REVIEW – This year, I’ve been on a quest to find small, unobtrusive wireless earbuds I can live with. I jumped at the chance to try the Jabra Elite 10 earbuds. I expected small, compact earbuds with the latest features. I did not expect an old feature: real buttons.
What is it?
The Jabra Elite 10 are true wireless earbuds that feature active noise cancellation and come with a wireless charging case.
What’s included?
- Earbuds
- Charging case
- Eargels
- USB-C cable
Tech specs
Click to expand
- Charging case dimensions (WxHxD) 24.4mm x 46.9mm x 65.4mm | 1in x 1.8in x 2.6in
- Earbud weight (each earbud) 5.7g | 0.2oz
- Weight (charging case) 45.9g | 1.6oz
- IP rating (headset) IP57
- Jabra Advanced ANC
- 10mm speakers with Dolby Head Tracking (20Hz – 20kHz music mode)
- 6-mic call technology (MEMS)
- Microphone bandwith: 100Hz – 8000Hz
- Battery: 36 hours with case, 8 hours music time ANC off, 6 hours ANC on
- Fast charge 5 min gives 1 hr playback
- Regular charge up to 3 hours
- Standby time up to 345 days
- Bluetooth 5.3, A2DP v1.3, AVRCP v1.6, HFP v1.8, PBP V1.0, TMAP V 1.0
- Bluetooth LE audio: Future firmware update
- 2-year warranty (Against failure from dust and water with Jabra Sound+ app registration)
Design and features
The Jabra Elite 10 earbuds follow the popular configuration of a pop-top clamshell charger paired with a set of earbuds. The Elite 10 earbuds snap into the case magnetically. The earbuds are covered in a grippy material that makes them lint magnets.
There’s a tiny LED at the top of the case on the inside and on the exterior of the case below the Jabra logo. It charges via USB-C from the bottom and is compatible with wireless (qi) chargers.
There are eight ear tips in total. Two are attached to the earbuds, and six more are in a small package.
I really liked the cardboard insert. If you’re impatient like me, this tells you all you need to know.
The earbuds are small. Here they are next to a Sharpie. Each weighs 5.7 g (0.2oz)
Assembly, Installation, Setup
Of course, there is an app. You can see battery level, sound levels, and more.
The Jabra Elite 10 earbuds feature Dolby Spatial Sound, which gives an immersive experience that kind of freaked me out. I didn’t use it. However, I played with the music equalizer, which seemed to remember the settings.
There are six presets to play with if you don’t want to make your own slider settings.
Soundscapes pipe in ambient sounds to your earbuds. Background sounds, rain, the ocean… I’m feeling sleepy already.
Performance
The Elite 10 earbuds don’t stick out much from your ears, like Apple Airpods. If you don’t like black, they come in a total of 5 colors (each sold separately)
They’re pretty low key. I like that.
My personal benchmark is three hours: If I can wear earbuds for three hours without significant pain, it’s a win.
I had to play with different ear tips to get a good fit. The better the fit, the better the sound. Yes, bass was plentiful once the fit was good. The physical buttons are truly a gift! I dislike touch sensitive buttons. There’s something about a tactile feel.
Unfortunately, after one hour, my ears started hurting. I repeated this with different sized ear tips with similar results. My audiologist says my ears are “kind of small” on the inside. That could be it.
What I like about the Jabra Elite 10
- Great sound once they fit
- Tactile buttons! One on each earbud
- Wireless charging
What needs to be improved?
- Individual fit/pain may vary
- Grippy texture makes for dust magnets
Final thoughts
I’m a little sad. The Jabra Elite 10 earbuds feature great ANC and a superb implementation of tactile buttons, but my tiny ear holes disagree with pain. If your ears tolerate in-ear headphones, you should give the Jabra Elite 10 earbuds a serious listen.
Price: $249.99
Where to buy: Jabra and Amazon
Source: The sample of this product was provided for free by Jabra. Jabra did not have a final say on the review and did not preview the review before it was published.
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When I use my rain jacket hood on rainy days my Sonys register continuous phantom touches. Tactile buttons would be nice.
I have a set of Elite 10’s that I got from walmart with a $20 discount. I wear them at work to both listen to my own music and to cancel out my manager’s “boom box”. They work great! I wish the battery life was a bit longer, three hours of music coupled with noise cancellation eats the battery. The noise cancellation only activates when both buds are worn, when you only have one bud in it amplifies ambient sounds – except when you have music playing.