Jaybird Vista review: our top-rated earbuds for exercise

Welcome to our Jaybird Vista review. Jaybird is one of the industry’s most dedicated wireless sports earphone makers. The brand released the first ever athlete-driven wireless buds way back in 2006 and has been perfecting its designs ever since. 

Over that time, the company has worked with professional runners and endurance athletes, studying thousands of different ear scans to develop some of the best workout earbuds with a comfortable and secure design that fits just about any ear size. 

Their latest offering, the Jaybird Vista, comes off the back of the Run XT earbuds, which had a slightly larger and clunky design. They are the brand’s most compact fitness earbuds to date, and our hands-down top pick for best workout earbuds on the market today. Why? Let’s find out....

Jaybird Vista review: Price and features

The Jaybird Vista true wireless earbuds are available to buy now and will set you back $179.99/£159.99, although occassionaly it's possible to pick them up for around $30/£20 less - take a look at all the up-to-the-minute pricing options below. They’re available in black, blue, grey and camouflage color options. 

Whichever colour you go for and whatever price you get them at, you'll be treated to a host of impressive features - including a completely wireless audio experience, a super high IPX7 rating (which means they can be submerged up to one meter of water for 30 minutes), and up to six hours of battery life per charge that can be easily topped up thanks to the compact USB-C charging case. 

There’s also the bonus of the Jaybird app, which boasts a personalised EQ allowing you to tune the earphones to a sound of your preference. 

Jaybird Vista review: Design and comfort

There’s nothing especially ‘stand out’ about how the Jaybird Vista earbuds’ look; they have a very straight forward, stripped-back design that won’t exactly get heads turning. However, what you can rely on here is the fact that these are one of the most comfortable pairs of true wireless earphones you can buy right now. 

At just six grams per bud, the Vista earphones are practically weightless. They've also been designed with a fully connected casing, meaning the ear tip and wing tip are all one piece. This combination marks for an incredibly cozy fit as they slip right into your ear at the perfect angle - making them perfect for long runs, high-power HIIT workouts and anything else you can throw at them.

It’s the fully connected casing that also helps the Vista earbuds with their impressive IPX7 water resistance, meaning they can deal both with a downpour or a brief dip in up to one meter of water. While they’re not made for swimming, this does mean they can withstand just about any weather conditions you put them through.

Another Vista design feature that we love is that they’re also brilliantly compact. Even the charging case is a much condensed version of what you’d find in other brands - using diagonally-slanted charging stations to minimise dimensions. Here you’ll also find a nifty rope which can be used to connect them to a keyring or the like.

The only negative we have with the design of the Vista buds is that they don't feel quite as premium as some of their top-spec rivals, such as the Bose Sport Earbuds. Still, as a pair of earphones aimed at the active user, this probably won’t be something a potential buyer will be worried about.

Jaybird Vista review: Sound

With so many great features packed into such a tiny, lightweight pair of buds, we weren’t expecting the Jaybird Vista to shine when it comes to audio, too. But to our surprise, it really does. 

Each bud only features a small 6mm driver, but still, they offer a warm and full sound even at high volumes. Bass reproduction is heavy but not overpowering and there’s a nice balance across low, mid and high frequencies. This was the case for all genres of music played, be it rock, pop, or even bassy techno tracks.

On top of this, a connected Jaybird app allows you to opt for a different style of your audio through a selection of EQ options, or if you tweak to personalize it and make it your own. While this works well, we were more than happy to stick to a pre-set sound.

One last thing we should mention is that there is no active noise cancellation here, but the firm fit means the buds are able to provide some great sound isolation, while holding audio detail well right up the loudest volume possible.

Jaybird Vista review: Performance

The thing about true wireless buds like the Vista is that they can often be prone to connectivity issues. With two separate ear pieces having to work together to power the music and pump it into your ears at exactly the same time, there’s a lot that can go wrong. 

You won’t find any issues here though. In fact, we found the Jaybird Vista earbuds connected to our smartphone the moment we took them out of the case, and remained stable throughout our time with them. Jaybird has clearly worked hard to ensure these buds offer a seamless experience. This is reflected also in how well they perform during calls. We experienced no cut outs and, thankfully, the audio quality was nice and clear.

So what about battery life? Well, this is where the Jaybird Vista fall short a little. We found that between charges, the earbuds will give you just under six hours of use. While this is by no means bad (Apple’s AirPods Pro buds only last 4.5 hours per charge, for example), we would have liked them to last a bit longer. This is especially the case since all of the other features these earphones boast will attract the likes of endurance athletes looking for a lightweight and comfortable pair of buds to use while exercising over long periods of time.

Nevertheless, the charging case will provide an additional ten hours of charge and the USB-C port means it’ll be much easier to do this if you find yourself caught short while on the go.

Jaybird Vista review: Verdict

Jaybird has seriously outdone itself with the Vista. Whether you’re a fitness fanatic looking for the best wireless earbuds to power extreme workouts, or just someone that wants a decent pair of buds to offer up their favourite tunes on a brisk walk, the Jaybird Vista earphones will not disappoint. 

With a rugged design that will see you through even the wettest days, a comfortable fit you can wear for hours and superb audio performance, you really cannot go far wrong with these earphones - especially at the price.

Okay, battery life could be better, and they might not give you the premium design you’d find elsewhere, but the excellent delivery of all the other features in this lightweight and compact package by far makes up for it. 

Also consider

• Bose Sport Earbuds

If you’re in the market for something a little more premium, they look no further than the Sport Earbuds by Bose. With high-quality audio, reliable connectivity and exceptional comfort levels that should see you well through all types of exercise, these earbuds will not disappoint. These earphones are slightly pricey than Jaybird's offering, but the high grade design and features certainly make them worth it.

• Jaybird Run XT

If you’re looking for a very similar feature set to the Vista but with a much lower piece tag, then check out Jaybird’s earlier release, the Run XT. They might have a shorter battery life at four hours, but sound quality and comfort levels are much the same. Plus, as they're a slightly older model you should be able to pick them up cheaper online.