Review of $250 JBL Tour Pro 2 wireless earbuds with a touchscreen on the case, offering access to earbud settings along with extras like timers and a flashlight
The touchscreen offers quick access to earbud settings along with extras like timers and even a flashlight.
Context & Ripple Effects
JBL first showed this product in September 2022 as a €249 earbud with a 1.45-inch touchscreen built into its charging case, and the Verge review now prices the US version at $250 — putting it squarely in the flagship tier where Beats, OnePlus, and Samsung already compete. What separates it from that pack is where the controls live: on the case itself, rather than in a phone app.
That matters because the recent reviews show how fragile app-based control has been. The Beats Fit Pro launched with little Android support, and Samsung gated some Galaxy Buds Pro features to its own phones — while even the well-received OnePlus Buds Pro shipped without EQ adjustments in its app. A screen on the case sidesteps the phone entirely.
First-order effects
- Buyers at the $250 tier can now adjust earbud settings without opening a companion app — a direct answer to the Android gaps and missing features documented in the Beats Fit Pro and OnePlus Buds Pro reviews.
Second-order effects
- Rivals in the same price band are pushed to differentiate on hardware control surfaces instead of software features, since app quality has proven inconsistent across platforms; JBL turns its case into the selling point rather than just a charger.
Third-order effects
- If the pattern holds, charging cases evolve from passive batteries into small standalone devices carrying their own interface costs and feature roadmaps — raising the baseline bill of materials for every premium earbuds launch.
The trend: Wireless earbud competition is shifting from audio specs toward onboard computing in the case, as makers seek controls that work identically across iOS and Android.