Jabra has revealed its latest earbuds, the Jabra Elite 8 Active Gen 2 and the Jabra Elite 10 Gen 2. They boast improved noise cancellation, Dolby Audio spatial sound and what the firm calls “Natural HearThrough”, a transparency mode to preserve situational awareness when your ANC is on.
And that’s not even the headline grabber! The new earbuds also introduce something no other in-ear headphone specialist currently offers: an LE Audio smart case.
Basically, the case here contains a Bluetooth LE audio chip, and that means your Jabra case is more than just a case. It enables you to connect audio sources to said case via its 3.5mm jack (niftily built into the bundled USB-C charging cable), and the case itself will then stream audio from it to the earbuds in your ears.
So, you might want to connect gym equipment, a gaming device, an in-flight entertainment system or turntable that doesn’t have its own Bluetooth chip, or even kick it old-school with a cassette player.
Note that it’s not the first time we’ve seen a case that can transmit Bluetooth audio from analogue sources, that accolade goes to LG, with its Tone Free T90Q buds, but it is the first tie we’ve seen LE Audio harnessed in this way.
Jabra Elite 8 Active Gen 2 and the Jabra Elte 10 Gen 2: key features and pricing
In addition to that smart case, both sets of buds have Jabra’s improved Adaptive Hybrid noise cancelling. That promises to be up to two times more effective than the current generation, and the same goes for the improved Natural HearThrough feature, Jabra’s take on transparency mode.
In particular, this version of Natural HearThrough apparently has better wind noise detection that enables it to do a better job of quieting sounds such as swirling gusts of wind on clifftop hikes by the sea, say. The six mics have wind protective meshes and again, a noise canceling algorithm to get rid of unwanted noise.
Both buds have improved Dolby Audio spatial sound, but the Elite model gets Dolby head tracking and more immersive Dolby Atmos. However, the Elites are good for six hours with ANC on and the 8 Active are good for eight; total battery life via the case is 27 hours for the Elites and 32 for the Actives.
If you’re looking for gym-friendly buds then the Active models look like a great potential fit: they have an IP68 rating for sweat and water resistance and their case is spin-class proof thanks to its IP54 fully splash-proof rating. The Elite buds are IP57 meanwhile, which is still waterproof and relatively resistant to dust ingress.
The Jabra Elite 8 Active Gen 2, which effectively replace the splendid Jabra Elite 8 Active, will be available from mid-June 2024 with a recommended selling price of £229.99 (which is around $290 or AU$445). There are three colors: Black, Coral and Olive.
The Jabra Elite 10 Gen 2, which are an update on the inaugural Jabra Elite 10 will cost £259.99 (so around $330 or AU$500) and again, will go on sale in mid-June. The existing Titanium Black, Gloss Black and Cocoa colours will be joined by two new colors, Coral and Olive for 2024.
Will the Elite 10 Gen 2 join the ranks of our best noise cancelling earbuds? And can the Jabra Elite 8 Active make a sparkling debut as some of the best running headphones we’ve ever tried? Watch this space.
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