Hands-on review: JBL Reflect Flow PRO earbuds
Over summer I decided it was a good idea to take up running. Well, try take up running.
On top of needing some level of fitness ability and some good looking exercise clothes, a good pair of headphones is essential to make running as pleasant as possible.
I wanted to go running without taking my phone, so I wanted a pair of wireless headphones that would pair with my Garmin watch so I could listen to music easily. The only problem with that was the cheap versions I had either fell out, lost connection with my watch, weren't comfortable in my ear, or just didn't work at all.
Then I came across the JBL brand, and I've been trying out the JBL Reflect Flow PRO wireless earbuds for a good couple of months now, and I must say, they tick all the boxes.
The Flow PRO are waterproof, true wireless, noise cancelling earbuds designed specifically for active sport.
I find sports earbuds often have a lower audio performance than non sports earbuds, but this isn't the case with the JBLs.
The earbuds utilise 6.8mm dynamic drivers to deliver JBL's Signature Sound. I could listen to my favourite podcast, Audiobook or Spotify playlist through my watch or phone and hear everything crystal clear through the earbuds.
On calls, I never had anyone's voice drop out, and there was never any crackling or static.
The earbud's adaptive noise cancelling feature adjusts automatically, or you can make adjustment using the JBL Headphones app to control distractions. and stimulate motivation. The Smart Ambient feature helps you feel safe on runs, so you can still hear what is going on around you and be aware of your surroundings.
They fit great in my ear too. They earbuds come in four different sizes so you shouldn't have any problems finding the right fit. While the earbuds make look bigger or bulkier than some other models, they don't feel that way once they are in your ears. And I never once felt like they were slipping out, or making my ear itchy, or any of those other problems you sometimes get with wireless earbuds. Even with sweat or rain, they felt delightfully secure squished into my ear hole.
The earbud's battery life is also a major positive. Like most earbuds these days, they come in their own little case and each bud is charged via the case. The battery life is so great that I only need to charge them up once a week, if that, and only if I'm doing regular exercise. The earbuds offer 10 hours of playback, and the charging case stores an additional 20 hours.
The supporting app is also really helpful, as it can help you make sure you've got the right fit, and allows you to make a lot of customisations to the sound output, such as how much bass you want to be able to hear. You can also use the Find My Buds option when you misplace them, which I do often. You can also use the app to work out what you want the tap functions to be - as in, if you tap once, the earbuds do this, if you tap twice, they do that.
Overall, I love my JBLs. I was getting so sick of my cheap earbuds falling out of my ears or dropping connection, that I was going to give up and go back to wired headphones. But I finally found my true match.
Specs
Battery life: 30 hours
Charging time: 2 hours from empty
Maximum music play time: 10 hours
Waterproof rating: IP68
Noise-cancelling Yes
Bluetooth 5.0
