JBL Live Beam 3

Fancy some buds with a difference? Try these

In-ear headphones £150 whf.cm/Live_Beam3

How many features can you pack into a pair of true wireless earbuds? All of them, if you are JBL. For earbuds in the mid-level price range, the JBL Live Beam 3 have a bucketload of features with a surprising amount of customisation that we don’t even see in more premium models. They are a friendly, easy-going pair to live with, too.

That’s not the biggest selling point of these Live Beam 3, though. What stands out most is that smart display case.

JBL introduced the first smart case – a charging case with an interactive touchscreen display – in last year’s flagship Tour Pro 2. It has now brought it to a more affordable model, in a slightly smaller form that is easy to carry and chuck into a bag or (large) pocket.

What’s the point of the smart case? It lets you access volume and playback controls, different sound and active noise cancelling (ANC) modes and various other options more readily than firing up the JBL Headphones app on a smartphone. The 1.45in display is crisp and bright with good contrast.

The smart case still divides opinion in our review team. Some still see it as a mere gimmick, while others find it useful and a bit of fun. It all depends on what features you use the most and how you use earbuds.