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We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
If you want marathon battery life and an over-ear design that keeps you connected across two devices at once, choose JBL Tune 510BT; if you need true wireless earbuds that stay put through workouts and can be tracked down when they go missing, choose Skullcandy Indy Evo in-Ear.
• JBL Tune 510BT — biggest strength: Up to 40 hours of playback with a 5-minute speed charge that adds 2 hours of music, plus Bluetooth multipoint so you can switch between two devices without missing a call.
• JBL Tune 510BT — biggest trade-off: It's an on-ear headphone, not true wireless earbuds. There's no noise control listed, it weighs 160 g, and the foldable headband design means it lives on your head or in a bag rather than in your pocket.
• Skullcandy Indy Evo — biggest strength: True wireless freedom with 30 hours total (6 in the buds, 24 in the case), Tile tracking to find a lost bud, and a design clearly aimed at movement — gym, sports, workouts.
• Skullcandy Indy Evo — biggest trade-off: The buds themselves only hold 6 hours, so the case is doing most of the heavy lifting. Fit is critical: Skullcandy explicitly notes that mismatched ear tips hurt sound and call quality.
• Who each is for: JBL Tune 510BT for all-day listeners, commuters, and anyone who takes a lot of calls. Skullcandy Indy Evo for people who want small, sweat-friendly earbuds they can track and forget about.
The Tune 510BT is a headphone first and a gadget second, and that's the point. JBL built it around Pure Bass sound — a tuning the brand has pushed for years — with a 32 mm dynamic driver and a 20 Hz to 20 kHz frequency range. That's a standard full-range spec, and the 32 ohm impedance means it doesn't need a fancy source to get loud. In my opinion, the real headline here is battery: up to 40 hours on a charge, a 2-hour full recharge over USB-C, and a 5-minute top-up that buys you 2 more hours. That's the kind of number that matters if you hate charging routines.
The feature most buyers overlook is Bluetooth multipoint. The 510BT can hold two devices at once, so you can watch something on a tablet and still catch a call on your phone. There's a microphone on the ear cup, on-cup buttons for media and calls, and one-touch access to Siri or Hey Google. The headband is adjustable, the ear cushions are padded, and the whole thing folds up — all of which adds up to a headphone you can wear for hours without fiddling.
Who should buy it? Commuters, remote workers, students, and anyone who spends long stretches listening or on calls. It's also a strong pick if you juggle two devices daily. Who should skip it? If you want something that disappears into your pocket, or if you need active noise cancellation — the sheet lists noise control as "None." On-ear foam and plastic means it also won't seal out a loud train the way in-ear buds can. And if you're a runner or lifter, an on-ear headphone is simply the wrong shape for the job.
The Indy Evo is the opposite approach: small, wireless, and built to move. Each bud uses a 10 mm driver tuned for what Skullcandy calls Supreme Sound — punchy bass and bright treble — and the rounded-tip design with stability ear gels is meant to stay seated while you're active. The spec sheet lists sport and gym use front and center, and that tells you the intended audience. Sound isolation is listed as the noise-control method, which is a fit-based seal rather than active cancellation.
Battery is where you need to read carefully. The total is 30 hours, but the split matters: 6 hours in the buds and 24 in the charging case. Rapid charge gives you 2 hours of play from a 10-minute top-up, which is genuinely useful when you're heading out the door. On the controls side, either bud can take calls or fire up your assistant, and you can skip tracks, change EQ modes, and manage volume without touching your phone.
Then there's Tile. Skullcandy built tracking into both buds, so a misplaced earbud isn't necessarily gone forever — you activate it through the Tile app. That's a feature on-ear headphones can't really offer in the same way.
Who should buy it? Gym-goers, runners, travelers who want a tiny case, and honestly anyone who has lost an earbud before. The sheet also lists a kid-friendly age range alongside adults.
Side-by-Side: Which Should You Choose?
• Best for battery life → JBL Tune 510BT. Up to 40 hours on a single charge versus 6 hours in the Indy Evo buds. The case extends Skullcandy to 30 total, but JBL wins on one continuous stretch.
• Best for workouts and movement → Skullcandy Indy Evo. Stability ear gels, a rounded in-ear tip, and sport-focused design. On-ear headphones slide and trap heat.
• Best for calls across two devices → JBL Tune 510BT. Bluetooth multipoint plus an on-cup mic makes switching between a laptop and phone painless.
• Best for portability → Skullcandy Indy Evo. True wireless buds in a 24-hour charging case beat a foldable on-ear headphone for pocket space.
• Best for fast top-ups → a tie, with an edge to JBL. JBL gives 2 hours from a 5-minute charge; Skullcandy gives 2 hours from 10 minutes. Both are genuinely convenient.
• Best if you lose things → Skullcandy Indy Evo. Tile tracking works on either bud. There's no equivalent locator on the JBL.
• Best for long, quiet listening sessions → JBL Tune 510BT. Padded headband, soft ear cushions, adjustable fit, and no battery anxiety.
• Best if you need active noise cancellation → neither. JBL lists noise control as "None"; Skullcandy relies on passive sound isolation from the ear tip seal. If ANC is a must-have, keep looking.
My Verdict
JBL. The Tune 510BT is rated for up to 40 hours on one charge, while the Indy Evo buds hold 6 hours each with a 24-hour case for 30 hours total. JBL wins on a single uninterrupted stretch.
Yes — that's clearly the design intent. Stability ear gels and a rounded in-ear tip are built to stay put during workouts, and either bud can handle calls and assistant controls without your phone.
No. The spec sheet lists noise control as "None." You get JBL Pure Bass tuning and a comfortable on-ear fit, but blocking outside sound isn't part of the package.
For the Indy Evo, confirm the ear tips seal properly — Skullcandy notes that a bad fit hurts sound and call quality. For the JBL, confirm you're fine with an on-ear fit rather than in-ear. Check the current price on Amazon before deciding, since that's the one thing that can shift the math.
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