Audio accessory maker Jabra has announced the Jabra Elite 5 true wireless earbuds, bringing active noise cancelling (ANC) tech, longer battery life, and improved call quality into an affordable package.
The Elite 5 doesn’t offer too much in terms of new tech compared to last year’s releases, but it does pack more into less and could hit a pricing sweet spot of $149/£149/€149.
Along with a Hybrid ANC tech, there’s multipoint Bluetooth (meaning you can have two connections at once), with support for Google’s expanding Fast Pair tech as well as Microsoft’s Swift Pair. Google Assistant and Alexa are on board too.
There’s seven-hour battery life from just one charge, which is boosted by a Qi wirelessly-charged wireless charging case that can deliver 28-hours of playback overall.
The ANC, which is a must for any wireless buds worth considering these days, is a Hybrid Active Noise Cancellation system, which Jabra says is powered by the built-in Qualcomm QCC3050 Bluetooth chipset.
The company explains: “The Hybrid ANC uses feedback microphones on the inside of the ear, and feedforward microphones on the outside. The ANC performance is therefore less sensitive to how you position the buds in the ear and it ensures a more reliable noise cancellation across a wider range of frequencies.”
There are six microphones equipped with wind-noise suppression, while the 6mm speakers play nice with aptX and there’s Spotify Tap Playback too. Naturally, there’s IP55 water resistance.
Traditionally a Bluetooth headset maker, Jabra pushed the envelope when true wireless buds first became popular among audio enthusiasts, especially with the popular Elite series. However, since the big tech players like Apple, Google, Samsung and co. decided they wanted in with ANC-packing buds offering quick pairing with companion smartphones, life has become more difficult for Jabra. The Elite 5 sounds like just the package to help the the company stand out again.
The Jabra Elite 5 is available to buy now in black and beige.
