Between the Tour Pro 3 and Ear (a) 2, the Tour Pro 3 comes out ahead in battery — buds and battery — with case, while the Ear (a) 2 wins on weight per bud. Overall, the Tour Pro 3 scores 76.9 and the Ear (a) 2 scores 74.5 on our Mars Score.
Which should you buy?
These two are nearly even on the Mars Score (76.9 vs 74.5). The decision isn't about overall quality — both clear the bar — it's about which specific trade-offs fit your use.
Pick the Tour Pro 3 if your top frustration with your current device is running out of charge before the day ends — endurance is the lead spec here. The biggest gaps in its favor are battery — buds, battery — with case, spatial audio, among others.
Pick the Ear (a) 2 if you care most about weight per bud. Its strongest claims are weight per bud.
Both ship with comparable active noise cancellation, driver size, multipoint, so those specs don't separate the two — focus on the differences below.
Bottom line: there is no wrong answer here — match the spec advantages to how you actually use the product. The Mars Score parity tells you both are well-rounded; the differences are about trade-offs, not quality.
Why JBL - Tour Pro 3 wins
- ▲Battery — buds — 10.00% more. 11 h vs 10 h.
- ▲Battery — with case — 4.76% more. 44 h vs 42 h.
- ▲Has Spatial audio.
- ▲Water resistance: IP55 (vs IP54).
Why Nothing - Ear (a) 2 wins
- ▲Weight per bud — 1.00 g less. 4.8 vs 5.8.
Spec comparison
Design
| Spec | JBL - Tour Pro 3 | Nothing - Ear (a) 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Form factor | in-ear | in-ear |
| Weight per bud | 5.8 g | 4.8 glead |
| Water resistanceⓘ | IP55lead | IP54 |
Audio
| Spec | JBL - Tour Pro 3 | Nothing - Ear (a) 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Driver sizeⓘ | 11 mm | 11 mm |
| Active noise cancellationⓘ | true | true |
| Transparency mode | true | true |
| Spatial audioⓘ | truelead | false |
Battery
| Spec | JBL - Tour Pro 3 | Nothing - Ear (a) 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Battery — buds | 11 hlead | 10 h |
| Battery — with case | 44 hlead | 42 h |
| Wireless case chargingⓘ | truelead | false |
Connectivity
| Spec | JBL - Tour Pro 3 | Nothing - Ear (a) 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Bluetoothⓘ | 5.3 | 5.3 |
| Codecs | LDAC,LC3,AAC,SBC | LDAC,AAC,SBC |
| Multipointⓘ | true | true |
| In-ear detection | true | true |
Frequently asked
Which has longer battery, Tour Pro 3 or Ear (a) 2?+
Tour Pro 3 lasts 11h per charge vs 10h.
Do Tour Pro 3 or Ear (a) 2 support multipoint?+
Both support multipoint pairing.
Which has ANC, Tour Pro 3 or Ear (a) 2?+
Both have active noise cancellation.
Spec-level deep dives
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