JLab Go Air Pop+ Review (2026): The \$25 Default

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What Changed, and Why It Matters

The original Go Air Pop was one of the most-owned budget earbuds on the market. The Pop+ replaces it, and the meaningful differences are practical rather than sonic.

USB-C charging. The outgoing model used micro-USB, which by now means carrying a cable you own for nothing else. This is a small change that removes a daily annoyance, and it is the single best reason to buy the newer one.

A smaller case and smaller buds. JLab quotes the case as smaller than a credit card, with buds 15% smaller and 40% lighter than the Go Air that preceded the line. At this price you are buying something to carry everywhere, so size is a feature rather than a detail.

Bluetooth 5.3 with auto-connect. Take them out of the case and they power on and pair to each other before you reach your phone. It sounds trivial and it is the difference between reaching for earbuds and fighting with them.

What did not change is the thing people expect to change: the sound is much the same territory as before — competent, bass-leaning, and unremarkable next to anything costing three times as much.

The Feature Worth More Than the Sound

Be Aware mode. It lets ambient noise through instead of sealing you off, and at this price that is unusual — transparency is normally a feature you pay considerably more for.

It matters because of where these get used. Earbuds at twenty-five dollars live in gym bags and on commutes, and a version of this product that lets you hear a bus is meaningfully safer than one that does not. If you run or cycle anywhere near traffic, though, a transparency mode is still a compromise rather than a solution — our best sports headphones guide covers why open-ear designs are the honest answer there.

The other genuinely useful inclusion is the JLab app, which gives you three EQ presets and control over the touch functions. Being able to retune a bass-forward default is worth more at this price than at any other, because the default tuning is where cheap earbuds most often go wrong.

Battery, Fit and the Ordinary Stuff

JLab quotes 9+ hours per bud and 26+ from the case, for 35+ hours total. Treat headline battery figures as optimistic across the whole category, but the shape of that number is right: a bud that outlasts any single session, and a case that goes a week between charges.

Three tip sizes ship in the box. That matters more than it sounds, because at this price the seal is doing all the work — isolation and bass both come from it, and a poor fit makes an adequate earbud sound broken.

Google Fast Pair handles Android pairing and lets you locate a missing bud. Useful, and Android-only in practice.

What You Are Giving Up

No active noise cancellation. Be Aware lets sound in; nothing here keeps it out beyond what the tip physically blocks. On a plane or a train this is the limitation you will notice.

No wireless charging, and no water-resistance rating stated in the listing — for a product JLab explicitly suggests for the gym and running, that omission is worth noticing. If a manufacturer has a good IP figure it prints it.

The build is what twenty-five dollars buys. Plastic, light, and not the thing to buy if you are hard on your gear.

And a caution specific to this product line: JLab sells the Pop+ under a large number of near-identical listings — different colours, "Tones" variants, and bundles — at prices that move independently. Check that the one in your basket is the model you meant, because several of them look identical in a search result and do not cost the same.

Who Should Buy It

You want cheap earbuds that do not annoy you: yes. Auto-connect, USB-C and a pocketable case remove the three things that make budget earbuds irritating.

You want them for the gym: yes, with the caveat that no water-resistance figure is quoted.

You commute on a train or fly often: no. There is no cancellation, and passive isolation at this price is modest. Look at best wireless earbuds under $50 for options that seal harder.

You want the best sound at this money: not necessarily. The tuning is bass-forward and app EQ only goes so far. See best budget wireless earbuds for how it sits against the field.

You already own the original Go Air Pop and it still works: there is no reason to replace it. The improvements are USB-C and size, not sound.

FAQ

What is the difference between the Go Air Pop and the Go Air Pop+? The Pop+ charges over USB-C rather than micro-USB, uses a smaller case and smaller buds, and moves to Bluetooth 5.3. The sound is broadly comparable.

Do they have noise cancelling? No. They have Be Aware mode, which does the opposite — it lets ambient sound in deliberately. Isolation is whatever the ear tip blocks.

Are they waterproof? JLab does not state a water resistance rating in this listing, which is itself informative. Check the specification sheet before using them for heavy training.

How long does the battery last? JLab quotes 9+ hours per bud and 35+ hours in total with the case. As with every manufacturer figure, expect somewhat less in practice.

Do they work with an iPhone? Yes, as ordinary Bluetooth earbuds with the app available. Google Fast Pair and bud-locating are Android features.

Why are there so many versions of this earbud? JLab lists the Pop+ in many colours and variants, including "Tones" editions, at prices that differ from each other. They are largely the same product — buy on price, but confirm the model name before checking out.

Verdict

Our score: 8.1/10. The Go Air Pop+ is a sensible default at twenty-five dollars. It fixes the two real complaints about its predecessor — micro-USB and bulk — keeps the app EQ that lets you correct the tuning, and includes a transparency mode that is genuinely uncommon this cheap.

It is not an upgrade in sound, and it is not the earbud to buy if you need to block out a commute. Judged as what it is — a cheap, small, convenient pair you can leave in a bag and not think about — very little at this price is a safer choice.

One practical note before buying: this model appears under a confusing number of near-identical listings at different prices. Check the name on the listing matches the one you intend, because the cheapest search result is not always the same product.