Building on the enviable success of the splendid JBL Live Beam 3 and (although I haven’t finished testing them yet) very good JBL Tour Pro 3 earbuds is surely the way to go for JBL – those next-gen screens on its earbuds cases are a stone-cold hit!
So it’s a little odd that two pairs of next-gen JBL earbuds – and their devoid-of-screen cases – have just shown up via NCC certification (thanks to 91 Mobiles for spotting them) along with images. To clarify, the entire January 2024-launch mid-tier JBL Live 3 range, comprising Buds, Beam and Flex, toted a screen, but the next-gen buds seen here don’t.
What you’re looking at are (probably) the JBL Endurance Race 2 and Wave Beam 2. Yes, sounds like a team-building exercise followed by something a director would yell on-set, but it’s actually two new second-gen earbuds options from the hi-fi giant – and with wildly different designs.
JBL Endurance Race 2 and Wave Beam 2: what to expect
So what can you expect from JBL’s incoming earbuds propositions? The listing provides several images, but no specs (so we can’t tell you the battery life, Bluetooth version, codec support and so on); but still, there’s plenty to unpack.
The Endurance Race 2 adopt a ‘traditional’ earbuds shape – i.e., no AirPods-y stem but rather a bulbous earpiece shape that’s (hopefully) ergonomically designed to sit comfortably in the ear. They’re an update on the original JBL Endurance Race, launched in August 2022, and are not to be confused with the February 2023 JBL Endurance Peak 3 or older 2018-issue JBL Endurance Sprint.
The case looks to open from the top, with ‘JBL Endurance Race 2’ branding on its lid, and there’s a lovely orange USB-C to USB-A cable in the images. This is JBL, so we’d expect on-ear functionality, a solid companion app, and a decent battery life (clue’s in the name), but again, we can’t see just from the listing.
The original Endurance Race cost $79.95 / £69.99 (about AU$150), so it would be safe to assume that the Endurance Race 2 will arrive as entry-level earbuds (and could be contenders for our best budget earbuds buying guide).
The Wave Beam 2 sound a bit like earbuds for surfers, and the oval case does look durable and highly pocketable, although we can’t tell you whether there’s a decent IP rating for water ingress. These earbuds adopt the ‘toothbrush-head’ style you’ll either love or loathe, but JBL has had success in this area – see the excellent JBL Live Pro 2 for starters.
According to the images, this option will be available in white, black, and blue finishes, and the good news is that the Wave Beam 2 may come in even cheaper than the Endurance Race 2 (we can’t promise, mind), because the current Wave Beam sel for around $59 / £49.99 / AU$95, where sold.
Again, when they’re actually with us, you’ll be the first to know…
