At CES, Jabra, well known for their earphones, has launched the third generation of true wireless earphones with three new earbuds.
The range includes the Elite 45e, Elite 65t and Elite Active 65t with the new line up including support for all major voice services, now including Amazon Alexa on-the-go – at least in countries where Amazon Alexa is available, so we’ll likely see that when Amazon opens up access in Australia.
Jabra Elite 45e
The range starts with the Jabra Elite 45e, a more traditional corded bluetooth earphone design. The PR line for these earbuds is that they’re ‘Engineered for the best voice and music experience’ and with twin microphones built-in any conversations you have should be crystal clear.
They’re designed for comfort with three pairs of ear tips, as well as three pairs of fins to help fit the earbuds to your ears. A flexible memory wire neckband joins the earbuds, with the memory wire able to contour to your neck and remain in shape until you bend it to another shape.
You’ll be looking at around eight hours of battery life from a two hour charge on the Elite 45e earphones, which is about average for buds in this category.
Workouts should be good too with an IP54-rated design backed by a 2-year warranty against damage from water and dust, so you can workout and sweat to your hearts content.
Jabra Elite 65t and Elite Active 65t
These two sets of earbuds are completely wireless. The Elite series are in their third generation of product, which Jabra says gives them ‘true wireless stability that helps reduce call and music drop-outs’. Jabra are using Bluetooth 5.0 for these two earbuds, so should ensure good quality sound and connectivity.
The earbuds are almost identical in specs, with 5 hours of battery life as well as an additional two charges in the included charge case that charges and protects the earbuds when not in use. The Elite 65t/Elite Active 65t both include ‘4-microphone technology’ to better reduce ambient wind noise or conversations around you for better sound quality.
The major difference between the two seems to come down to three things, with the Active model getting an IP56 water/dustproof rating (vs IP55 on the Elite 65t), a more secure fit and a built-in motion tracker that will track your workouts.
Availability
At this stage no local pricing has been announced but we do have availability. The Jabra Elite Active 45e will be arriving mid year, and though no local pricing has been announced in the US they’ll be around $100USD. The Jabra Elite 65t will be priced at $169.99USD
when they hit the US, and are due to arrive in Australia and New Zealand in March, while the Jabra Elite Active 65t will cost $189.99USD when they hit the US, with a local launch set for mid-2018.
