Between the Live Beam 3 and Ear (3), the Live Beam 3 comes out ahead in battery — buds and battery — with case, while the Ear (3) wins on driver size and weight per bud. Overall, the Live Beam 3 scores 76.1 and the Ear (3) scores 70.8 on our Mars Score.
Which should you buy?
The Live Beam 3 edges ahead on the Mars Score (76.1 vs 70.8), but the 5.3-point gap is small enough that the right pick comes down to which spec advantages matter to you.
Pick the Live Beam 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 (3) if you care most about driver size and weight per bud. Its strongest claims are driver size, weight per bud.
Both ship with comparable active noise cancellation, multipoint, so those specs don't separate the two — focus on the differences below.
Bottom line: the Live Beam 3 is the safer default. The other model is the right choice only when its specific advantages line up with your priorities.
Why JBL - Live Beam 3 wins
- ▲Battery — buds — 41.18% more. 12 h vs 8.5 h.
- ▲Battery — with case — 20.00% more. 48 h vs 40 h.
- ▲Has Spatial audio.
- ▲Water resistance: IP55 (vs IP54).
Why Nothing - Ear (3) wins
- ▲Driver size — 10.00% more. 11 mm vs 10 mm.
- ▲Weight per bud — 0.80 g less. 4.6 vs 5.4.
Spec comparison
Design
| Spec | JBL - Live Beam 3 | Nothing - Ear (3) |
|---|---|---|
| Form factor | stemlead | in-ear |
| Weight per bud | 5.4 g | 4.6 glead |
| Water resistanceⓘ | IP55lead | IP54 |
Audio
| Spec | JBL - Live Beam 3 | Nothing - Ear (3) |
|---|---|---|
| Driver sizeⓘ | 10 mm | 11 mmlead |
| Active noise cancellationⓘ | true | true |
| Transparency mode | true | true |
| Spatial audioⓘ | truelead | false |
Battery
| Spec | JBL - Live Beam 3 | Nothing - Ear (3) |
|---|---|---|
| Battery — buds | 12 hlead | 8.5 h |
| Battery — with case | 48 hlead | 40 h |
| Wireless case chargingⓘ | true | true |
Connectivity
| Spec | JBL - Live Beam 3 | Nothing - Ear (3) |
|---|---|---|
| Bluetoothⓘ | 5.3 | 5.3 |
| Codecs | LE Audio,LC3,AAC,SBC | LDAC,LHDC 5.0,AAC,SBC |
| Multipointⓘ | true | true |
| In-ear detection | true | true |
Frequently asked
Which has longer battery, Live Beam 3 or Ear (3)?+
Live Beam 3 lasts 12h per charge vs 8.5h.
Do Live Beam 3 or Ear (3) support multipoint?+
Both support multipoint pairing.
Which has ANC, Live Beam 3 or Ear (3)?+
Both have active noise cancellation.
Spec-level deep dives
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