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Jaybird is well known for its wireless sports earphones and its X3 ($100+) “neck buds” — earbuds that are tethered together by a cord but communicate wirelessly with your device — are still some of the best running earphones you can buy. The Jaybird Run ($160+) were released in 2017 and are the company’s first and only truly wireless earbuds. As the name suggests, the Run earphones are fitness-focused and sweat resistant. They also work with a companion app that comes with some neat features, like adjust the audio’s EQ.
The Good: The Jaybird Run have pretty much everything you want in wireless sport earphones. They have a double hydrophobic nano coating to make them really sweat resistant. They come with a number of silicon ear tips and earwings, just like Samsung’s IconX (gen-2), so you can really get them to fit securely, no matter your ear size. Battery life is above average at roughly four hours per earbud. The Jaybird MySound app is straightforward to use and lets you customize the audio’s sound signature or try out one of Jaybird’s sponsored athletes’ preferred sound signatures. Both the left and right buttons have an on/off button — a nice and rare feature among wireless earbuds that gives the wearer more control. A single press of the left earbuds accesses your phone’s voice assistant while pressing the right earbud is your play/pause button. There aren’t any swipe features to get you frustrated. They quick charge too — just five minutes of charge time in the case gives each earbud about an hour of playtime.
Who They’re For: These are wireless sport earbuds that sit at the intersection of great fit, audio quality and features — they provide a generous amount of each. If you want simple-to-use wireless earbuds that also fit securely and allow you to customize the sound, Jaybird’s Run earbuds are a great choice. The only caveat is that at $180, you’re paying a little extra for their more premium looks.
Watch Out For: Several journalists, including Adam Molina of Sound Guys, noted connectivity issues caused the audio to occasionally skip, which I only noticed when I had the Run earbuds connected to my MacBook Pro; when running and connected to a Gear Fit 2 Pro fitness tracker, I had no connectivity issues. No “hear through” technology to let you hear ambient sounds, which is a nice safety feature while running or bike riding. The companion app doesn’t have a coaching assistant, integrated step counter or heart rate sensor, like more serious running headphones such as Jabra’s Elite Sport ($220). The charging case is relatively big and charges via micro-USB.
Alternatives: Although the Jaybird Run earbuds fit securely, in terms of fit, Samsung’s IconX just edge them out. If you want more fitness features and built-in sensors to track your runs, I’d go with the more expensive Jabra Elite Sport or the Jabra Elite Active 65t earbuds (the Elite Active 65t aren’t available yet, but they are a sweat-resistant version of the Elite 65t earbuds).
