Jaybird Freedom 2 vs Jaybird x3: Pros & Cons and Verdict

Wireless headphones have become an essential accessory in today’s digital world. Many of us are moving away from the wired headphones towards wireless ones to enjoy the freedom and convenience that comes with it.

At the same time, we also end up compromising on sound quality, especially in some models of wireless headphones, because wired headphones tend to have better sound quality.

Jaybird is one such company that specializes in making wireless headphones without compromising on the overall sound quality. In this post, we are going to talk about two of their wireless headphones and how they fare against each other.

Jaybird Freedom 2 vs Jaybird X3: Pros & Cons and Verdict

Both of these models are popular and have good reviews from users over the world. Let’s dissect both these headphones and see how they score on different aspects.

Design

Jaybird has really put in a lot of effort in terms of design in both the headphones. Both of these are ideal for outdoor activities and have some of the most compact designs ever.

X3 is the third product from Jaybird, so the company has rectified many mistakes made in the predecessor models. As a result, the design of X3 is sleek and comes with a secure-fit that makes it ideal for all outdoor activities such as running and biking.

The design of X3 is much smaller than its predecessor X2 and is interesting in many ways. The earbuds house the batteries, but surprisingly, it gives a remarkable fit. In fact, it is snug and does not fall off even while doing high-speed running.

At the same time, the inline remote is smaller and lighter too, and this makes it comfortable to perform any activity. It is barely even noticeable while running. Also, the remote is located about two to three inches below the earbud, and this adds to its convenience.

On the other hand, the design of Freedom is unique because it is much smaller than the standard headphones available today.  The best part about these headphones is that the earpieces do not stick out at all and instead, they curve downwards to sit perfectly against the lower part of your earlobe.

It is mostly made of metal, though there is some plastic associated with it. This gives a rich and clean look. This is unique because many manufacturers prefer not to use metal as it could hinder the Bluetooth signal. But, that doesn’t seem to be the case and there are no problems with Bluetooth connectivity either.

How did Jaybird get so much electronics in such a small piece? Does it offer good sound and control? Jaybird has moved a lot of the electronics to the remote that hangs below the right earpiece and this is why it was able to make such a small earpiece without compromising on the control or sound quality.

The obvious advantage of this design is that you can wear your bike helmet comfortably without any part of the earphone coming in your way.

At the same time, there’s also a minor downside to it. The cable hangs right around your neck, which means, the large remote control can hit your jaw while you run and walk. This can be a little annoying. One way to overcome this problem is to loop the cable around your neck, so the remote sits on your neck and its weight doesn’t bother you much.

From the aesthetics perspective, both the headphones are fairly the same. They are smaller than the previous models and fit well into the ears. They are snug and give a good overall feel. Also, both the products are sweatproof, which makes them ideal for the outdoors. However, they are not waterproof.

Jaybird Freedom comes in four colours, namely, carbon black, gold with white, Blaze red and Ocean blue. These colours give you a much wider choice to match your preferences.

So, which of the two is better? X3 is better mainly because of the lighter remote. It does not dangle from your neck and feels light overall. Freedom’s remote, on the other hand, is much heavier and can bump into your jaws.

Accessories

Jaybird Freedom comes with three sizes of ear tips and a cable clip to handle any slack in the cable. Probably the most important accessory is the battery clip that’s included in the package. This clip can give you an additional four hours of playing time. A carrying pouch is also included as a part of the product.

Also, three pairs of different sized silicone tips are included along with three pairs of foam tips. Based on your preferences, you can pick the size that best fits for you. In addition, there are four different wing tips that are used to lock headphones to your outer ears. Since these also come in different sizes, you’re sure to find the one that best fits your ears!

All these accessories give you enough options to wear them however you want. The best way is probably to loop them behind your ears, but that totally depends on you.

Similar to Jaybird Freedom, Jaybird X3 also comes with a multitude of options to give you a great fit. Three different sizes of fins, silicone tips, foam tips, shirt clip and two shortening cables are the accessories that come with it.

