JBL Reflect Flow Pro is ideal choice for sporty types

Improvements to the waterproof rating, driver size and also features active noise cancellation

Thu, 28 Oct, 2021 - 11:00

Noel Campion

JBL continues to release updates to its existing line of truly wireless earbuds including the popular Reflect Flow. The latest version of the latter, Reflect Flow Pro now comes with improvements to the waterproof rating, driver size and also features active noise cancellation.

Design

The Reflect Flow Pro are first and foremost sports earphones with small wingtips that JBL call TWS Powerfins. These ensure the buds stay more securely in your ears no matter what energetic activity you’re engaged in. In all, you get four wingtips that are easy to change and ensure you get the right size for your ears. You also get different ear tips, although there are only three sizes of those.

The charging case is matte black with a large grey JBL logo printed on the lid and a braided loop lanyard permanently secured to the bottom. The case is nice and solid and feels robust and features a long LED strip just under the lid that indicates the state of the battery in the case. There’s also a small LED just inside the case that lights up blue when you open the case.

The earbuds have a grey JBL logo printed on the outside touch-sensitive pad, which is used for gesture controls. Around this is a silver ring that adds to the stylish looks which I really like. However, they do stick out from your ears more than a lot of earbuds I’ve tested but they’re light, comfortable and super secure once you pick the optimal ear and wing tips size to match your ears.

It would be unfair not to mention that the Reflect Flow Pro are winners of a 2021 Red Dot Product Design award.

Battery performance

The overall rated runtime, when combined with the charging case, is 30 hours with ANC off and 24 with it on. That’s generally, more than enough lasting power for the majority of users and then some. That’s eight hours for the earbuds with ANC on and up to ten hours with ANC off.

You get a USB-C charging cable in the box and a 10-minute charge is good enough for up to one hour of playtime with a full charge from flat taking up to 2 hours. It’s also great to see Qi wireless charging support here — use your reverse wireless compatible phone to give the buds a quick battery boost on the go.

Features

The Reflect Flow Pro come with an impressive IP68 dust, dirt, sand and waterproof protection for the ultimate in sportswear. However, it’s important to remember that the case isn’t waterproof. This means you shouldn’t have any fear of wearing them while running in the rain as they can be submerged in 1.5m of water for up to 30 minutes.

Bluetooth 5.0 is on board for fast and solid connections and you also get Google’s Fast Pair support but of course, they will also work on iPhones and other Bluetooth devices.

The buds will work with any voice assistant including Siri but it comes with native support for both Google Assistant and Alexa.

Sound quality and ANC features

There’s a decent thump to the bass but it lacks some of the clarity you’d get on more expensive earphones. This is particularly noticeable in the sub-bass but is also dependent on the genre of music you listen to. The soundstage is a little closed in and not as expansive as I like and the imaging could also be better.

The Reflect Flow Pro can take full advantage of the free JBL Headphones which features a useful EQ option. This comes with several preset EQs and the ability to create custom settings. This does help to tweak the sound signature — always a welcome feature.

The overall sound quality is good but as to be expected, not on par with the best and more expensive out there. For that, you’ll have to pay a lot more.

The Reflect Flow Pro is designed for sports users and while sound quality is important listening to music while you workout is more about the activity with features and comfort being more important.

If you want to listen to your music and block out the world around them Reflect Flow Pro does an excellent job of cancelling out noise.

Those who want to hear announcements or make a phone call can use TalkThru mode, which is activated by double-tapping the left button (default). This enables the mics and reduces the playback volume to a minimum so that you can hear external sounds clearly which is ideal for calls.

Verdict

The JBL Reflect Flow Pro offer lots of features for those interested in using them for sports and action activities. The excellent waterproof rating means you can use them any time, anywhere regardless of the conditions. You also great fantastic features, comfort and support for the excellent JBL headphones app.