How We Research
We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
If you want an over-ear pair with serious battery life for all-day listening, choose JBL Tune 510BT; if you need tiny true-wireless buds you can tune to your taste and wear anywhere, choose JLab Go Air Pop. That's the short version. The longer version is more interesting, because these two products barely compete on the same turf — one is a foldable on-ear headphone built around long sessions, the other is a pocketable in-ear designed for flexibility and fit. Let me break down what each one actually gives you.
• JBL Tune 510BT — biggest strength: up to 40 hours of battery life with a 2-hour Type-C charge and a 5-minute speed charge that adds 2 more hours. That is the standout figure here.
• JBL Tune 510BT — biggest trade-off: it's an on-ear design with no noise control and a 160 g body, so it's a "wear it on your head" product, not something you stash in a jeans pocket.
• JLab Go Air Pop — biggest strength: the EQ3 sound profiles (Signature, Bass Boost, Balanced) plus Dual Connect, which lets you run either earbud independently.
• JLab Go Air Pop — biggest trade-off: it's an in-ear bud with a much smaller per-charge figure, and its 8-hour average battery life means you'll lean on the charging case regularly.
• Who should pick the JBL Tune 510BT: commuters, students and desk workers who want one pair to wear for hours without thinking about charging.
• Who should pick the JLab Go Air Pop: people who want buds that disappear into a pocket, survive sweat and light rain, and let them tweak how music sounds.
The Tune 510BT is an on-ear Bluetooth headphone, and JBL has clearly built it around one idea: keep it on your head and keep it running. The headline spec is up to 40 hours of playback, with a full recharge in about 2 hours over Type-C. There's also a quick-charge trick — five minutes on the cable reportedly gives you 2 extra hours of music, which is the kind of thing that saves you on the way out the door. The audio side uses a 32 mm dynamic driver with a 20 Hz–20 kHz frequency range and 32 ohm impedance, tuned for what JBL calls Pure Bass sound. Sensitivity sits at 96 dB, so it should play loud enough from a phone without strain.
What I like about the design is how practical it is. The headband is adjustable, the ear cushions are foam, and the whole thing folds up for transport. At 160 g it isn't ultra-light, but the padded headband and soft cushions are there to make longer sessions tolerable. There's a microphone built into the ear cup, so calls are handled with the on-cup buttons rather than your phone, and a multi-function button pulls up Siri or Google Assistant. Bluetooth 5 with a 10-meter range covers the usual "phone on the desk, headphones on your head" scenario, and dual-device switching means you can jump from a video on a tablet to a call on your phone without repairing. It ships as an adult-oriented product with a 1-year manufacturer warranty.
Who should buy it: anyone who treats headphones as an all-day tool. Long shifts, long study blocks, long flights, back-to-back calls. The battery figure alone justifies it for that crowd.
Who should skip it: if you want something that vanishes into a pocket, or you need active noise cancellation, this isn't it — noise control is listed as none. Runners and gym-goers will also find an on-ear headphone less secure and less sweat-friendly than buds.
The Go Air Pop goes the opposite direction. These are true-wireless in-ear buds, and the pitch is adaptability rather than marathon runtime. You get 9+ hours per earbud plus 26+ hours from the USB-C charging case, which the brand frames as 35+ hours total. The spec sheet lists an 8-hour average battery life, so expect real-world numbers somewhere in that neighbourhood depending on volume. That's still a solid week of commutes if you're charging the case between uses.
The feature I'd actually reach for is EQ3. It gives you three sound signatures — Signature, Bass Boost and Balanced — switchable on the fly, so podcasts and playlists don't have to sound the same. You can also fine-tune EQ and manage touch controls through the JLab App. Audio comes from a 6 mm dynamic driver with 16 ohm impedance, and there's a MEMS microphone in each bud rated around -42 dB for call clarity. Bluetooth 5.3 handles the connection to iOS, Android and PC, and Dual Connect means either bud works solo — genuinely handy when you want one ear open.
Physically, these are built for movement. The buds are 15% smaller than the previous generation, IPX4 rated against sweat and light rain, and come with three gel tip sizes (S/M/L) so you can dial in a seal. Controls are touch-based, voice assistant access is built in, and JLab backs it with a two-year warranty — double what JBL offers on the 510BT. Colour options include Black, Teal, Lilac, Slate and Rose, and the Mint version is the one in this data sheet.
Who should skip it: if you hate in-ear tips, want the feeling of a headband, or need maximum single-charge runtime, the JBL is the better fit.
Side-by-Side: Which Should You Choose?
• Best for battery life → JBL Tune 510BT. Up to 40 hours on a charge versus 9+ hours per bud plus case time. For pure endurance, JBL wins.
• Best for portability → JLab Go Air Pop. In-ear buds and a charging case beat a 160 g foldable headphone for pocket space.
• Best for sound customisation → JLab Go Air Pop. EQ3's three profiles and app control give you options the JBL simply doesn't offer.
• Best for calls on the move → JLab Go Air Pop. A MEMS mic in each bud plus Dual Connect means you can take a call with one ear free.
• Best for long desk or study sessions → JBL Tune 510BT. On-ear comfort, an adjustable headband and a mic in the ear cup suit sitting down for hours.
• Best for workouts and light rain → JLab Go Air Pop. IPX4 sweat and rain resistance and three tip sizes make it the more active-friendly pick. The JBL carries no such rating.
• Best for multi-device switching → JBL Tune 510BT. Bluetooth 5 dual-device pairing lets you hop between a tablet and a phone without repairing.
• Best warranty coverage → JLab Go Air Pop. Two years from JLab against one year from JBL.
• Best for noise isolation → JLab Go Air Pop. It lists sound isolation via the in-ear seal. The JBL has no noise control at all.
If I had to pick one, I'd take the JLab Go Air Pop — but only because of how I'd actually use earbuds. The EQ3 profiles, the app control, the IPX4 rating and the two-year warranty make it the more flexible everyday product, and the in-ear seal does quiet work the JBL can't. That said, if your priority is wearing one pair from morning to night without a charger in sight, the JBL Tune 510BT is the smarter call, and its 40-hour figure is the single most compelling number in this comparison. Match the product to your routine, not the other way around. Before deciding, check the current price on Amazon using the button on this page — that's the one variable that can tip a close call.
On the numbers here, JBL wins. The Tune 510BT is rated for up to 40 hours on a single charge, while the JLab Go Air Pop gives you 9+ hours per bud plus 26+ hours from the case. JBL is the better pick if charging is your main annoyance.
They're designed with that in mind. The buds are IPX4 rated for sweat and light rain, and JLab includes three gel tip sizes so you can find a secure seal. That's a more workout-friendly setup than the on-ear JBL Tune 510BT, which carries no water-resistance rating.
Yes. Dual Connect lets you use either earbud independently or both together, which is useful for taking calls while keeping one ear open to your surroundings.
Both handle calls. The JBL has a microphone on the ear cup with on-headphone buttons for managing them, and a multi-function button for your voice assistant. The JLab puts a MEMS microphone in each bud and adds Dual Connect, which I prefer for taking calls away from a desk.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon and affiliated sites.
When you buy through links on this page, we may earn a commission from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.
Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon or its affiliates. This site is an independent third-party review and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Amazon or the product brands mentioned.
See also: jbl vs beats earbuds, MINDBEAST Earbuds Noise Cancellation vs JLab Go Pop ANC, iclever vs jbl kids headphones