JBL Tune 225TWS True Wireless  Headphones Review

The JBL Tune 225TWS have a conventional stalk design that's hard to tell apart from the older JBL TUNE 220TWS Truly Wireless. Unless you spring for one of the more eye-catching color variants, they're quite nondescript and aren't likely to stand out in most environments.

These headphones are fairly comfortable. They're lightweight and have a somewhat shallow fit. Using their controls doesn't force them any deeper into your ears, either. However, the plastic edge of the outside of the bud can cause some fatigue during longer listening sessions.

The JBL Tune 225TWS have a sub-par control scheme. It's fairly easy to use but somewhat limited in terms of overall functionality, as there are no on-board volume controls. Tapping the multifunction button on either bud answers and ends phone calls, while holding either unit down for three seconds mutes and unmutes the microphone while you're on a call. A single tap of the left bud skips a track forward while a double-tap skips to the previous track. Tapping the right bud once plays and pauses media, and a double-tap turns on your phone's voice assistant. The buttons are quite clicky but don't offer any audio cues to let you know when you skip, rewind, or pause a track.

Like most truly wireless headphones, the JBL Tune 225 are exceptionally portable. They're very compact overall and have a small charging case that can be easily slipped into a pocket or a bag.

These earbuds have an alright case. While it's quite compact, it feels somewhat cheaply made, with a contrasting matte-finish exterior and glossy interior. There's an LED light under the lid that shows its remaining charge level, which is somewhat convenient, though you need to open the case to see it.

The JBL Tune 225TWS have satisfactory build quality. They're made entirely of plastic that feels reasonably sturdy and solid overall. However, the glossy finish used inside their case looks and feels cheap. The buds also don't have any sort of IP rating for dust or water resistance, though we don't currently test for this. If you're looking for better-built JBL headphones, consider the JBL Tune 130NC TWS Truly Wireless or the JBL TUNE 230NC TWS True Wireless.

These earbuds have a stable fit. Even though they aren't fitted with stability fins or ear hooks, they do a good job of staying in place while you move your head, though repeated high-intensity shakes can cause them to fall out.

• JBL Tune 225TWS headphones
• Charging case
• USB-A to USB-C charging cable
• Quick start guide

The JBL Tune 225TWS have a bright sound profile that noticeably lacking in terms of bass. Their lack of low-end thump and rumble makes them a poor fit for genres like EDM or hip-hop. This could be a result of their shallow earbud fit, which is prone to inconsistencies in audio delivery depending on their fit, positioning, and seal. That said, their well-balanced mid and treble range results in clear, detailed, and well-articulated vocals and lead instruments, which is good for less bass-heavy content like audiobooks or podcasts. Unfortunately, they lack any sort of sound customization features.

These in-ears have middling frequency response consistency. They lack any sort of size adjustment features, so achieving a consistent fit, seal, and position in your ear may be difficult, leading to variations in audio delivery.

The JBL Tune 225TWS's bass accuracy is awful. The entire frequency range is underemphasized, particularly the low and mid-bass ranges, so mixes are lacking heavily in terms of thump, body, and warmth. It's worth noting that their bass delivery can vary depending on the buds' fit, seal, and positioning in your ear.

The JBL Tune 225TWS have great mid accuracy. There's a dip in the low-mid range that slightly thins out vocals and lead instruments as well as a bump in the high-mid range that gives them a faintly harsh quality. However, the mid-mid range is very flat and even, yielding vocals and lead instruments that are present within the mix.

The JBL Tune 225TWS have impressive treble accuracy. Aside from some slight bumps in the low and mid-treble range that give a slightly harsh quality to vocals and lead instruments and make sibilants a little piercing, the range is quite flat overall. However, since the treble delivery is heavily dependent on the buds' fit, seal and positioning, your experience may vary.

The earbuds have good peaks and dips performance. A dip in the low-bass range lessens the thump and rumble of some mixes while the following bump in the mid-bass adds a bit of extra punch. Another peak in the high-mids gives vocals and lead instruments a somewhat harsh quality. A bump in the mid-treble range can make sibilants and cymbals somewhat piercing.

The stereo imaging performance is excellent. Their weighted group delay falls entirely beneath the audibility threshold, resulting in tight bass and transparent treble. The L/R drivers are also well-matched in regards to amplitude, frequency, and phase response, so objects like voices and footsteps should be accurately placed within the stereo image. That said, these results are only valid for our test unit.

The JBL Tune 225TWS have a bad passive soundstage. In-ears and earbuds like this bypass any sort of interaction with the outer ear, which is essential in creating a natural, out-of-head soundstage. However, their shallow fit results in a more open listening experience than conventional in-ears.

These headphones don't have any virtual soundstage features.

The JBL Tune 225TWS have satisfactory weight harmonic distortion performance. There's some distortion across the mid-range at high listening volumes, but the rest of the frequency range falls within good limits. This results in mostly clean and pure audio reproduction.

These are the settings used to test the JBL Tune 225. Our test results are only valid in this configuration.

The noise isolation performance is terrible. They block out almost no ambient noise across the entire frequency range, so you're likely to hear everything from the low rumble of bus and plane engines to the high-pitched hum of an AC unit, not to mention ambient chatter from people nearby.

The JBL Tune 225TWS have an alright audio leakage performance. The bulk of the escaping audio occurs in the treble range, making it sound somewhat thin. People nearby may be able to hear what you're listening to if you play it at a high volume.

These earbuds have an integrated mic.

The mic recording quality is decent. Recorded speech sounds natural, fairly clear, and mostly free of distortion, though also quite thin.

The integrated mic's noise handling performance is sub-par. People on the other end of the line may have trouble understanding you, even if you call from an only moderately noisy environment.

The JBL Tune 225 have a middling battery performance. They only provide just over four hours of continuous playback time, which falls short of the manufacturer-advertised claim of five hours. This is a noticeable increase over the JBL TUNE 220TWS Truly Wireless' two-hour-plus continuous battery life, but it still falls some way short of the over nine hours of continuous playback time offered by alternatives like the Boltune BT-BH024 Truly Wireless. The JBL's case supplies roughly four additional full charges, and you can use one bud while the other charges, though you lose access to some controls in doing so. It should be noted that battery life can vary according to usage, so your experience may differ in the real world.

The JBL Tune 225TWS don't have a companion app.

The JBL Tune 225TWS have okay Bluetooth connectivity. They support Bluetooth 5.0 but not multi-device pairing, so you can't stream music off your phone while remaining connected to your computer. They also don't support seamless NFC pairing. Their latency is also quite high on PC and mobile iOS and Android devices, which could be disruptive if you plan on watching videos while wearing these earbuds. However, apps and devices compensate differently for latency, so your user experience may vary.

These are Bluetooth-only headphones.

The JBL Tune 225 are truly wireless headphones and don't support any wired connections. They come with a USB-A to USB-C cable for charging their case.

These headphones aren't compatible with Xbox One consoles.

The JBL Tune 225TWS come with a charging case that supplies roughly four additional charges. It doesn't support wireless charging and can only be recharged via a USB-C cable.