Run to the New UA Sport Wireless Heart Rate Headphones by JBL
Under Armour and JBL have teamed up to introduce a new pair of wireless in-ear headphones for athletes. The UA Sport Wireless Heart Rate is available for $199.95. We’ve been testing the new headphones for the past month and here’s what we found out.
Design and Hardware
Earphones are a popular choice for runners and walkers alike. Unfortunately, many earphones are prone to falling out even when on a brisk walk.
Thanks to JBL’s proprietary Twistlock technology, the UA Sport Wireless Heart Rate doesn’t suffer from this issue. In fact, these are among the most secure earphones on the market. They are also very comfortable. Attribute this to the device’s unique, two-piece ear tip design. The product ships with four different sized earbuds called enhancers, which also guarantees an excellent fit.
About the heart rate monitor
Using the built-in heart rate monitor is as simple as sliding your finger up on the embedded touch control on the right side earphone. When doing so, you’ll hear a pleasant voice report on your current heart rate. This same voice greets you whenever you turn the earphones on/off, it disconnects from your mobile device, or the battery is low.
The touch control is impressive and works every time. You can’t say this about touch controls found on some mobile devices, so major kudos to JBL and UA for making this possible.
The touch control is impressive and works every time
JBL elected to add music controls to a three-button command box located on the cord two inches below the right earbud. The box also includes a micro USB plug for charging. The UA Sport Wireless Heart Rate’s battery life is around five hours, according to JBL. During my tests, I mostly achieve this result. Battery life between three charges was five hours, 4.5 hours, and 5.5 hours.
Sound
The UA Sport Wireless Heart Rate offers solid sound thanks to JBL’s Signature Sound with PureBass performance. Think impressive bass depth and crisp highs.
As usual, for my tests, I listened to the following songs via Apple Music:
- “Prologue” by Alexandre Desplat, “Birth (Original Score) Soundtrack”
- “Hey Eugene” by Pink Martini, “Hey Eugene!”
- “Wall of Glass” by Don Ross, “Don Ross”
Add the App
To push your workout to a new level using the UA Sport Wireless Heart Rate, be sure to download the free UA Record app for iOS. The app collects lots of fitness data, including distance traveled, duration, pace, current heart rate, average heart rate, peak heart rate, and heart rate zones. You can also use the app to watch your heart rate rise and fall during an exercise routine.
Want more? The UA Sports Wireless Heart Rate also ships with a free 12-month subscription to MapMyRun premium.
Bonus tip: These apps are both compatible with Apple Health.
The Bottom Line
Runners and active walkers should consider the UA Sport Wireless Heart Rate. I was most impressed with the device’s touch control and secure fit. The heart rate monitor worked well.
