Seriously personal audio: JLab’s skin tone earbuds break the wearable mold

“Wearable” has become something of an overused buzzword in the last few years of tech, but there’s no denying that technology is intersecting more with incredibly personal things like clothing and jewelry. Budget brand JLab is taking that in a radical new direction with its Go Air Tones earbuds. These otherwise unremarkable true wireless earbuds come in seven different shades, designed to cover (if not precisely match) an incredible diversity of human skin tones.

It’s an interesting approach. While previous earbud designs have aimed to be unobtrusive merely by being small, they still generally go for basic white or black color schemes (with a few more outlandish choices from Samsung). JLab says that Go Air Tones are designed to be discreet, blending in with the user’s ear to hide, if not entirely camouflage, the tech. According to the press release, JLab’s customers were asking for a design that didn’t draw attention to the fact that they were wearing headphones.

The buds are also 15 percent smaller than some of JLab’s previous designs, and perhaps more importantly, 40 percent lighter, though the 6mm drivers aren’t going to win over any audiophiles. They feature basic IPX4 water resistance and three equalizer settings, 8 hours of battery life (32 hours from recharges with the case), Bluetooth 5.1 for dual device connections, and a case with an integrated USB-A charging cable for easy power on the go.

JLab says that it put a lot of care into choosing its skin tones, partnering with ORLY Color Labs to design finishes similar to “nude” nail polish tones. From an original palette of 60 skin tones the designers whittled it down to seven. While of course it’s impossible to match each skin tone perfectly to each user, JLab says it’s chosen shades that cover an incredibly wide spectrum of humanity. JLab’s online fitting room will help prospective buyers choose which tone is right for them.

The JLab Go Air Tones earbuds are on sale now from JLab’s online store for just $20. JLab is also offering individual replacement buds for buyers who lose one (but not both) at a discount.