Our Verdict
Okay for mixed-usage. Their sound quality isn’t the best, but you can EQ them with the Sound+ app. They also have a decent battery life and are more comfortable than most-in ears. Unfortunately, they do not have good isolation performance, so they are not a great pick for a daily commute, but they can be decent for a calm office space.
- minimal leakage.
- Portable and stable design.
- Good wireless range and active features.
- Poor noise isolation.
- Mediocre-at-best dedicated mic.
Average for neutral listening. The treble range is lacking detail and brightness while the bass is too overpowering, which can be good for bass-heavy genres but not vocal-centric music. The sound is decently balanced in the bass and mid range but a bit muddy. On the upside, you can EQ their sound with the app.
Mediocre for commuting. Their isolation performance is sub-par and too much ambient noise seeps into your audio, especially the lower frequencies like the rumble of engines. You’ll have to raise your volume to mask a decent amount of noise and you’ll be able to do so thanks to their good leakage performance. They are comfortable enough for shorter trips like bus rides, but in-ears and earbuds can get fatiguing after a while and might not be ideal for a flight.
Good sports headphones. The Jabra Elite 45e are stable enough for most sports if you can find the right tip and stability fins, so the earbuds don’t come out of your ear or break the seal because of physical activity. Even if they are considered around-the-neck headphones, they have a more flexible and portable design thanks to the neckband being a thick cable instead.
Average for office. The Jabra Elite 45e don’t isolate too much noise, but they don’t leak so you can listen to your favorite songs at a higher volume without bothering colleagues. They can also connect to 2 devices, so you can switch easily between your work computer and your phone. Their 7-hour battery life won’t be enough for a full work shift, but you can still use them while charging them with your computer.
Below-average for gaming. Their microphone isn’t great, and they have too much latency to be suitable for video games. They are also Bluetooth-only and can’t connect to consoles.
Changelog
- Updated Nov 21, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.1.
- Updated Nov 21, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.
- Updated Nov 02, 2018: Review published.
- Updated Oct 31, 2018: Our testers have started testing this product.
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Popular Headphones Comparisons
The Jabra Elite 45e are decent mixed-usage headphones with good design and great Bluetooth connectivity. However, their sound quality is average-at-best, but they are compatible with the Jabra Sound+ app, so you can use the presets and the 5-band EQ to customize a sound profile that fits you. Unfortunately, they do not offer good isolation like the other headphones in the around-the-neck Elite series but are more portable than the rest of them thanks to the flexible neck cable. See our recommendations for the best in-ear headphones and earbuds, the best noise cancelling earbuds, the best neckband headphones, and the best budget earbuds.
The Jaybird X3 are better and more versatile headphones than the Jabra Elite 45e. They are more portable since they don’t have an around-the-neck design and also come with a pouch. The default sound quality is also better on the X3. For sports, the X3 are more stable and have a better fit, on top of having good isolation performance; great for crowded gyms or commuting. On the other hand, the Elite 45e are more comfortable than the X3 since they don’t enter the ear canal as deeply. They also have better wireless range.
The Beats BeatsX Wireless are better headphones than the Jabra Elite 45e Wireless. Their design blocks as much noise passively as the Jabra Elite 65e, which greatly surpasses the isolation performance of the Jabra. The sound quality of the Beats is also more neutral, but you can’t EQ it to your liking. On the other hand, the Jabra have better wireless range, and if comfort is the most important factor when you’re buying headphones, the Jabra are more comfortable.
The Jabra Elite 65e are better headphones than the Jabra Elite 45e. Their build quality feels more high-end and their sound quality is slightly more balanced, so it will cater better than the Elite 45e to most music genres. The Elite 65e also have a noise cancelling feature that makes them better headphones, especially for commuting and for the office. They also have slightly better battery life. On the other hand, the Elite 45e are more portable, thanks to their flexible neck cable, and their wireless range is excellent. Both models are compatible with the Jabra Sound+ app for sound profile customization.
The Jabra Elite 45e Wireless are better headphones than the Jabra Elite 25e Wireless. They have a more portable design, thanks to the flexible cable instead of rigid plastic neck support, and they also feel less cheap than the Elite 25e. The Elite 45e are also compatible with the Jabra Sound+ for sound customization, while the Elite 25e are not. However, the Elite 25e have twice as much battery life as the Elite 45e and have surprisingly better passive noise isolation results in our testing, which make them a better pick for long commutes.
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