JLab Epic Lab Edition True Wireless Earbuds review

I don’t want to launch straight into the review of the JLab Epic Lab Edition earbuds on a negative point, but my initial experience with them wasn’t great – and that’s down to the case. Let me preface by saying the case itself is gorgeous. Small, polished, sturdy, curvaceous, with room inside its apparently small interior to fit both earbuds and a Bluetooth dongle. They feel reassuringly heavy and, above all, expensive – but there’s one problem: getting them out of the case with my sausage fingers feels like trying to thread a needle in the dark.

The buds themselves are so small and fit so comfortably and snuggly inside the case that, to this day, I struggle to get them out easily. Their unique shape also often leaves me wondering if I have them in the right ear or the correct way up, which isn’t exactly a selling point. For somewhere circa £150 at the time of writing, it wasn’t the best first impression.

Luckily, when I did finally get the out of the case and start testing them, I found them to be pretty damn good – though perhaps not good to the tune of a hundred and fifty quid. My main issue with them is the noise-cancelling tech they employ. My go-to earbuds for over a year now have been the 1More Aero, a fantastic, reliable set of earbuds that sounds absolutely incredible with ANC or the “be aware” mode on. The JLab Epic Lab Edition just doesn’t quite reach that height, with little noticeable difference regardless of the setting, which is a tad disappointing.

Which is not to say this is a bad product. Far from it, in fact. As I already said, the aesthetic appeal is undeniable, and once the buds are in your ear they’re lightweight and comfortable, so wearing them for long periods won’t be an issue. I’ve been using them mainly for music, though I have also tested them with my PS5 and PC for gaming. They perform admirably in either category, though I prefer over-ear phones for gaming.

If you find you want to adjust the levels (and you might not, given how well this device handles bass straight out of the box), you can do so with the JLab app, which works quickly and easily to fine-tune your audio experience. The biggest selling point for me, though, is the battery life. The manufacturer promises a dozen hours of usage per charge, with a whopping 56 hours thanks to the case, but I never counted. I used the JLab Epic Lab Edition earbuds for over a fortnight on and off and never had to charge them once.

They’re not exactly cheap, and arguably they earn their price tag thanks to the physical and aesthetic qualities rather than their audio performance, but they’re a decent option if you’ve got the cash to splash. I’d still push the 1More Aero earbuds over these if I had a gun to my head, but with a dongle included and the high quality mobile EQ app – and that gorgeous, gorgeous case – the JLab Epic Lab Edition earbuds still come recommended.