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What we think
The PerfectRec Earbuds or Headphones team Learn more
Updated April 11, 2024·
If you're on a tight budget and prioritize affordability, the Creative Labs Zen Air might be your preference as they are significantly less expensive while offering good sound quality, a microphone, and active noise cancelling. They're suitable for everyday use and casual music listening but could fall short for calls and meetings or immersive gaming and video experience. On the other hand, if you're willing to spend a bit more, the JBL Tune Flex provides very good sound quality with better performance for gaming and watching videos. They also come with low latency mode which is great for syncing audio with visuals, but they lack active noise cancelling. So if noise isolation is important to you, particularly during air travel or in noisy environments, the Zen Air could be the better choice. Additionally, while the Zen Air is suited for exercise with its sweatproof design, the JBL Tune Flex's better sound quality might enhance your workouts despite not being advertised as sweatproof. 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 Zen Air
- The Creative Labs Zen Air has no clear advantages over the JBL Tune Flex.
Advantages of the JBL Tune Flex
- Good for music
- Very good for gaming
- Good for TV and video
- Good for exercise
- Excellent for podcasts and audiobooks
Key differences
Gaming
5.1
8.5
The JBL Tune Flex is very good for gaming, while the Creative Labs Zen Air is poor.
Phone Calls
5.1
6.3
The JBL Tune Flex is only fair for phone calls, while the Creative Labs Zen Air is poor.
Podcasts and Audiobooks
5.4
9.0
The JBL Tune Flex is excellent for podcasts and audiobooks, while the Creative Labs Zen Air is poor.
TV and Video
5.6
7.8
The JBL Tune Flex is good for TV and video, while the Creative Labs Zen Air is poor.
Battery
5.0 Hours
6.5 Hours
The Creative Labs Zen Air has 5 hours of battery life. The JBL Tune Flex has 6.5 hours of battery life.
Cost
$30
$60
$0
$20
$40
$60
$80
$100
The Creative Labs Zen Air has a price of $30 and the JBL Tune Flex costs $60.
Build Quality
9.0
8.5
The Creative Labs Zen Air has excellent build quality, while the JBL Tune Flex has very good build quality.
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Key similarities
Music
6.8
7.3
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers JBL Tune Flex to be good for music, while the Creative Labs Zen Air is only fair.
Noise Reduction
7.0
6.5
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Creative Labs Zen Air to be good for noise reduction, while the JBL Tune Flex is only fair.
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How the Creative Labs Zen Air and the JBL Tune Flex compare to other earbuds and headphones
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Creative Labs Zen Air | JBL Tune Flex |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$30 | $60 | ||
Brand | |||
Brand | Creative Labs | JBL | |
Release Date | |||
Release Date | December 1, 2022 | September 1, 2022 | |
Form Factor | |||
Form Factor | Earbuds | Earbuds | |
Connectivity | |||
Connectivity | Wireless | Wireless | |
SOUND | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Music Score | |||
Music Score | 6.9/10 | 7.3/10 | |
Phone Calls Score | |||
Phone Calls Score | 5.1/10 | 6.3/10 | |
Gaming Score | |||
Gaming Score | 5.1/10 | 8.6/10 | |
TV and Video Score | |||
TV and Video Score | 5.7/10 | 7.8/10 | |
Exercise Score | |||
Exercise Score | 6.9/10 | 7.7/10 | |
PERFORMANCE | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery life | |||
Battery life | 5 Hours | 6.5 Hours | |
Wireless charging | |||
Wireless charging | Yes | No | |
Charging time | |||
Charging time | 2 Hours | 2 Hours | |
Bluetooth version | |||
Bluetooth version | 5 | 5.2 | |
Case Battery Life | |||
Case Battery Life | 12 | 18 | |
FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Active Noise Cancelling | |||
Active Noise Cancelling | Yes | Yes | |
Noise Reduction Score | |||
Noise Reduction Score | 7/10 | 6.5/10 | |
Virtual Surround | |||
Virtual Surround | Yes | No | |
Android App | |||
Android App | Yes | Yes | |
iOS App | |||
iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
Mic Quality | |||
Mic Quality | 7/10 | 5.1/10 | |
BUILD AND DESIGN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality | |||
Build Quality | 9/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Comfort score | |||
Comfort score | 7/10 | 7.6/10 | |
Size | |||
Size | Medium | Large | |
Weight (headset or single earbud) | |||
Weight (headset or single earbud) | 5 Grams | 9 Grams | |
Microphone style | |||
Microphone style | Integrated | Integrated | |
Shopping
Creative Labs Zen Air
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Dig into reviews and images
Headphone Check
Maike Paeßens | February 2023
"The Creative Zen Air’s weak points are its low battery life and rather short Bluetooth range. On the other hand, the strengths of these weatherproof True Wireless in-Ears are the sound and the wide attenuation of the Active Noise Cancellation. Considering the price range, the speech intelligibility during calls is also exceptionally good."
JBL Tune Flex
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Dig into reviews and images
MajorHiFi
Gabby Bloch | May 2023
"JBL is offering a similar design and arguably better resolution than the more expensive AirPods 3rd Generation. Add to that a comfortable and versatile fit, an equalizer and pretty decent ANC, and you’ve got a quality wireless earphone. I would have loved longer battery life and more crystal calls, but for the price, you can’t complain. A solid deal overall."
Get a great deal on the Creative Labs Zen Air or the JBL Tune Flex
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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