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Updated January 10, 2024·
If you prioritize battery life, go for the Creative Labs Outlier Air V3, offering a longer playtime on a single charge and a case that provides additional charges. However, if mic quality, especially for calls, is more critical to you, then the JBL Vibe Beam True Wireless has the upper hand in this department. For gamers, the JBL might be preferred due to its lower latency, providing better sync between audio and in-game action. Both are sweatproof and similarly priced, but if you value more consistent build and control quality, the JBL Vibe Beam edges out slightly in these aspects. Neither offers active noise cancelling, so if you're looking for sound isolation from your environment, you might want to consider other options. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the Creative Labs Outlier Air V3
Very good for exercise
Very good for podcasts and audiobooks
Advantages of the JBL Vibe Beam True Wireless
Good for gaming
Key differences
Music
5.7/10
6.6/10
The JBL Vibe Beam True Wireless is only fair for music, while the Creative Labs Outlier Air V3 is poor.
Gaming
5.1/10
7.3/10
The JBL Vibe Beam True Wireless is good for gaming, while the Creative Labs Outlier Air V3 is poor.
Podcasts and Audiobooks
8.9/10
7.3/10
The Creative Labs Outlier Air V3 is very good for podcasts and audiobooks, while the JBL Vibe Beam True Wireless is good.
TV and Video
5.4/10
6.9/10
The JBL Vibe Beam True Wireless is only fair for TV and video, while the Creative Labs Outlier Air V3 is poor.
Battery
10.0 Hours
8.3 Hours
The Creative Labs Outlier Air V3 has 10 hours of battery life. The JBL Vibe Beam True Wireless has 8.3 hours of battery life.
Cost
$30
$50
$0
$10
$20
$30
$40
$50
The Creative Labs Outlier Air V3 has a price of $30 and the JBL Vibe Beam True Wireless costs $50.
Build Quality
9.0/10
8.5/10
The Creative Labs Outlier Air V3 has excellent build quality, while the JBL Vibe Beam True Wireless has very good build quality.
"The V3 present the best version of the Outlier Air series yet. The new features such as Active Noise Reduction and Ambient mode are integrated well; the performance of both is as good as you’ll get below £100. The design is less bulky and more comfortable thanks to being smaller and lighter, and the Outlier Air V3 eke out more clarity, detail and definition from music."
"The Vibe Beam earbuds may not be a sleek as other earbuds in the price range, such as the equally priced Vibe Buds, but they sound great, have a long battery life, and come with an equalizer. And if you just need a solid pair if earbuds to get you through your commute, these will do the trick. I have no complaints here."
Get a great deal on the Creative Labs Outlier Air V3 or the JBL Vibe Beam True Wireless
About Creative Labs
Creative Labs is a Singaporean technology company specialized in the manufacture of multimedia products. They created the world-famous Soundblaster soundcard back in 1989 which was a staple of the gaming community for a long time. Nowadays, besides still marketing their discrete audio systems, they offer a wide array of headphones, gaming headsets and speakers that still preserve that same heritage.
About JBL
JBL is an American audio equipment manufacturer. Owned by Harman International which is, itself, owned by Samsung Electronics. JBL markets a wide array of monitoring speakers, professional headphones and consumer market headphones and earbuds. It was founded in 1946 by James Bullough Lansing (whose initials give the company its name) and has become one of the most prolific audio companies ever. Their products were responsible for audio during the 1969 Woodstock Festival.
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This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec earbuds & headphones team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest earbuds or headphones information and makes it digestible for you.
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About the Earbuds or Headphones team
Joe Golden, Ph.D
CEO and Earbuds and Headphones Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
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Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.
Luis Torres
Earbuds and Headphones Expert
Luis is a Mexico-based headphones expert. He’s been making headphone recommendations for five years and has close to 100 pairs in his personal collection.