Any time I see someone with AirPods, I worry for their sanity if they ever lose one. I’ve had a friend drop one down a subway grate in NYC and I just shake my head, without feeling sorry. But the idea of truly wireless earbuds has always intrigued me. That’s why the new JLab Go Air True Wireless Earbuds feel like they were made especially for me and my strong opinions.

When it comes to headphones, I am not at all fastidious. I once bought headphones while waiting in line at Duane Reade to throw into my bag and ended up using them for an entire month before they broke. The ones I use at my desk are hand-me-downs from my boyfriend and the ear covering is peeling off. That’s why the JLab Go Air piqued my interest when I was first sent a pair to test out. The sound quality is pretty great (you can even customize the EQ balance with a couple taps) and they’re $30. Normally, I don’t talk about the price of things, but I feel like I have to in this case. They cost less than the three pairs of drugstore headphones I’ve bought in my life and will probably last 300 times longer. 

The actual earbuds are surprisingly comfortable. I have fairly small ear canals, something I wasn’t aware I was subconscious about until I went to an event to test out headphones and the person didn’t believe me that the cushion tips that fit “most people” were too big and they had to send a two-person team to find a smaller pair somewhere. It’s cool, I’m totally over it. The smallest size of tips they provided fit me perfectly and they don’t feel like they’d get annoying, even after a full commute. The charging case is easy to keep fully charged, with an attached cord and indicator light. You can pause, play, skip, adjust the volume, answer calls, and more just by tapping the right or left bud.  

As someone who doesn’t love to wear big, noise-cancelling headphones on the subway or around NYC, this is a great option. I can throw them in my bag when I get home or to work and they take up absolutely no space. I can also easily wear them under beanies in the winter, something I struggle with when wearing the over ear headphones I normally keep on me. What it comes down to is these extremely affordable earbuds should be your knockaround pair, like those sunglasses you keep in your car  for the beach, or the sneakers you only wear to walk the dog.

JLab GO Air True Wireless Earbuds

Buy at Target$30

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