I bought the Bluebuds X Sport (the original Jaybird X's) in 2014 and no other headset has ever come close to them for me. Not even the Jaybird X2 that I promptly gave away and forgot about.
Although my Bluebuds still work like new, I needed (?) a new pair for several reasons, so when they *finally* released the X3's, I got them. They're not a huge evolution compared to the X2, or even the X (so how did it take them MONTHS to release them is beyond me), but after having them for a month, I can safely say they have dethroned the X. They are the perfect running companions.
Pros +++
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- Bluetooth 4.1. This is the main reason I bought them, and the ability to pair them with several devices AT THE SAME TIME is amazing. I can listen to music form one device and seamlessly answer calls on another. I run with an Apple Watch and an iPhone. Workout app and music on the Watch, other workout app and phone capability on the phone. All work together seamlessly.
- The material and overall feel is really good quality - although I haven't had them for long, I think they'll be a long-lived as the X are.
- The overall size of the ear part has been reduced compared to the X. As a results they stick out less, and they feel more secure. They're also much less awkward than the X2 were.
- The sound is really good for headphones of this type. The app that allows you to tweak the balance to your personal preference, in addition to giving you a lot of presets to choose from, is amazing. Best sound I've found for neckbuds.
- The battery life. A good day of work, and they do charge faster than the X used to.
- The flat cord. No mess, no tangles, trying to straighten it, no bouncing around. It's also a great length. Not too long, not too short. AND you can shorten it if you want.
- The side control thingy is a bit too big but it's flat and when you wear them over the ear with a shortened cord, it's super duper comfortable and sits right were you need it to for easy operation. Bonus point for making you feel like a secret agent every time you use it.
- The possibility to shorten the cord so it will sit flush with your head and never move. For active people (runners for example) this is a MUST - they won't move, you can move your head any way you want, it's like you're not wearing anything, and the buds won't move out of your ear either. At first I was wearing them under the ear with the cord behind my head and they were never a problem. Then I tried over the ear and fitted cord, and will never go back. As stated above, the placement of the control panel when worn this way is just perfect.
- The tips. The headset comes with two sets of tips : silicon tips and foam tips. I dislike the foam ones (I haven't even tried them this time around so I won't judge them, but I hated them on the X2) but I love the silicon ones. They're extremely comfortable, and out of all the tips I've tried, the Jaybirds are the one that fit me the best. Obviously, this is going to be super personal, but kudos to Jaybird for giving two options in 3 sizes each. I don't use the wings, but I did try them and found them both effective and more comfortable than they were on the X.
- The little pouch. I like it.
- The shirt clip. Not something you'd think is useful, but it actually is. Since I shorten my cord, they don't rest too well around my neck anymore when not listening to music. I use the little shirt clip to clip them to something instead (usually my pants pocket).
Cons ---
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- [Edited 11/01 to add] I've experienced some connection issues where the music cuts out intermittently for a minute or two, then the connection stabilises. This mostly happens as I'm getting outside (first minutes of my run for example), and a couple of times in the gym. It seems to be worse when I'm using them with my Apple Watch and/or with the shortened cord (e.g. the remote is on the right, next to my neck, and the watch is on my left wrist). I've read a few reviews mentioning this when putting their phone in their pocket, I haven't experienced this with my phone in my purse (which I wear on the right side). It usually settles after a minute or two, but if it happens to you, a workaround seems to be wearing them under the ear. I won't do that myself, but I will try to turn them around and wear the remote on my left side. I hope JB resolves this.
- The tips. They keep falling off when you're not wearing the headset. I keep having to dig them out of my purse, or look around for them if I so much as rough the headset up a bit. This was a problem on the X, it was a problem on the X2, and is STILL a problem on the X3. This is unacceptable, Jaybird, especially when you can't buy replacement tips of the right size on their own, you have to get the whole kit that you don't need. I'm probably going to make them stick with some glue this time.
- The charging method. I get it. When you reduce the size of the buds, you have to deport stuff into the control panel, and you don't have room for charging anymore. I'll impatiently wait for Jaybird to figure this out, and in the meantime I've attached the charging port to my car keys so I won't lose it. That said, it's incredibly easy to lose (or forget) so Jaybird shouldn't charge for replacing it.
