 rating ensures these headphones are waterproof Battery 42 hours in total, 10 hours per charge Introduction The Soundcore AeroFit 2 joins the emerging ranks of open-ear, true wireless earbuds that offer a safer way to listen to your sounds. The follow-up to the AeroFit and a more affordable alternative to the AeroFit Pro , the AeroFit 2 uses air conduction instead of bone conduction so it can be used in all listening environments when you’d prefer not to entirely block out the world around you. The design is new, there’s wireless charging and promises of rich sound and top-notch call quality. There isn’t exactly a shortage of earbuds that promise to do the s...

Pros Clear, detailed and balanced sound Strong noise-cancellation performance Long battery life Comfortable to wear Cons Not the most exciting audio delivery No customisation of sound or ANC Charging case is still on the big side Expensive Key Features Review Price: £249 Heart-rate monitoring Keep track of your rate with compatible apps Battery life 45 hours of battery with ANC off Apple H2 chip Powers everything from the audio to the noise-cancellation Introduction It’s been nearly six years since the Beats PowerBeats Pro and plenty has changed. The introduction of the PowerBeats Pro 2’s puts it up against plenty of competition both affordable and premium. The PowerBeats Pro 2 can’t just rinse and repeat the same formula and call it a day if it wants to be among the best workout headphones . Beats is hoping to do that with the addition of active noise-cancellation and heart-rate monitoring to track your exercises. Beats’ slick...