Besides these, you’ll also get a handy carrying case that snaps tightly. There is a logo of Jaybird on the top part of the case. A charging cradle, quick start guide and an instruction booklet are other things that will come as a part of the product.

While these accessories are great in both the headphones, so many choices can make it difficult for you to decide the right ones. You may have to try out different combinations until you get the best fit and this could be a little time-consuming.

In terms of accessories, both the products are the same. They have similar accessories that give a lot of flexibility for users. So, both the products are winners of this category.

Sound Quality

Jaybird X3’s sound quality is much better than X2, primarily because of the perfect fit it offers. However, there is no noise-reduction technology associated with it and this could be a spot of bother if you are often in noisy environments. Also, you’ll have to keep the microphone closer to your mouth for better audibility. But, in not-so-noisy environments, the headphones worked great.

Another aspect is that the earbuds of X3 are slightly angled and this ensures that the audio shoots right into your ears, thereby greatly enhancing the overall sound quality.

Jaybird Freedom’s sound quality is top-notch. It is natural, rich and the fact that the earbuds fit snugly adds to the listening experience.

Jaybird X3’s sound quality is also exceptional. The midrange tones, treble and bass are good. One area where they score over others is the sound isolation, and obviously through it, better sound quality as well.

One possible problem is the occasional signal loss. A few customers have reviewed that they have signal problems when their phone is placed in their pant pockets. Unfortunately, this problem plagues many headphones, and hopefully, better technology will fix it in the future. For now, though, you can use a sports armband to keep the phones closer to your headphones.

The winner? X3 because its sound quality is better.

Connection

The X3 has Bluetooth 4.1, which means, you can connect two headphones to the same device if you want to. This is most ideal if you and your partner want to watch the same movie, but want to have a good quality sound experience.

Also, you can connect the same headphone to two devices. Now, you may wonder why in the world would you want to do that, but that’s up to you. This technology gives you that option, in case you decide to do it at some point in time.

For testing, we tried connecting the same headphone to an iOS and an Android device, and it was complete chaos. The navigation and the commands created some whacky situations, but nevertheless, this is possible and it works well on both the devices.

Another cool aspect is you can listen to just one earbud instead of two.  This means you can plug just your right earbud into one of your ears and go for running or drive your car. The obvious advantage is that you’ll be more aware of your surrounding environment and at the same time, would get to listen to your favourite tracks as well.   You can also answer calls with this one earbud.

Jaybird Freedom also uses Bluetooth 4.1, so the same connection options are available for this as well.

Verdict – Both are the same when it comes to connection.

Mobile Application

Both the headphones connect well to Jaybird’s MySound app. Since this app works on both iOS and Android operating systems, you can pretty much install it on any mobile device.

You can adjust the sound from the MySound app and it gives you better control over the sound quality of your headphones. The changes you make on the app are transferred immediately to the headphones, so these changes will travel with you wherever you go. You can even install this app on any device, so you can make changes from any device of your choice.

One feature that would have been useful is the ability to have different listening profiles, so they can be toggled with your remote. Unfortunately, that feature is not offered yet in the headphones, and the good news is, you can do it all through the app!

So, you can create different profiles for different kinds of music and just turn them on. For example, you can have EQ set to tranquil to listen to classical music and maybe, a bass-hitting profile for the heavier forms of music. This way, you can simply switch between profiles. The default sound profile sounds great too as it is well-balanced and perfect.

Another nice feature is that you can choose from pre-defined EQs supposed to be created by professional athlete partners. Or you can use EQ adjustment sliders. A history button even allows you to make incremental changes.

You can also locate where your earbuds are with the cool “Find my buds” option in the mobile app. Using GPS, the app can find the exact location of your buds, and this can be particularly cool if you’ve misplaced your buds or to track someone’s location. This feature is available in both the headphones.

Both these headphones are winners again because they connect to the same app. And Jaybird’s app is simply incredible as it allows you to do a ton of things. This way, you have complete control over your headphones and can get more out of their capabilities.

