Practical test: Jabra Elite 5

The Jabra Elite 5 are the latest true wireless earbuds from Danish audio company Jabra to hit the New Zealand market and sit between the Elite 3 and Elite 7 Pro when it comes to performance and affordability.

The Jabra Elite 5 packs features like a 28-hour battery life (for the case), Hybrid Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) and six-mic call technology. Additionally, there’s an IP55 dust and water resistance rating and a two-year warranty should anything go wrong.

The Jabra Elite 5 is available at an MSRP of $239.00.

First impression and build

Crafted from a matte plastic-like material and available in gold beige or titanium black, the Elite 5 earbuds and case are very stylish and modern looking. The earbuds are fairly light at just 5g each and fit right into the outside of the ear canal, so they’re not too big at all.

Included in the box are the ear tips, three sets of silicone EarGels to help you adjust the fit of the ear tips to your ear, the charging case, and a USB-C to USB-A cable.

The Elite 5 earbuds connect to your phone via Bluetooth 5.2, and pairing is relatively easy. Once connected, they simply pair with your device every time you open the charging case and place them in your ears. The connection works well on both Android and iOS devices.

There’s also a companion app – Jabra Sound+ – which lets you change the strength of active noise cancellation (ANC), for example, and enable HearThrough technology, which uses the buds’ built-in microphones so you can hear what’s around you happened .

There are physical buttons on the earbuds, which I prefer to touch-sensitive ones, although the voice assistant feature (which uses Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa) can be operated using just your voice.

Charging the case takes around 180 minutes and can be done either via fast charging with the USB cable or via a Qi wireless charging pad.

perfomance

As an everyday pair of earbuds, the Jabra Elite 5s perform to a high standard, although if you’re an audiophile you might want to consider spending a little more if you want outstanding performance.

Bass is in abundance and vocals sound clear and crisp. The sound is rich and the earbuds get a lot louder than I initially expected. Phone calls with the Elite 5s are just as impressive, with all six microphones working together to ensure the line is clear to everyone on the call.

The ANC could be a bit better, but makes a noticeable difference when using the earbuds in noisier environments, e.g. B. in public transport or in your local gym. The performance is less sensitive to how you position the buds in your ears, so you’ll notice better noise cancellation on both your calls and your music.

Bluetooth can operate at a distance of up to 10m, and I was almost able to achieve that during testing. I was also (almost) able to achieve the specified 28 hours of battery life, albeit with the ANC switched off and not at maximum volume.

The earbuds remember up to six separate connections – perfect when you want to switch between different devices like your work computer, your phone and your tablet. Thanks to Bluetooth Multipoint, you can also connect to several devices at the same time.

If you’re planning to train with the Jabra Elite 5, the aforementioned IP55 dust and water resistance makes it an even smarter purchase.

Verdict

The Jabra Elite 5 are a worthwhile purchase if you’re looking to upgrade to a set of wireless earbuds with ANC. They’re just great all-rounders – the battery life is excellent for the average user, allowing you to forget about the case and only charge it once or twice a week (if you’re a moderate user), and the sound quality is more than good enough. The sturdiness coupled with the two-year warranty offered by Jabra means these are built to last.
The earbuds are somewhat affordable, although you could check out the slightly cheaper Jabra Elite 3 if you don’t need ANC, HearThrough, the six-mic call tech, or the wireless charging case.