- JBL has launched three new open earphones at CES 2026 in Las Vegas
- There is a new Endurance Series model and two Open Sound Series options…
- …plus JBL’s first ever Soundgear Clips – with prices for these starting at $89.95
If there’s one thing 2025 taught us, it’s that open-ears are in – the best open-ears category is by far the fastest-growing and hotly contested sector in audio.
JBL wasn’t particularly quick off the mark with this type of design, only unveiling its first ever dedicated open-back earbuds, the Endurance Zone, in June 2025 – while the 2023 Soundgear Sense also adopted the shell-shaped design, they weren’t designed specifically for sports (that was the Endurance Zone).
Anyway, JBL is now clearly making up for lost time, with not one, not two, but three new open designs to join the Endurance Zone, including two more shell-shaped (or arc-shaped, with a driver housing on one end that floats over your concha and a battery pack that slips behind the ear at the other) designs, and an all-new clip-style offering called the JBL Soundgear Clips.
The Sense Pro (pictured above) is the best of the truly open-ear trio with a list price of $199.95 (around £150 / AU$300), while the most affordable set of earphones JBL is unveiling at CES is the sports-focused Endurance Peak 4 at $129.95. The latter buds are interesting. Why then? Because it is the first time that JBL has added its “adaptive noise canceling technology” to the sports-specific Endurance series.
It should be noted that this model – the Peak 4 – should be thought of as an additional fourth pair in the rollout that otherwise includes the Sense Pro, Sense Lite and Soundgear Clips, because the Peak 4 is not truly open-ear (think more traditional in-ear earpieces, but with secure twist-to-lock ear hooks to keep them in place).
Having said that, the ANC can very occasionally featured in open earbuds, but it’s so unusual that we’ve only tested it in the excellent Honor Earbuds Open to date – although I’m betting we’ll see a lot more of this type of thing debuting at CES this year…
JBL’s many open-back earphones at CES: key features and prices
Let’s go from the most expensive to the most wallet-friendly, shall we? JBL’s Sense Pro and Sense Lite (which are $50 cheaper than their Pro siblings at $149.95) will hit shelves in March 2026.
The Pros are unique in the truly open-ear trio, offering “Hi-Res Audio Wireless with Adaptive Bass Boost” and Bluetooth 6.0. You also get up to 38 hours of playtime (earbuds: 8 hours; case: 30 hours), wireless charging and JBL’s excellent Personi-Fi 3.0 for creating your own sound profiles plus Spatial Sound for 3D sound, and I for one am very interesting to see how these directional filters fare in an open ear design.
The slightly cheaper Sense Lite offers JBL’s Open Sound Technology (but no Spatial Sound), IP54 water and dust resistance, Bluetooth 5.4 and up to 32 hours of playing time (Earbuds: 8 hours; Case: 24 hours), which is extremely respectable in the category.
Also expected to cost $149.95 at launch, JBL’s all-new Soundgear Clips (pictured in purple above) join the growing number of what I’ll call ‘ear-cuff style’ options, but which those too young to wear jewelry in the ’90s might call ‘clip-style’ earplugs.
The color options prove how image-conscious wearers are expected to be, with finishes like copper, blue, purple and white. JBL is keen to point out its very own air line powered by JBL OpenSound technology here, with an improved bass boost algorithm and privacy for listening.
You also get up to 32 hours of playtime (earbuds: 8 hours; case: 24 hours) with Speed Charge (10 minutes = 3 hours), and the earbuds are IP54 water and dust resistant. On-ear touch controls also feature, and you’ll be able to adjust their functionality using the JBL Headphones app.
Last but by no means least is the February 2023 follow-up to Endurance Peak 3, Endurance Peak 4.
Like the Peak 3, the Peak 4 is more of an in-ear option, like the AirPods 4 or the Beats Powerbeats Pro 2.
Thanks to this design, JBL has been able to add its Pure Bass with Spatial Sound, plus ANC. You also get Multipoint Connection, Google Finder and Google Audio Switch, a lanyard hole on the case for convenient transport and up to 48 hours of total playtime. A contender for our best earphone category? Absolutely possible – but watch this space…
The best open-back earphones for all budgets
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