JBL has made the touchscreen of its charging case even more useful by enlarging it

JBL has announced an upgraded version of its first wireless earbuds with a touchscreen charging case. The case on the new JBL Tour Pro 3 has a larger screen and now acts as a transmitter, transmitting audio from a wired source, such as an airplane's in-flight entertainment system, to the earbuds. However, the larger screen also comes with a higher price tag. They'll retail for $299, which is nearly $50 more than the JBL Tour Pro 2.

The 1.57-inch touchscreen on the JBL Tour Pro 3's charging case is 30 percent larger than the Tour Pro 2's screen, leaving plenty of room for additional information like the name of the song currently playing. This potentially makes it even more useful as a smartphone alternative when you want to skip tracks, set alarms, or even check text messages or incoming call notifications.

One could argue that the case's screen is unnecessary for those who already wear a smartwatch with similar functionality, but the Tour Pro 3's charging case also provides easier access to earbud settings, including noise-cancellation modes and EQ profiles, which are otherwise only accessible via the JBL smartphone app or by adjusting the earbud's gesture controls.

The less obvious but more interesting upgrade on the Tour Pro 3 is the charging case's audio transmission capabilities. It can connect to any analog or USB audio source, and isn't just limited to older devices with a headphone jack. And with the newly added support for Auracast, that audio can be transmitted to multiple nearby Bluetooth devices that also support Auracast – like Samsung's earbuds, for example.

The Tour Pro 3 earbuds now feature larger 11mm drivers – compared to 10mm on the Tour Pro 2. Despite the driver upgrades and larger touchscreen, JBL still promises up to 10 hours of music playback from the earbuds with ANC turned off, or up to 40 hours total when paired with the charging case. If the earbuds die at an inconvenient time, a 10-minute charge will give you three hours of listening pleasure.

Spatial sound is included in the built-in head tracking, and although JBL claims it works with “stereo sound from any source or device,” the company essentially locks the left and right audio signals in 3D space, so when you turn your head, they always sound like they're coming from the same place. For comparison, Apple's Spatial Audio is designed to simulate a more immersive surround sound experience over headphones, with audio sounding like it's coming from all around you.

The JBL Tour Pro 3 is expected to be available in black or latte color options from September 22, 2024.