JLab Go Air Sport review: cheap earbuds for workouts

This JLab Go Air Sport review is for anyone who needs some headphones for the gym, for running or for any other type of exercise, but who doesn’t want to spend loads of money. They're some of the best budget wireless earbuds for a super tight budget. 

Cheap and cheerful, the JLab Go Air Sport do what they say on the tin. There’s nothing fancy about them, but there really doesn’t need to be. Of course, they won’t blow you away with exceptional sound, perfect build quality or loads of extra features but given the price, you do get more than your money’s worth. 

In this JLab Go Air Sport review, you’ll be able to find out everything you need to know about them from details on the design to extra information on their fit and my take on the sound quality. By the end, you should know whether these are going to be a good choice for you, or not. 

 JLab Go Air Sport review: price and availability 

Because they’ve been around for a bit of time, you could pick up the JLab Go Air Sport for as little as $30 in the US and £25 in the UK at Amazon which is incredibly good value. Take a look at the widgets on this page to see which retailers stock them in your region. 

 JLab Go Air Sport review: design and fit 

The JLab Go Air won’t wow you when it comes to the design, they’re practical and plastic, housed in a large charging case.

Each earbud has an ear hook to keep it secure as well as a logo imprinted on the outside. While they’re not top quality, they still feel sturdy and the IP55 water resistance rating means they won’t be easily damaged by water, and they’ll be fine with sweat too. 

To help you find the right fit, the JLab Go Air Sport come with three sizes of silicone ear tips in the box, small, medium and large. When I tried them out, they felt comfortable and lightweight for a good hour or two, but after that, I started to get quite tired of having them in. They didn’t feel as secure as some other pairs of true wireless earbuds, but because of the ear hook, it’s very unlikely you’d ever lose one. 

The charging case feels a little flimsier than elsewhere but the plus side of that is it’s very light so won’t be a bother to carry around with you. What’s more, is that it has a cable attached and hidden away in its base which is handy because it means you won’t lose it. Then when the case needs a charge you can plug it in without any fuss. 

On the outside of each earbud, there are handy touch controls which will allow you to adjust the volume with a single tap, skip backwards and forwards with a press and hold or pause the music using a double tap on the right-hand side. You’ll also be able to use gestures to switch between the EQ modes, call your voice assistant and answer or reject phone calls. The controls work fine some of the time, but they don't always register your touch. 

You’ll be able to listen to these for 8 hours at a time if you so desire, and the charging case will give you an extra 24 hours, so you’ll get about 32 hours from these before they need to be plugged in. That’s pretty good going, especially considering just how cheap they are. 

 JLab Go Air Sport review: performance and features 

Given the fact that the JLab Go Air Sport earbuds cost so little, you can’t expect to get jaw-dropping sound quality. They are a bit tinny, they lack detail and there’s some quite noticeable muddiness as well. But in saying that, they still sound a lot better than some other earbuds at this price so for the money I'd say that they actually do a decent job. 

What’s more is that there are 3 preset sound modes to choose from, including JLab Signature, Balanced, and Bass Boost. You wouldn’t usually get that sort of functionality in a pair of cheap headphones. Some level of customisation over the audio is a big win.

In terms of features, these are clearly very basic. It’s a shame there’s no noise cancelling here, but again, you don’t really expect there to be, and the included ear tips do provide some level of passive noise cancellation.  There’s no app to adjust manual equaliser settings either, and you can’t expect to get any extras like ear detection or an earbud fit test. 

You can make calls using them though thanks to a microphone built into each earbud. I gave them a test run and the call quality is fine if you’re somewhere quiet, you'll struggle more if you’re in a loud shop or outside on a blustery day.

 JLab Go Air Sport review: verdict 

The JLab Go Air Sport are first and foremost a pair of cheap sports headphones, and because of that, they're secure and comfortable with handy ear hooks to keep them in place. 

You will have to make some sacrifices - they don't have ANC, the touch controls are hit-and-miss, and the sound isn't going to blow you away. But even so, they perform perfectly fine and you get some features you wouldn't expect at this price like the 3 preset sound modes. Taking that into consideration, they're actually really good value for money.

 JLab Go Air Sport review: also consider 

If you’re hunting for some headphones to use for runs and you don't mind splashing out a little then the Beats Powerbeats Pro will be worth a look. They sound great, they look cool and they make it very easy to control the music without needing to reach for your phone. 

The Jabra Elite 7 Active are another interesting choice for those who don't mind spending a bit more cash, and they managed to pick up 5 stars in the T3 review. Not only are they comfortable with good sound but you’ll get personalised ANC, multipoint connectivity and an IP57 water resistance rating which means they’ll survive most liquid-based accidents.