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If you happen to know a neuroscientist or an ethologist, you’re likely familiar with the concept of “baby schema.” This theory was pioneered by the zoologist and ethologist Konrad Lorenz, who hypothesized that cute things unlock instinctual caregiving behaviors. Lorenz applied it mostly to baby animals, with their big eyes and little chins, but it also applies to nonliving things.
When you see a tiny thing, it triggers the reward centers in your brain. First, you get a rush of dopamine and oxytocin. Then your focus becomes better as you run to it, cup it in your hands, and coo. These nurturing instincts are so strong that they’re activated whether you’re looking at an actual human baby or an inanimate object that remind you of babies.
Humans are drawn to tiny little things in the same way, whether that's tiny little keyboards or tiny little cups. At least, that’s what I told myself and my spouse when I acquired yet another pair of wireless headphones, the JLab Audio JBuds Mini. Yes! Yay! Awwww! They're so cute! These are perfect for slipping into every stocking this holiday season.
Wee and Wonderful
Photograph: JLab Audio
JLab Audio JBuds Mini$40 at Amazon$40 at Best Buy$40 at JLab
“Now just wait a second,” I can hear you say. “Aren’t most wireless earbuds already tiny? Of all the things that you can stuff in your waist pack as you’re headed out the door, aren’t earbuds already the smallest item?”
No. You simply cannot mentally conceive of how tiny these earbuds are until you’ve actually held them in your hands.
The case is barely bigger than a quarter—half the size of an AirPods Pro case. The buds themselves are barely the size of my pinkie fingertip. I have annoyingly tiny ears, and these are some of the best-fitting buds I’ve worn (and I've tested so, so many over the years). If you have any tiny people in your life, they might just appreciate a pair of tiny buds.
If their petite size weren’t enough to fill you with whimsical delight, the buds also come in different pops of bright color. This is wonderful, since most earbuds are colorless. I have the Beats Fit Pro (9/10, WIRED Recommends) in a fun purple, but most manufacturers stick with a dull black or white.
Think how cute the mint-green ones would be nestled in a pencil case or a pocket in your Borealis backpack as you’re making a #packingmybag TikTok. I love grabbing these on my way out the door. They fit in my tiniest Patagonia waist pack. Women's jeans pockets are so impossibly small and useless that sometimes even my lip balm pops out of my pocket when I sit down. But these slide in and stay put. (And someone please fix this women's jeans pocket situation already.)
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For such tiny buds, they sound pretty great! I was shocked when the bass in the chorus of the Builders and the Butchers’ “The River” flooded my ears. They sound so much richer and warmer than any bud this tiny has a right to sound. Honestly, I can’t believe they actually work. In a way, wearing them gives me the same level of satisfaction as a video of someone painstakingly making a tiny chocolate cake with real flour in a tiny little bowl, with a tiny little egg, baking it in a tiny oven, and then actually eating it.
They’re IP55, so they’re sweatproof and dustproof, and because they fit so well, the noise canceling is very effective. They also connect to the JLab app, which doesn’t have great reviews on the Apple app store but does everything I need it to do. JLab’s ambient sound feature, which it calls Be Aware, can be turned on and off in the app. You can also customize the touch control and EQ settings, which are adequate. JLab’s signature sound does seem to tilt toward bass, but it sounds perfect when you’re playing Chaka Khan while walking your dog.
The biggest downside is that they’re pretty bad for phone calls. They also only get around five hours of playtime without the case and 20 hours with it, but that’s still about a week’s worth of play time for me before I have to charge them.
That brings me to the most salient point: Like all of JLab’s buds, the Minis come at a pretty amazing price point of $40. They don’t sound as clear as a $200 pair of Jabras, and I definitely don’t notice sparkling clarity or a great big soundstage when listening to live shows. But I'm not really paying that much attention to details like that when I'm just listening to 10 minutes of Normal Gossip while waiting for my daughter's dance class to end.
$40 is the exact right price if you're gifting these to a loved one—maybe a new sister-in-law, or a niece or nephew in their first year of college. Earbuds are always practical, and the bright colors make these more personal and intentional. Just like a teacup poodle or a tiny talking shell, the JBuds Mini are a pint-size pocketful of easy, convenient delight.
