Apple's AirPods Pro 4 will reportedly be available as early as next month, and rumors suggest that two models will be available, one with an almost identical design and an affordable price and one with active noise-canceling features the JBL Tour Pro 3 might just might blow them out of the water - at least in terms of features

When JBL released the Tour Pro 2 wireless earbuds last year, the company brought innovation to the charging case, of all things The addition of a touchscreen to the case is what we described in our review of the JBL Tour Pro 2 as a creative game changer that changed the way we interact with our wireless earbuds

JBL has yet to make our list of best wireless earbuds, but the JBL Tour Pro 3 has potential And the company has somehow managed to pack even more features into the new model

The third generation of JBL Tour Pro earphones, which will be available on September 22 for the princely sum of $299, appear outwardly identical to the Tour Pro 2 Available in black or “latte,” they look the same, but according to JBL, the housing is smaller and the display is 30% larger

In addition, JBL says the case can be used as a wireless audio transmitter, allowing audio from USB or analog sources, such as in-flight entertainment systems This is similar to the functionality found in Bowers & Wilkins' PI series and LG's Tone Free T90 earphones

Oddly, JBL claims that this feature does not utilize Bluetooth, but their press release does not explain how the earphones and case connect directly to USB or analog sources They say, “The direct connection between the case and the earbuds is more stable and has lower latency than Bluetooth”

Like the Tour Pro 2 case, the new touchscreen case can be used to control features like playback and active noise cancellation without having to remove the phone

JBL's Spatial Audio 360 has also been added and includes head tracking, device-independent immersive audio intended to make movie watching and game play more profound

JBL has added support for Sony's high-resolution LDAC Bluetooth codec, which is standard on Android version 8 and higher phones In addition, JBL claims that JBL Crystal AI improves calls and increases intelligibility in noisy environments

Under the hood, the Tour Pro 3 is getting a hybrid dual-driver system in each bud with an 11mm dynamic driver that is supposed to deliver cleaner bass and “vibrant” vocals

The charging case and last year's feature list were cool, but we found that the sound was okay but paled in comparison to the Bose and Apple In our review, we noted that “vocals sounded distant and there was a noticeable echo on most songs”

Hopefully, the upgrades JBL is bringing to the Tour Pro 3 earphones will improve sound quality commensurate with the case innovation