Jabra specializes in audio and visual equipment to help you stay connected to your colleagues. Their headphones tend to be designed for taking calls, so their integrated mics generally perform better than other Bluetooth competitors. That said, they expanded the variety of their products as of late and now have a solid lineup of in-ears and over-ears for casual use and sports.
Updates
- 05/11/2023 Jabra Elite 4 True Wireless reviewed
- 12/01/2022 Jabra Elite 5 True Wireless reviewed
- 03/03/2022 Jabra Elite 4 Active True Wireless reviewed
- 01/11/2022 Jabra Elite 7 Active True Wireless reviewed
- 12/03/2021 Jabra Elite 7 Pro True Wireless reviewed
Best Jabra Headphones
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Best Jabra Earbuds
Neutral Sound7.8Commute/Travel8.0Sports/Fitness8.4Office7.6Wireless Gaming6.1Wired Gaming5.9Phone Calls7.0Type In-earEnclosure Closed-BackWireless Truly WirelessTransducer DynamicNoise Cancelling YesMic YesThe Jabra Elite 7 Pro True Wireless are the best Jabra earbuds we've tested. These lightweight in-ears have a comfortable and stable fit, making them a solid choice for workouts or long listening sessions. They're also well-built and are certified IP57 for resistance against dust and being immersed in water. Their neutral sound profile is versatile for various audio genres, but it can be customized to your liking, thanks to their companion app's graphic EQ and presets. They support multi-device pairing, which is nice if you always switch between your phone and laptop.
Although the ANC doesn't improve much upon their passive noise isolation capabilities, these headphones can still block out mid-range sounds like background chatter. Unfortunately, it struggles to reduce the low rumble of bus engines, which can be frustrating if you commute to work. Their battery continuously lasts over eight hours, and their carrying case supplies three additional charges if needed, making these buds ideal for long days out or at the office. You can also use one bud while the other charges.
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Best Budget Jabra Earbuds
Neutral Sound7.5Commute/Travel7.9Sports/Fitness8.2Office7.3Wireless Gaming5.8Wired Gaming5.6Phone Calls6.8Type In-earEnclosure Closed-BackWireless Truly WirelessTransducer DynamicNoise Cancelling YesMic YesIf you want to save money, check out the Jabra Elite 4 True Wireless. They're the next generation of the Jabra Elite 3 True Wireless and have far more features, like ANC and multi-device pairing. Their ANC also does a better job than their sportier sibling, the Jabra Elite 4 Active True Wireless, cutting out more mid-range and high-frequency background noise, like ambient conversations and whiny AC units. That said, they can't isolate you as well from the low rumble of a bus or plane engine.
Fortunately, their stable in-ear fit and IP55 rating for dust and direct water resistance make them a good choice for runs and hikes, though they'll likely fall out during a more intense workout. Out of the box, these earbuds have a neutral sound profile. It's versatile enough to listen to all kinds of audio content, but you can also change the mix to suit your needs using the companion app's graphic EQ and presets.
However, our unit suffered from a high noise floor and some audible distortion between the L/R drivers that affected the stereo image in certain ranges. Their battery life is also only decent at 5.5 hours, meaning they can't last through a standard workday without needing a recharge. Fortunately, there are three extra full charges in their case, and their fast charge feature gives you an hour of playback time after a 10-minute charge.
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Best Jabra Over-Ear Headphones
Neutral Sound7.9Commute/Travel7.3Sports/Fitness7.2Office7.6Wireless Gaming6.2Wired Gaming7.8Phone Calls7.3Type Over-earEnclosure Closed-BackWireless YesTransducer DynamicNoise Cancelling YesMic YesThe best Jabra headphones with an over-ear design that we've tested are the Jabra Elite 85h Wireless. These well-built over-ears have a comfortable fit suitable for long listening sessions. They have a slightly bass-rich sound profile that delivers a touch of extra thump, rumble, and boom to mixes. Vocals and lead instruments still sound clear and accurate in your music, but you can adjust it using their companion app's graphic EQ and presets if you prefer a different sound. They support multi-device pairing, meaning you can connect them to your smartphone and PC simultaneously, and you can access your phone's voice assistant via a button on the ear cup if you want to use voice commands.
With the ANC on, their battery lasts 34 hours continuously, but if you run out, they come with a cable, meaning you can use them passively. If you need to take calls or join meetings, their integrated mic offers decent overall performance, ensuring that speech sounds clear, even if you're calling from a busy street. They also have an active noise cancelling (ANC) system. They can't block out most of the low rumble of bus and plane engines, but they do a better job of cutting down ambient chatter. If noise isolation is important to you, the Jabra Evolve2 85 Wireless have an ANC system with a better performance. They have a boom mic instead of an integrated one; it makes your voice sound more natural. However, they're a bit more expensive and have a less casual look.
