So what kind of performance can you expect from a pair of wireless earbuds that retail for $129.99? Well thats how much these guys cost. This is GYMCADDY’s review on the All New Jaybird X3’s. Did Jaybird learn their lesson? Lets find out.
Packaging is identical to the more expensive Jaybird Freedom. You’ll first see the earphones front and center. Under that youre going to find some documentation and a carrying pouch. Inside the carrying pouch youre going to find 3 sets of comply ear tips, 3 sets of silicon ear tips, 3 sets of redesigned ear fins, cable management clips, charging cradle, and micro usb cable. Nothing out of the ordinary here.
The Earbuds themselves are smaller than their pervious version, are made out of plastic with a soft touch feel to them, the cans themselves are angled down ever so slightly to help with the fit. These earbuds are much larger than the ones on the Freedom, but thats perfectly fine. The cable it self is flat and also has a soft touch feel to it. The inline controller on the X3’s looks similar to the one on the Freedom, but has been improved. First off its much lighter since its made completely out of plastic. its has the same 3 buttons on the front, but they now have a satisfying click to them. And on the back youre going to find the contact pins used for charging.
The Ear Fins that come included with the X3’s are little different from the ones that come with the Freedom. aside from the larger ring needed to fit the larger earbuds, they are now contoured a little to help get a better fit when inside the bowl of the ear. Just like we mentioned in our Freedom review, you can spend hours customizing exactly how these earphones fit in your ears thanks to all the Ear Fins and ear tips youre given. The Comply ear tips are the way to go since they help create a seal once inside your ear canal. For those how don't know, Comply ear tips are made of a hydrophobic memory foam material that helps keep the earbuds in place and block out ambient noise. And if youre not a fan of the comply tips, you can always still use the standard silicon tips.
These Earphones are sweat and water resistant, as they should be. You don't have to worry about them falling apart or getting crushed thanks to their durable build. They have an 8 hour battery life and don't require an external battery back like the freedom. They also sound great and you can customize how they sound through jaybird’s MySound App. They still require a proprietary charging cradle, but thats fine if it means you get a smaller controller.
The Jaybird X3’s don't suffer from the heavy inline controller design flaw like the Freedom did. Since the controller this time around is much lighter the right earbud dosnt fall out when youre running or doing anything active. Since the batteries are now housed in the earbuds themselvesves, these earphones truly have an 8 hour battery life and don't require an external battery pack like the Freedom do. These are both big pluses. It is worth mentioning these earphones don't have any fast charging features like the Powerbeats 3. Personally, the fast fuel feature found on the Powerbeats 3 is great cause i always forget to charge my earbuds. We also noticed there was some random choppiness here and then when playing music on the X3’s.
In conclusion, the Jaybird X3 is an amazing product for $129.99. An 8 hour battery life should get you through a few gym sessions without a problem. The lighter inline controllers and new ear fins means the earbuds will stay in place. They're low profile enough that you can wear them with a helmet, beanie, or hats. Over all, you cant go wrong with these guys and its no wonder they're flying off shelves.