Distinctions - The 510BT excels in its dynamic range and strong distinctions in sound. Highs, lows and mids all can be found distinctly separate but cohesively blended across a wide range of genres and volumes. Battery life is better than average as well, especially useful considering the speed of charging. Under our testing, from a fully depleted charge, five to ten minutes resulted in 1.5-2 hours of solid playtime, making charging with time constraints very meaningful.

Criticisms - JBL does not engineer the Tune 510BT with noise cancelling, only noise reduction by virtue of insulation within the design. While ear-cups are padded, foam and coating are not particularly comfortable, and as material gradually degraded, what comfort was had initially was lost. Some peers take preventative measures by providing a case, but the JBL 510BT arrives with only with a power cord. A negotiable criticism, as it is subjective, though it did appear for over half of our testers, is that the on-ear design coupled with the tighter, smaller shape of the headphones caused discomfort much quicker than other headphones with prolonged use.

Distinctions - Longer and stronger battery life than most in the space means the 510BT won’t be done in by regular decay over charging cycles. Drivers are also of quality typical of JBL, making music sound dynamic and all-encompassing.

Criticisms - The 510BTs are incredibly weak on all moving points, as well as general material quality. Cheaper and thinner plastic than alternatives flexes with large panel gaps until flex gives way to breaking. Moving parts, specifically the folding and adjustable elements, break easily under regular use. Users will find storing the headphones, without a rigid case, may cause them to break if in a bag with shifting medium- to heavy- weight items.

Distinctions - JBL provides the 510BT in a variety of colors, all of which are unique but not gaudy. Flat colors with texture accents around the logo evoke styles like powder-coating without the added cost.

Criticisms - On-ear design coupled with smaller sizing on cups gives the 510BT off-balance proportions. The main detraction is wear on the cups causes peeling and visible damage to the foam, which is both unfortunate and not visually appealing. Compared to higher price and quality headphones, the 510BT appears cheap and worn with even minimal wear.

Criticisms - There are no remarkable positive distinctions for the 510BT. Brittle build across the entire design ensure that the 510BT will not live as long as most of its peers. The combination of a cheap build and inseparable electronic internals means disposal will likely be via trash rather than recycling. With more rugged builds still being coupled with hard or mildly rigid cases, it is hard to qualify JBL’s decision to furnish the 510BT with a weak build and no protection.

Distinctions - JBL, as always, furnishes a product with better audio quality than many peers. Fast charging and decent battery life make the JBL a nice option for those on a tight schedule.

Criticisms - The 510BT fails as a budget option, instead creating a cheap liability via extremely weak build with poor longevity. With other bluetooth headphones like the Anker Soundcore Q20 that couple stronger builds with comparable sound for a similar price, why pick the JBL 510BT? Hard to say.