JBL Tune 230NC The 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 come as another competitor in this segment with the OnePlus Buds Z2 and Oppo Enco Air 2 Pro? Learn in this review.
JBL Tune 230NC Design and Features
The main difference between the Tune 130NC and the Tune 230NC is that the latter have microphones on the earpiece stem. Apart from this, earpiece status indicator has also been given.
The expected design elements can be seen on the JBL Tune 230NC. As can be expected from JBL – the charging case and earpieces have big logos, the eartips get a smattering of colors and a solid industrial look and feel. Wearables may not look premium but they don’t look cheap either. I found it comfortable to wear during long music sessions.
Its charging case is neither too big nor too small. It can be carried comfortably in your pocket with wallet or smartphone. There are three indicator lights on the charging case to show the battery level. At the back, there is a USB Type C port for charging. 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 light on the earpiece which tells the connectivity status. Along with this, a touch sensitive zone is also given on their stem. The JBL Tune 230NC is IPX4 rated for water resistance. There are two microphones on each earpiece for ANC and voice calls. One thing that can disappoint here is that they do not have a wear detection feature so that music can be played or paused automatically when the device is put on or taken off.
JBL Tune 230NC App & Specifications
JBL Tune 230NC supports the JBL Headphones app, which is available on Android and iOS. It allows you to change the touch controls and choose from different presets. In this, modes can be switched to 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. In the app, you get to choose from different control sets like playback, ANC and transparency modes, volume, voice assistant control. 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 too complicated for me. Sometimes a single tap gesture was used even while wearing the earpiece.
You can turn on its voice assistant on your phone or Alexa, which requires a separate setup. The Find My Buds feature works well, which comes in handy when your earpieces get lost somewhere in the house. It gives very loud sound so that it is known where the earpieces are placed.
The JBL Tune 230NC has 6mm dynamic drivers. Their frequency response range is 20-20,000Hz. For connectivity, it comes with Bluetooth 5.2 with support for SBC and AAC codecs. The headset also supports ANC and Google Fast Pair.
JBL Tune 230NC Performance and Battery Life
In terms of ANC and performance, the JBL Tune 230NC headset competes strongly with brands like OnePlus and Oppo. It has good sound and active noise cancellation. I heard Mk.gee’s Over Here in this. The Sonic Signature was very balanced and comfortable. The ‘lows’ of the track were quite soft, the sound was clean in the mid and highs. So tracks like this can be listened to for hours on it. Due to its pleasant sound, I could easily increase the volume even at places like my home or office. The sound stage experience was very good. It was 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 very nice and melodious. Never did it feel weak or inadequate. Like the OnePlus Buds Z2, it does not have sound aggressive. Users who want base may find it lacking. Still, the sound feels clean, composed and well-tuned.
The JBL Tune 230NC’s active noise cancellation is pretty basic, which is found with every affordable true wireless headset. Noise was coming down quite a bit when used indoors. But it was not as effective in the outdoors or with the windows of the house open.
The ‘hmm’ sound of the AC, the noise of the ceiling fan and the noise of the urban environment etc. could be heard. However, the sound experience improved with the help of ANC. Texture was visible in hear through mode and sound was amplified unnecessarily. I only used the earphones for short conversations.
Connectivity and call quality in the wearable is decent. The earphones maintain a stable connection up to a distance of 4 meters from the source device. I did not face any problem while calling indoors. There was no problem during calling even after increasing the volume in outdoor.
The battery life of the JBL Tune 230NC is very good. The earpiece lasts 6 hours 30 minutes on ANC and medium volume. The charging case provides three charge cycles and gives a total run time of 26 hours. It takes 2 hours to charge the earpiece. Starting from zero, you get 2 hours of backup in 10 minutes of charge.
Verdict
JBL isn’t known for budget TWS products, but with Tune 230NC’s active noise cancellation, it comes in direct competition with brands like OnePlus, Oppo and Realme. ANC performance is simple and sound 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 go for this headset.
There is no doubt that the competition is strong in this segment and there are already options like OnePlus Buds Z2 or more affordable. JBL Tune 130NC Also on the list. If you look at the overall experience, you will not be disappointed with them.