How We Research
We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
If you want true wireless earbuds with active noise cancelling, a 40-hour battery and four microphones for calls, choose JBL Tune 230NC; if you need a sporty, team-colored pair with a huge 32-hour battery, auto-pairing and extra audio inputs, choose SOAR NFL. Neither of these is a bone conduction headphones for toddlers — both are in-ear buds for adults and older kids — so if you're shopping for the best true wireless earbuds for toddlers, read the fit notes below carefully before you buy.
• JBL Tune 230NC — biggest strength: Active Noise Cancelling with Smart Ambient, plus 4 mics and up to 40 hours total battery.
• JBL Tune 230NC — biggest trade-off: In-ear silicone tips need a snug fit to sound right, and the ear-tip sizing note is easy to overlook.
• SOAR NFL — biggest strength: 32 hours of total playtime, auto-pairing, and FM radio, USB and AUX options for game-day audio.
• SOAR NFL — biggest trade-off: No noise cancelling at all, and Bluetooth 5.0 rather than the newer 5.2 spec.
• Pick JBL Tune 230NC if you want to block out noise, take calls clearly and use touch controls.
• Pick SOAR NFL if you want a sporty team look, wireless convenience and a wide range of audio sources.
The JBL Tune 230NC is the more feature-dense of the two. It uses 10mm dynamic drivers in a "Dot" form factor that JBL tunes for its Pure Bass Sound signature, so low end is the point here. On top of that you get Active Noise Cancelling, which reduces background sound, plus Smart Ambient: Ambient Aware lets you hear your surroundings, and TalkThru drops the music so you can hold a quick conversation without pulling the buds out.
Battery is the second headline. JBL rates it at up to 40 hours total (10 in the buds plus 30 in the case), or 8 plus 24 hours with noise cancelling engaged. Speed Charge gives you 2 hours of playtime from a 10-minute top-up. The buds are IPX4 water resistant and sweatproof, so rain and workouts aren't a dealbreaker, and Bluetooth 5.2 with touch media controls keeps the everyday experience current. Four microphones handle voice calls in stereo, and the closed stick design is built to sit lightly in the ear.
Who should buy it: commuters, office workers, students and anyone who takes a lot of calls and wants noise cancelling plus long battery in one pair. The age range is listed as adult and kid, so a teenager is a reasonable fit. Who should skip it: anyone who hates silicone tips, since JBL itself warns that the wrong tip size or a loose fit hurts both sound quality and call performance. And despite the "toddler-friendly" search results you may see, these are not a toddler product — they're small in-ear buds with removable tips, which is a choking hazard for very young children.
The SOAR NFL pair leans into a different idea: simple, sporty and flexible. It's built as an NFL-licensed true wireless bud in team colors, with a modern sporty look and silicone in-ear gels for a secure fit. Battery is rated at 32 hours total, and the included charging case handles portable top-ups — plenty for a gym session, a game day or a week of casual listening.
Connectivity is where it stands apart in a specific way. Bluetooth 5.0 gives a quick, stable link to your phone, and auto-pairing means less fiddling in the settings menu. More unusually, these buds accept FM radio plus USB and AUX audio sources, which is a genuinely different feature set from the JBL pair. Controls run through the charging case rather than touch gestures on the buds, and the enclosure is plastic with silicone tips.
Who should buy it: sports fans who want the team branding, people who move between devices or audio sources, and anyone who prefers a plainer setup with a case-based control scheme. Who should skip it: anyone who needs noise cancelling, because noise control is listed as none here, and anyone who wants the newest Bluetooth generation or on-bud touch controls. Same caveat as before — this is an adult-oriented product despite the "toddler" phrasing people search for, and loose silicone gels near a toddler's mouth are a risk, not a feature.
Side-by-Side: Which Should You Choose?
• Best for noise cancelling → JBL Tune 230NC. ANC with Smart Ambient, Ambient Aware and TalkThru; the SOAR NFL has no noise control.
• Best for battery life → JBL Tune 230NC, on paper: up to 40 hours total against 32 hours for the SOAR NFL.
• Best for quick top-ups → JBL Tune 230NC. Speed Charge delivers 2 hours of playtime from a 10-minute charge.
• Best for newer Bluetooth → JBL Tune 230NC. Bluetooth 5.2 against Bluetooth 5.0.
• Best for extra audio sources → SOAR NFL. FM radio, USB and AUX options that the JBL pair doesn't list.
• Best for team styling → SOAR NFL. Team-color finish and an NFL-licensed sport design.
• Best for sweat and rain → JBL Tune 230NC. IPX4 water resistance and sweatproofing are stated; the SOAR NFL sheet lists no water rating.
If you're specifically hunting bone conduction headphones for toddlers, note that neither of these is bone conduction and neither is designed for toddlers. For a young child, fit and safety should come before any spec sheet, and for an adult who wants multipoint in ear earbuds for toddlers' parents on the go, the JBL pair's call handling is the more practical everyday pick — though you should confirm the current price on Amazon for both before deciding.
In my opinion, I would buy the JBL Tune 230NC. Active Noise Cancelling, Smart Ambient, four mics, IPX4, Bluetooth 5.2 and up to 40 hours of battery give you more of what these buds are actually for: everyday listening and calls in noisy places. I'd pick the SOAR NFL instead if team styling, FM radio and USB/AUX inputs matter more to you than noise cancelling.
One last thing, and I mean it for a toddler: neither of these belongs in a toddler's hands or mouth. If that's your use case, treat the "best true wireless earbuds for toddlers" label as marketing noise and look at a properly designed kids' audio product instead.
FAQ
how to pair true wireless earbuds
how to connect true wireless earbuds
Turn the buds on, enable Bluetooth on your device, and choose the earbud name when it appears. Both models are true wireless with no headphone jack, so Bluetooth is the only connection method — the SOAR NFL adds FM radio, USB and AUX as extra audio sources beyond Bluetooth.
how to use true wireless earbuds
JBL Tune 230NC uses touch controls for media, with Active Noise Cancelling, Ambient Aware and TalkThru available on the buds. The SOAR NFL uses a remote-style control through its charging case instead. Charge both in their cases between sessions: 32 hours total for the SOAR NFL and up to 40 hours for the JBL pair.
how to bluetooth true wireless earbuds
Same routine as any wireless bud: power on, open Bluetooth on your phone, tap the earbud name, and let it connect. If the fit feels loose on either pair, reseat the silicone tips — JBL notes that a poor seal hurts sound and call quality, so the right tip size matters more than most people expect.
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