- When wearing the buds under the ear with a loose cord, the control panel will weight them down a bit and pull the cord. While it's not a huge problem, not nearly as much as others, it's still kind of annoying, especially since that never happened with the X and their very very small control panel.
- The voice. OMG are the start up voice and little music annoying. I wish the app would allow me to customize that.
Quick comparison with the BeatsX
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I also have the BeatsX (Apple's everyday neckbuds with the same kind of design) that were given to me. The tl;dr; is that I like the X3 better for all activities but one, and that's taking calls.
*** X3 wins:
- Cord Length. The BeatsX's cord is unnecessarily long and will curl around your cheeks and just plain annoy you all the time.
- Cord Length(2). I just can't stress how great the fact that you can shorten the X3's cord to fit around your head is.
- Sound. There's no comparison. The BeatsX sound is correct, I guess, but nowhere near as good as the X3, even with the stock settings. I tested going back and forth between the two (one in each ear) and there is just no comparison. The X3 blows the BeatsX out of the water, especially if you like bass.
- The X3 are water resistant / sweat proof, the BeatsX are not. If you're a person who sweats on them regularly, or run in the rain, you want a water resistant / sweatproof headset.
*** X3 loses:
- Mic / Phone : here the BeatsX can't be beat (ahah). Pairing within iOS ecosystem is unparalleled due to Apple's X1 chip (same as the AirPods), and the length / shape of the cord is clearly made to optimize the mic. Calls are super easy to take, and the person you're talking to will hear you crystal clear. This is even more true since I wear my X3 over the ear and the microphone ends up behind my ears, which is clearly not optimal for phone calls.
- Magnets : the magnets on the BeatsX are great (and fun). I wish all earbuds had those.
Now I keep the BeatsX in my work bag, sometimes wear them around at work when I go out and about the office and might have to take calls / join meetings, and use the X3 for absolutely everything else. The bLuebuds X, still working like new, are in my gym bag for those days where I forget the X3.
Sustainability features
This product has sustainability features recognized by trusted certifications.
Carbon impact
Carbon emissions from the lifecycle of this product were measured, reduced and offset.
As certified by
Carbon Neutral Certified by SCS Global Services Carbon Neutral Certified by SCS Global Services enables companies to demonstrate carbon neutrality for their products by reducing carbon emissions throughout their operations and offsetting their remaining carbon footprint through the purchase of carbon credits. SCS Global Services is a global leader in third-party environmental and sustainability verification, certification, auditing, testing, and standards development. SCS is a chartered Benefit Corporation, reflecting its commitment to socially and environmentally responsible business practices.
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This Item  JayBird X3 Sport Bluetooth Headset for iPhone and Android – Blackout |  |  |  |  |  | |
| Price | Currently unavailable. | $49.99 | $19.95 | $39.99 | $43.99 | $45.99 |
| Delivery | — | Get it as soon as Friday, May 17 | Get it May 17 - 21 | Get it as soon as Thursday, May 16 | Get it as soon as Thursday, May 16 | Get it as soon as Thursday, May 16 |
| Customer Ratings | ||||||
| Sound quality | ||||||
| Noise cancellation | ||||||
| Battery life | ||||||
| Sold By | — | Raogan | Only1deal | DISON TECH | Mipeace | Mipeace |
| connectivity tech | Bluetooth | Wireless | Bluetooth | Wireless | Wireless | Wireless |
| headphones form factor | Two-ear | Over Ear | In Ear | In Ear | In Ear | In Ear |
| connector type | wireless | — | wireless | — | wireless | — |
| noise control | sound isolation | — | active noise cancellation | — | sound isolation | sound isolation |
| cable feature | Without Cable | Without Cable | Without Cable | Retractable | Without Cable | Without Cable |
| control type | Button Control | Media Control | Media Control | Media Control | 19+,control | Media Control |
| water resistance | waterproof | — | water resistant | — | water resistant | waterproof |
| material | Silicone | — | Silicone | — | Plastic | Plastic, Silicone |
Videos
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Charging Your X3 Buds
Jaybird
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Why I will Never Wear Another Pair of Headphones
Lex
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Finding the right Fit for your X3 buds
Jaybird
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1:26
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Jaybird X3 Ride Your Bike
Jaybird
Sustainability features
This product has sustainability features recognized by trusted certifications.
