JBL Tune 230NC True Wireless Earphones Review: Good sound with good battery life
JBL Tune 230NC Its price in India is Rs 5,999. It promises ANC, app support and good battery life. The price has also been kept quite reasonable. Does it become another competitor in this segment along with OnePlus Buds Z2 and Oppo Enco Air 2 Pro? Find out in this review.
Design and features of JBL Tune 230NC
The main difference between Tune 130NC and Tune 230NC is that in the latter, microphones are provided on the earpiece stem. Apart from this, earpiece status indicator is also provided.
The expected design elements can be seen on the JBL Tune 230NC. As can be expected from JBL – there are large logos on the charging case and earpieces, colorful colors on the eartips and a solid industrial look and feel. Wearables may not look premium but they don’t look cheap either. I found them comfortable to wear during long music sessions.
Its charging case is neither too big nor too small. It can fit comfortably in your pocket along with wallet or smartphone. Three indicator lights are provided on the charging case to show the battery level. USB Type C port is provided for charging at the back. The sales package includes a USB Type A to Type C charging cable and three pairs of silicone ear tips for a customizable fit.
They have their own indicator lights on the earpieces which indicate the connectivity status. Besides, a touch sensitive zone is also given on its stem. JBL Tune 230NC is rated IPX4 for water resistance. Two microphones are provided on each earpiece for ANC and voice calls. One thing that can be disappointing here is that it does not have a wear detection feature so that music can be played or paused automatically when the device is worn or taken off.
JBL Tune 230NC app and specifications
JBL Tune 230NC supports JBL Headphones app which is available on Android and iOS. Through this the touch controls can be changed and different presets can be selected. In this, mode can be switched in ANC and ambient sound, battery level can be seen on the earpiece and charging case.
Its control customization is not as smooth as I would have liked. The app gives you a chance to choose from different control sets like playback, ANC and transparency modes, volume, voice assistant controls, etc. You can choose a set for each earpiece, but the controls are fixed and can’t be customized within the set. The tap gesture was quite tricky for me. Many times the single tap gesture would occur even while wearing the earpiece.
You can activate its voice assistant on your phone or Alexa, which requires separate setup. The Find My Buds feature works well, which comes in handy when your earpieces get lost somewhere in the house. It gives a loud enough sound that it is possible to know where the earpiece is placed.
JBL Tune 230NC has 6mm dynamic drivers. Their frequency response range is 20-20,000Hz. For connectivity, it comes with Bluetooth 5.2 which supports SBC and AAC codec. The headset also has support for ANC and Google Fast Pair.
Performance and battery life of JBL Tune 230NC
In terms of ANC and performance, JBL Tune 230NC headset gives a tough competition to brands like OnePlus and Oppo. It has good sound and active noise cancellation. I listened to Mk.gee’s Over Here on this. The sonic signature was quite balanced and comfortable. The ‘lows’ of the track were quite soft, the sound was clean in the mids and highs. Therefore such tracks can be listened to for hours on it. Due to its pleasant sound, I could easily increase the volume in places like my home or office. The sound stage experience was quite good. It was quite easy to get a feel for the direction and other elements in Astropilot’s With Arambol 2 track. The deep bass of this track was quite good and melodious. It never felt weak or inadequate. Like OnePlus Buds Z2, its sound is not aggressive. Users who want bass may find it lacking. Still, the sound feels clean, solid and well-tuned.
The active noise cancellation of the JBL Tune 230NC is quite basic, which is seen with every affordable true wireless headset. There was very less noise when used indoors. But it was not as effective outdoors or when the window was open at home.
The ‘hum’ sound of AC, noise of ceiling fan and noise of urban environment etc. could be heard. However, the sound experience improved with the help of ANC. In hear through mode, textures appeared and the sound got unnecessarily amplified. I used earphones only for short conversations.
Connectivity and call quality in the wearable is fine. The earphones maintain a stable connection up to a distance of 4 meters from the source device. I did not face any problem during indoor calling. There was no problem during calling even when the volume was increased outdoors.
The battery life of the JBL Tune 230NC is very good. The earpieces last 6 hours 30 minutes on ANC and medium volume. The charging case provides three charge cycles and a total run time of 26 hours. The earpiece takes 2 hours to charge. Starting from zero, you get 2 hours of backup in 10 minutes of charge.
Verdict
JBL isn’t known for budget TWS products, but the Tune 230NC’s active noise cancellation puts it head-to-head with brands like OnePlus, Oppo and Realme. ANC performance is average and the sound is balanced. The connectivity of the app is good and the battery life is also quite good. The device is also comfortable to wear. If your budget is less than Rs 6000 then you can see this headset.
There is no doubt that competition is strong in this segment and there are already options like OnePlus Buds Z2 or more affordable ones. JBL Tune 130NC Is also in the list. If you look at the overall experience, you will not be disappointed with them.
