The first thing you notice about the Go Air is the open case. There's no lid, so the charging case is more of a holding tray. You don't have to worry about an earbud slipping free in your bag though. I was only able to knock one loose with a violent shake of the case -- similar to how you'd shake a ketchup bottle to get the last remaining bits at the bottom. The magnets are strong enough to keep the earbuds in place in your pocket or backpack, which ensures they'll be charged when you need them. The case for the Go Air also includes an attached USB-A cable that tucks into the bottom. That's probably not a decisive detail that'll swing your buying decision, but it's a nice touch to not have to look for a cable. Of course, you'll still need a plug, unless you're toting around a laptop with those old-school USB ports.

The case also offers an LED indicator that lets you know its battery status. A solid green light means the earbuds are between 25 and 100 percent. That's quite the range, but it's better than nothing. A blinking red light means the case has less than 25 percent left. When the case is plugged in, red shows when it's charging, and the light changes to green when that's complete. Last, a blue light pulses when the earbuds are charging, and it goes off when that process is complete. These indicators don't show you a granular level of detail, but they do help. Given that some companies forgo them entirely -- even on pricier models -- it's nice to see JLab include them here.

The earbuds themselves are small. In fact, they're smaller than even the tiniest models I've tested: Jabra's Elite 75t, Plantronics' BackBeat Pro 5100 and Samsung's Galaxy Buds. The compact build not only makes them more comfy but also means they don't stick out from your ears like many rival devices. I found it easy to wear the Go Air for hours at a time, mostly because they're tiny and lightweight.

The company didn't nix touch controls on this low-cost model either. Functionality is split across the two earbuds, which in my experience is the least frustrating way of organizing things. A single tap on the right earbud increases the volume, while doing the same on the left decreases it. Double tap on the right to play/pause, and do the same on the left to summon your voice assistant of choice. When you need to skip tracks, press and hold on the right to move ahead; do the same on the left to go back. The one key feature JLab didn't include was automatic pausing when you remove an earbud from your ear. That might not sway your buying decision, but it's a nice thing to have when you need it. It's one of those things you don't realize you'll miss until it's not there.

The Go Air doesn't have any EQ customization, but there are three presets to choose from: balanced (no adjustment), bass boost and JLab signature (amplified bass and vocals). You can cycle through those by triple tapping on either earbud. I found the signature setting sounded best most often, but the other two options were better suited for some genres.