JBL and Below Armour are at it once more, becoming a member of forces to provide this new wi-fi sports activities headphone, the UA Sport Wi-fi Flex. It’s a neckband design, the place the left and proper earbuds hook up with a neckband that homes all of the electronics and controls.
The headphones include both winged or wingless ear suggestions. The pre-installed winged suggestions are excellent. They stored the headphones securely connected to my ears always. They by no means fell out as soon as throughout my exams. For me, the ear suggestions offered an excellent—however not glorious—seal, which decreased a number of the headphone’s bass response.
Modern options
If you happen to don’t like your earbuds to dangle after they’re not in use, JBL has a sensible resolution: The again of every earbud is magnetic. Touching them will lock them collectively. The magnetic maintain isn’t very sturdy, nevertheless, and I discovered that they separated all too simply. I preferred the idea, although, and recommend that JBL embody a stronger magnetic maintain in a future improve.
The included winged eartips offered a safe match always.
Two bendable areas on the neckband—dubbed flex zones—permit you to modify its match round your neck. You possibly can bend the neckband for a extra cosy match or unfold it again to a impartial place for extra consolation. JBL doesn’t advocate bending the neckband’s flex zone out previous impartial.
Adjusting the neckband tighter is nice for extremely lively events the place you wish to reduce the potential of the neckband sliding off. The flex zones labored effectively in my testing, however I in the end discovered that the neckband was greatest fitted to collarless sports activities shirts or tank tops. If I attempted to put on the UA Sport Wi-fi Flex with a collared costume shirt and coat, the neckband would generally slide backwards or flip to 1 facet. You may discover that these headphones are greatest devoted to your athletic wardrobe versus formal workplace put on.
You possibly can tighten or loosen the neckband due to its flex zones.
If the UA Sport Wi-fi Flex’s batteries run out, there’s no means to make use of them passively like a standard headphone. Fortunately, these headphones will ship an hour’s price of playback with only a five-minute cost. A full cost takes two hours and will provide you with near 12 hours of playback. A standing mild on the neckband’s proper arm alerts you when the battery is low.
The headphones include a free 12-month premium membership to Below Armour’s Map My Run online service. The downloadable iOS or Android cell app, which can be accessible for Apple Watch, helps you monitor, handle, and share your health knowledge.
A free 12-month premium membership to UA Map My Run is included.
The headphones don’t include any lively noise-cancelling or adaptive noise cancelling options.
Rugged and sweat resistant
The headphones lack a proper IPX water ranking, however JBL says a sophisticated nano coating renders them sweat resistant . The micro-USB charging port, situated on the again of the scarf, is firmly and tightly sealed with a flush rubber cap. You’ll must exert a little bit of effort to pop it open, but it surely offers you the boldness that sweat and moisture received’t get into the charging port when the cap is sealed. A micro-USB charging cable is included, however you’ll want to offer your individual AC adapter.
Simply accessible controls
The UA Wi-fi Sport Flex’s rubber-covered controls are situated on suggestions of every arm. The neckband’s proper arm has volume-up and -down buttons, which do double responsibility as monitor ahead and reverse. Holding one of many buttons down for greater than two seconds prompts the button’s secondary perform, whereas a fast press performs the first perform. Urgent and holding the microphone button on the neckband’s left arm will name up Siri or Google Now.
A sensible security characteristic for low-light actions
Urgent the microphone button as soon as prompts RunSafe, a security characteristic that’s supposed to extend the chance of individuals seeing you in low mild circumstances. I discovered RunSafe to be extraordinarily sensible.
Enabling RunSafe activates a flashing LED security mild situated on the again of the headphones. The RunSafe LED has three flashing modes. You cycle although them by urgent the microphone button. An audible beep via the earbuds let’s you already know if RunSafe is lively or off.
The RunSafe characteristic prompts a blinking LED on the again of the neckband.
I examined the LED in darkened indoor and outside environments. Whereas the blinking LED on the again of the UA Sport Wi-fi Flex is seen, it’s not extremely vibrant. If you happen to wish to run at night time, I might contemplate RunSafe a further a part of any security technique and mix it with conventional reflective security gear.
As a fast be aware: Since you your self can’t see the blinking LED, there’s an opportunity you may overlook that you just’ve turned it on. I did. It made for fairly fun on the finish of dinner one night when my associates have been questioning why the again of my neck was flashing.
Stable efficiency for any exercise
I examined the UA Sport Wi-fi Flex with an iPhone 7. Pairing was flawless. As I discussed beforehand, the earbud’s winged enhancers did an important job of conserving the headphones in my ear, however the included suggestions didn’t fairly give me a decent seal. One of many greatest impacts of a less-than-perfect seal with in-ear-headphones is decreased bass response. Due to this fact for me, the JBLs delivered superb, however not excellent, bass.
The in ear headphones have magnetic backs.
The standard UA Sport Flex Wi-fi will in all probability wish to jam to some music as a part of a exercise or atone for information exhibits or podcasts. With that in thoughts, the UA Sport Flex Wi-fi will definitely fulfill. Vocals and dialog are clear and provides a nod to JBL’s sonic pedigree, the place midrange is usually a power. And, if you wish to actually get within the zone, these headphones will do a good job of getting you pumped up with good dynamics.
A sensible selection for lively customers
I actually loved my time with the UA Sport Flex Wi-fi headphones. You may discover smarter wi-fi headphones available on the market, however you’ll be hard-pressed to discover a extra sensible sports activities headphone. The neckband design with built-in flex zones labored extraordinarily effectively throughout exercises, and the LED security mild is a brilliant thought for many who wish to work out early within the morning or late at night time. If you happen to’e searching for an important pair of wi-fi headphones to function your exercise companion, and you like JBL’s sonic signature, then the UA Sport Flex Wi-fi headphones are a proverbial no-brainer.