Battery Life

Jaybird’s X3 has a good battery life. It uses Bluetooth 4.1 and offers eight hours of battery life. It also comes with a quick charge feature where you can charge the battery for five minutes and get a full hour charge. This can be useful if you want to use it at the gym for just a little bit longer, but don’t really want to charge them all the way until the battery is full again.

One of the problems is the proprietary charging dock that charges the headphones using micro USB. This charging dock is not portable, which means, you’ll have to leave your X3 at home if it is not fully charged as you cannot charge it anywhere else.

The battery life of Jaybird Freedom is good as well. The manufacturer claims that a full charge lasts for four hours, but in reality, it lasts for eight hours because you get an additional four hours from the battery clip that’s included as a part of the product.

You can continue to wear the headphones with the battery clip attached. While recharging with a micro USB, you get to charge the internal battery as well as the one present in battery clip as well.

This idea of an additional external battery is cool and gives you a bit more flexibility. You don’t have to stop listening just because your battery is down. With these extra four hours, you can continue with whatever you’re doing and can even plan your playlist better.

The good part is when the battery comes down to about 20%, you get a message saying that the reserves are dwindling and you’ll have to get to a charging point soon.

While all this is good, eight hours of continuous battery life has become the norm in wireless headphones, so in this aspect, Freedom doesn’t really match the other products. It would be good to have an additional four hours in the battery clip, on top of the standard eight hours.

The winner here is clearly X3. Its battery life is amazing and many times, it goes beyond the manufacturer’s specifications of eight hours. This can be particularly useful for long-distance runners and for those who tend to use the headphones for a good part of the day.

As for Freedom, this is one area that definitely needs improvement. While the additional charging idea is good, the continuous charge should definitely be much longer.

So, if you’d like to use your headphones for a longer period of time, X3 is your best bet.

Advantages and Disadvantages

It is important to know the pros and cons of a product before buying it, so you’ll have a better idea of what to expect. Let’s briefly look into the pros and cons of each product.

Jaybird X3 Pros and Cons

The advantages and disadvantages of Jaybird X3 are as follows; It’s important to note that while this earphones have a lot of strong sides, they also have their shortcomings, too:

These are some of the main aspects of the Jaybird X3 that’ll help to determine wether these earphones are match for you.

Jaybird Freedom 2 Pros and Cons

The advantages and disadvantages of Jaybird Freedom 2 are as follows; It’s important to note that while this earphones have a lot of strong sides, they also have their shortcomings, too:

These are some of the main aspects of the Jaybird X3 that’ll help to determine wether these earphones are match for you.

The Bottom Line

Both X3 and Freedom are excellent products that come with a host of features. They are a big improvement from the previous versions of wireless headphones from the same company.

Many features are common among both the products and they connect to the same app as well, which opens a world of possibilities for you. The flexibility and control you get with these headphones are simply great and this enhances the usability for you.

There is not much difference in the design, except for the fact that X3’s remote is lighter than Freedom. Same is the case with accessories as well. Both the products pretty much come with the same set of accessories.

When it comes to sound quality, X3 is slightly better because its sound isolation is better.  However, Freedom is also good and the difference is barely perceptible. In fact, this difference is visible only in a few tracks and only for the real soundophiles. For the rest, both offer a top quality sound that makes it a wonderful pleasure to listen to music.

The one area where X3 wins hands down is battery life. It is stable and durable and the quick charging option also makes it convenient to use the headphones for a longer period of time. As for Freedom, this is an area that definitely needs improvement.

Probably another area where X3 scores over Freedom is the cost. It is almost half the price of Freedom 2 (you might find the Freedom 2 model cheaper now, but the original price was higher than the X3’s), and many times, it is offered on deals as well.

Though Freedom’s cost is justified for the features it offers, it may just be outrun by X3, especially if you’re considering a choice between the two. The price difference is not really justified, as Freedom doesn’t offer anything that is so much more worthy than X3.

Our choice? Definitely X3. The two factors that tilt towards X3 are its sound capabilities and battery life.