JLab Go Air Pop review 2024: surprising sound for just $25

JLab is a well-known brand, and its whole point is to make durable listening gear at rock-bottom prices. Its earbuds, like the JLab Go Air, are always on our list of the best budget wireless earbuds. In our guide to the best wireless earbuds, they are also our top pick for the money.

Let’s get right to what’s exciting about the JLab Go Air Pop: since February of this year, you can buy a pair of true wireless earbuds from a well-known brand for $20/$20, a price that was unthinkable even three years ago. They aren’t from a stranger in a dark alley, and they aren’t fake AirPods.

The new JLab Go Air Pop headphones soon after they came out, but even though they are very cheap, we want to give you a full review of them. Don’t you want to know more? Can these cheap earbuds actually do their job?

JLab Go Air Pop specifications

JLab Go Air Pop review: Design

JLab knows a lot about making buds that are small, strong, and look good. The Go Air Pop is no different. It has the same bright colours and simple design as the other shoes in the line, but it is 15% smaller than the other models. These buds are made of hard plastic and can handle sweat and water up to IPX4 standards.

In other words, these are tough in-ears that won’t break easily if you drop them on concrete or get them wet. The raised logo can also be used as a touch pad. JLab was also able to shrink the size of the charging case. It is 40% lighter, very small, and fits in your pocket.

The coolest part is the USB cable that is built in and stored under the case. This lets you charge compatible devices or accessories while you are on the go. The magnetic lid does feel a little bit flimsy, but we guess the price had to come from somewhere. You can buy this earbuds from its official website.

JLab Go Air Pop review: Comfort

It’s not too bad. The buds rest gently on the concha for about two hours before they get tired. When that happens, the sound port fits into the canal without any trouble. Fit was a problem for me, because the cavity doesn’t fit the inside of the ear as well as some other models do.

This makes the headphones feel loose. Also, the silicone tips are slippery and don’t make a tight seal, which can affect how well the headphones sound (more on that later). For a better fit, you should buy the brand’s $10 Cloud Foam Mnemonic Universal Earbuds Tips.

JLab Go Air Pop review: Sound quality

The sound is clear, crisp, and pretty well balanced, so there aren’t any big problems to point out. Surprisingly, these headphones have three different equaliser settings: JLab Signature, Balanced, and Bass Boost. You don’t even have to open an app on your phone to switch between them.

Just triple-tap the earbuds. It keeps the sound even and clear. The Balanced mode is better for listening to podcasts and watching videos. The Bass Boost setting, on the other hand, makes music a bit too loud and makes it hard to understand what people are saying, but it does exactly what it says it will do: give the sound a bit more punch.

The sound isolation on these earbuds is actually pretty good. When the music is on, you can barely hear anything else going on around you. Obviously, it would be much better if there was special technology to block out noise, but at this price, you can’t have everything.

JLab Go Air Pop review: Call quality and connectivity

Each earbud has a mic for taking calls, and don’t think for a second that the lack of an app means there are no EQ profiles. If you triple-tap either earpiece, a soothing voice will say “balanced,” “bass boost,” or “JLab signature.” No matter how many times we use my index finger to send morse code, these little units never get it wrong.

JLab Go Air Pop review: Battery Life

The JLab Go Air Pop earbuds don’t really have a lot of features, like noise cancellation, multi-point connectivity, and other things. But you wouldn’t really expect them to at this price. These are made to be reliable earbuds that you can use every day. The battery life of these earbuds is 8 hours on a single charge, which is great for earbuds in this price range.

With the charging case, you’ll get an extra 24 hours of use, for a total of about 32 hours. Bluetooth 5.1 lets the earbuds connect to your music player. We thought they had a good connection while we were listening. The two friends would sometimes be out of sync, but they would quickly fix the problem on their own.

JLab Go Air Pop review: Price and availibility

Any meaningful sound comparison between these $20 in-ears and class-leading products from Sony, Apple, or Sennheiser is more than a little unfair, and there are no current class-leaders at $20 because there isn’t much serious competition at that price.

You should know that JLab’s solution sounds better than anything else in its price range. It can even compete with the more expensive Sony WF-C500, which it beats in terms of battery life and design, but not in terms of sound quality.

Final word

In general, these sound performances are pretty good. The bass is deep enough without being distorted, and the vocals are very clear. The fit is great for cycling because they usually stay in place and are hard to notice. Even though it’s not the easiest thing to use on the go, this is not something that only the JLabs has to deal with.

FAQs

Is JLab GO Air Pop worth buying?

If you want a cheap pair of wireless earbuds, the JLab GO Air POP is a great choice. For $20 USD, you get a comfortable fit, touch controls, good sound quality, an IPX4 rating, and three EQ settings. It doesn’t have much that’s bad, so it’s a good choice for people on a tight budget.

How long does JLab GO Air pop last?

Each earbud in the GO Air POP can play music for 8+ hours, and the charging case can play music for an extra 24+ hours. Return the buds to the case to charge them, and use the USB cable that comes with the case to charge it.

Is JLab GO Air Pop waterproof?

The GO Air POP earbuds are ready for everything from business calls to workouts and everything in between. They have touch sensors, universal mics in both earbuds, and IPX4 water resistance.