Carbon impact
Carbon emissions from the lifecycle of this product were measured, reduced and offset.
As certified by
Carbon Neutral Certified by SCS Global Services Carbon Neutral Certified by SCS Global Services enables companies to demonstrate carbon neutrality for their products by reducing carbon emissions throughout their operations and offsetting their remaining carbon footprint through the purchase of carbon credits. SCS Global Services is a global leader in third-party environmental and sustainability verification, certification, auditing, testing, and standards development. SCS is a chartered Benefit Corporation, reflecting its commitment to socially and environmentally responsible business practices.
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Reviews with images
Awesome bluetooth headphones!
I don't normally write reviews but I've enjoyed these headphones so much that I felt it necessary. First of all I'm a bit of an audiophile and it takes quite a bit to impress me as far as speakers and headphones. I had gotten rather tired of corded headphones so I started looking into wireless. Initially I was leaning towards the Bose Soundsports (yes I know Bose is usually overpriced) but I was familiar with Bose products so I started there. I read a lot of bad reviews on the Soundsports which put me off, then the final nail in the coffin was the bulky size of them. I noticed during my research that the Jaybird X3's kept popping up, but I had never heard of Jaybird so that concerned me. Well I read a ton of amazon reviews and watched some youtube review videos and was decided to give them a shot. I ordered the X3's on amazon with free 1 day delivery. When I got them the next day the first thing I noticed was how nice the box was, you can tell Jaybird put some time and money into it. Once I got them out I was impressed with how they were built and felt, they just seem to have that expensive feel. I then fiddled around with the different earbud attachment configurations, I opted for the medium ear fin with the small isolation foam tips. The earphones bluetooth paired easily and effortlessly with my iPhone 6S and I began to listen to some different music. I wasn't really expecting anything great with any type of bluetooth headphones and when I first put these on I thought the sound was decent but not anything amazing. However once I downloaded the Jaybird MySound app and began to readjust the equalizer these headphones came alive (Oh and they get plenty loud if you’re wondering) I was really impressed with the sound, I could even make custom presets for any type of music or audio situation. The app also comes with some pre configured presets, however I was not impressed with these and I'm not sure how they made it on there. Now I will not say that these are better than most high quality wired earbuds, and I was not expecting them to be, but for what they are the sound is amazing and has exceeded by expectations. With a little adjusting in the MySound equalizer the highs are nice crisp, the mids are good and the bass response is pretty solid although maybe lacking just a tad in the very lowest frequency range. They fit in my ear snug and don't move even during rigorous exercise (I do a lot of running and weights). The battery life is amazing, I got every bit of the 8 hours that Jaybird advertises. Compare that to the Bose Soundsports that advertise 6 hours (which in many reviews wouldn't even get that). I will admit though that the charging cable that came with the X3's seems a bit odd, and it doesn't come with an actual wall plug only the USB connection. It wasn't a big deal for me cause I have plenty of USB wall plugs. I would say if your thinking about buying the Jaybird X3's go ahead and do it, just realize that they are not wired headphones and the sound quality will not be the same but for what they are the sound quality is amazing and has exceeded my expectations.
Top reviews from the United States
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Better than the BeatsX, slightly better than the original Bluebuds X, infinitely better than the X2.
Reviewed in the United States on October 30, 2017Reviewed in the United States on June 17, 2017
Top reviews from other countries
Ashwani
Best of the best.
Reviewed in India on January 3, 2019
Ashwani
Reviewed in India on January 3, 2019
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Mauricio SG
Increíbles audifonos on ear Bluetooth
Reviewed in Mexico on March 10, 2017Jeffrey K
Buyer beware. Constantly cuts out and drastically inferior to previous models.
Reviewed in Canada on May 24, 2017