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Best Mono Jabra Headset
Mixed Usage5.7Neutral Sound5.6Commute/Travel5.4Sports/Fitness7.8Office5.0Wireless Gaming4.7Wired Gaming4.5Phone Calls5.7Type Mono EarbudEnclosure Closed-BackWireless YesTransducer DynamicNoise Cancelling NoMic YesThe best Jabra headset that's mono-only is the Jabra Talk 45 Bluetooth Headset. It's only designed for calls and can benefit users who want to keep one ear open to hear their surroundings, as it doesn't block out almost any background noise. It's fairly well-built, very portable, and has an ear hook to help keep it in place, even if you move your head around. Not everyone will find the fit comfortable, as the silicone ear tips can feel cheap and hurt the ear when wearing them.
This headset has a very neutral mid-range, so whoever you're talking to sounds present and clear. The boom mic does an alright job of capturing your voice, although it has some trouble separating speech from moderate ambient noise. While the companion app doesn't offer many customization features, you can activate a feature allowing the headset to read your text messages and emails. It also has roughly 7.1 hours of continuous battery life and goes into standby mode to help conserve battery life when you're not actively on a call.
Compared to other brands
- Headphones variety. While most of Jabra's headphones are designed for taking calls, they still make many types of headphones, from sports-oriented to truly wireless earbuds and mono headsets for truckers or office workers.
- Multi-device pairing. Most Jabra headphones can be paired with up to two devices at a time, which is handy if you like to switch audio sources between your phone and laptop.
- Great mobile app. The Jabra Sound+ app offers a graphic EQ and presets to help you adjust their sound to your liking. You can also access features like talk-through or adjust their standby timer.
- Recording quality is okay. For headphones designed for calls, their microphones tend to offer an okay overall performance. However, while speech is still understandable, it may also sound thin and muffled.
- High PC latency. Many of Jabra's Bluetooth headphones have high Bluetooth latency, which can be disappointing if you take many video calls.
- Lackluster active noise cancelling (ANC) performance. Only a handful of Jabra headphones have ANC. In the case of the Jabra Elite 75t Wireless and Jabra Elite Active 75t Wireless, this feature was added during a firmware update. However, the ANC only offers a slightly better noise isolation performance than their passive noise isolation capabilities.
Jabra vs Anker
Anker and Jabra both make in-ear and over-ear headphones with good performance at the mid-range and upper mid-range price points. While Jabra's offerings are more comfortable and have a more neutral default sound, they tend to be pricier overall. Anker's headphones cost less and feel cheaper, but they have more over-ear options, better mic performance, and ANC. To know more about Anker's lineup, check out our article on the best Anker headphones and earbuds.
Jabra vs Sennheiser
Sennheiser has a much more diverse lineup of headphones than Jabra, who mainly focus on in-ear and call-center headphones. Most of Sennheiser's headphones and earbuds occupy the mid to upper mid-range price point, and some of Jabra's earbuds are cheaper with similar features. However, their ANC isn't as good as Sennheiser's, which can be an important factor for commuters and office workers. For more info, check out our article on the best Sennheiser headphones.
Jabra makes a variety of headphones that cater to the needs of both business professionals and casual users. Their office headsets focus on microphone performance and call-related features. The mics on their truly wireless headphones generally deliver a better performance than others on the market. However, mics on their call center or trucker headsets still struggle to reproduce speech clearly, even in moderately noisy environments. Jabra's active noise cancelling system also only tends to offer a small improvement over the headphones' passive isolation abilities.
Jabra has different lineups for both casual and office use:
- Evolve2 = Over-ear, in-ear, and on-ear headsets designed for office use.
- Elite = Truly wireless in-ears + wireless over-ears/on-ears. Designed for casual use.
- Engage = Lightweight on-ear headphones and mono headsets with boom mic. Designed for use in call centers.
- Talk = Mono headsets designed for taking calls on the go.
Additionally, some of these subcategories have individual models with the word 'Active' in their title, like the Jabra Elite Active 75t Truly Wireless. Any headphones with this word in the name are designed for sports and fitness.
Recent Updates
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May 19, 2023: We've replaced the Jabra Elite 3 True Wireless with the Jabra Elite 4 True Wireless as the 'Best Budget Jabra Earbuds'.
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Feb 10, 2023: We've added brand comparisons between Jabra and Sennheiser, as well as Anker. We've also updated the lineup breakdown to better reflect Jabra's current offerings.
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Nov 10, 2022: Added the Jabra Elite 3 True Wireless as the 'Best Budget Jabra Earbuds'.
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Jun 08, 2022: We've replaced the Jabra Evolve2 85 Wireless with the Jabra Elite 85h Wireless as the Evolve2 85 aren't currently available from most retailers.
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Mar 10, 2022: Checked our picks for accuracy and product availability. There hasn't been a change in our recommendations.
Conclusion
Jabra makes professional headphones in a variety of different types. They tend to be well-built, are compatible with the Jabra Sound+ app, and support multi-device pairing. Their call-oriented headsets tend to have better microphones than other Bluetooth competitors, and some models are even among the best Bluetooth headsets for phone calls we've tested. Their active features, like active noise cancelling, tend to offer a marginal improvement compared to their passive noise isolation abilities.