Danish professional and consumer audio brand Jabra has been among the quietest brands in the true wireless earbud segment for a number of years thanks to their consistency, attention to detail and all-round performance, which also tends to get voice-based communications right. Typically focused on mid-range and high-end true wireless earbuds, Jabra has a strong, value-driven lineup that admittedly deserves a lot more attention than it gets. The company’s latest true wireless headset in India is the Jabra Elite 5, a mid-range earbud with a strong feature set.
Priced at Rs. 10,999 in India, the Jabra Elite5 features active noise cancellation, support for the Qualcomm aptX Bluetooth codec and compatibility with the excellent Jabra Sound+ app. Given the stiff competition from brands like OnePlus and Oppo in this price range, is the Jabra Elite 5 worth buying? Find out in this review.
The Jabra Elite 5 supports the Bluetooth codecs SBC, AAC and Qualcomm aptX
Jabra Elite 5 design and features
Newer products in Jabra’s Elite line of true wireless earbuds follow a significantly different design philosophy than older products like the Jabra Elite 85t. The previous approach was one that only relied on flagship products, keeping older generation headsets on offer at lower prices, while the modern approach sees multiple products with different feature sets.
The new, simpler numbering system sees products evolved and positioned differently, with the Elite 5 being above the mid-range elite 3 Headset that I was able to test in December 2021. The move up to the mid-range brings features like active noise cancellation and listen-through mode, multipoint Bluetooth connectivity, a better microphone system, Google Fast Pair, and native Google Assistant and Alexa capabilities.
The Jabra Elite 5 looks very similar to the Elite 3, as well as the higher positioned one Elite7 Pro, with a proper fit in the ear canal that ensures good passive noise isolation to support active noise cancellation. The Jabra logo is prominently displayed on the outsides of the earbuds, which are quite lightweight and comfortable to wear. The headset comes in two colors – black and golden beige – both of which look quite good.
There are a total of three pairs of silicone earbuds of different sizes and a charging cable in the sales package, and the earphones are IP55 dustproof and waterproof. This is good enough to handle quite a bit of dust and dirt, as well as water from sweat or rain. Each earbud features a proximity sensor for auto play-pause functionality and six microphones that work together to enable ANC functionality as well as voice-based features.
Notably, the Jabra Elite 5 earbuds have physical buttons for controls, rather than the touch controls or force-touch buttons seen on many competitors. I’ve always liked this system, even if it seems a bit dated; It reduces the possibility of accidental changes, and physical buttons offer significantly better feedback. The Elite 5’s buttons are easy to use and conveniently don’t compromise on the secure fit and noise isolation. The controls are customizable via the Jabra Sound+ app, but more on that later.
The Jabra Elite 5 features active noise cancellation and wireless charging
The Jabra Elite 5’s charging case is simple and unobtrusive to look at, but just the right size to strike a good balance between battery life and pocket-friendliness. The USB Type-C port is on the rear, while the indicator light is on the front just below the Jabra logo. Conveniently, there’s also Qi wireless charging for the case. Each earbud weighs 5g while the charging case weighs 40g.
Jabra Elite 5 app and specifications
As with other Jabra true wireless headsets, the Elite 5 relies on the Jabra Sound+ app (available for iOS and Android) to control and customize features on the earbuds. You can control and adjust the intensity of the ANC and Listen-through modes, tweak the equalizer manually or via presets, enable “soundscapes” (various white noise and nature sounds for focus) and much more.
The app is quite detailed in terms of customizability for the Jabra Elite 5, allowing you to tweak the controls, audio and calling experiences, and other features to your liking. You can also update the firmware, choose your voice assistant (native Google Assistant, Alexa or the smartphone’s default voice assistant), and enable Spotify Tap to quickly launch the app from headset controls. All of this is presented neatly and efficiently, making it one of the best true wireless headphone apps I’ve had the privilege of using.
The Jabra Elite 5 features 6mm dynamic drivers with a frequency range of 20-20,000 Hz. For connectivity, the headset uses Bluetooth 5.2 with support for SBC, AAC and Qualcomm aptX Bluetooth codecs. This gives the headset a distinct advantage in terms of sound quality when paired with an Android smartphone, although all other features work the same whether you’re using an Android or an iOS smartphone.
Performance and battery life of the Jabra Elite 5
While there are some pretty good true wireless headsets to choose from in the upper mid-range, some of the more popular options tend to have some of their features or capabilities within the “ecosystem”. There aren’t quite as many well-known options with truly device-agnostic capabilities – something Jabra has always touted as a key reason for this.
As mentioned, the Jabra Elite 5’s support for the Qualcomm aptX codec means that the sound is slightly different – and slightly better – when the headphones are paired with an Android device compared to iOS devices. The differences are not significant, however, thanks to good tuning and hardware doing much of the work and the fact that the aptX codec is the oldest and least advanced among the current advanced Bluetooth codecs.
The Jabra Elite 5 has a sound signature that differs from most options in this price segment. The sound feels less aggressive than that of the OnePlus Buds Pro 2, but has an interesting sharpness that gives it a different kind of attack than what I’m used to. Listening to Harrdy Sandhu’s Punjabi track Bijlee Bijlee, the Elite 5 provided pleasantly distinctive vocals and powerful highs that seemed to pull through better thanks to the slightly reduced lows.
While the Jabra Elite 5’s sound quality is good, competing options in this price range sound slightly better
The sound feels fast and cohesive, with the headphones able to keep up with the track’s varying tempo and different elements. The Elite 5’s unique signature seemed to work quite well with the track, as well as other similar mid-tempo tracks with an emphasis on the vocals. On So Am I by Ty Dolla Sign, Damian Marley and Skrillex, the pounding bass element felt a little weak, while the reggae-style melody and vocals were given a little more room to shine.
Of course, that means the Jabra Elite 5 isn’t for bass lovers or even anyone with a general fondness for electronic music that tends towards low-end punch. On the downside, slower, calculated tracks benefited from the Elite 5’s tonality and levels of detail. Though not quite as flexible as the dual-driver Oppo EncoX2 In detail, the Jabra Elite 5 offers a little more tonal security and sharpness.
The Jabra Elite 5’s active noise cancellation is far from ideal, even considering the mid-range prices. There’s a great deal of adjustability in the ANC, and the different levels have audible differences in ANC intensity, but unfortunately the highest intensity level still doesn’t offer as much ambient noise reduction as it should.
Roaring outside noises such as construction machinery were still a bit too loud for my taste, while even relatively quiet interior settings still sounded a bit too loud. It’s enough to make music, dialogue and voices more audible on calls, but isn’t quite where it should be as Jabra still has some work to do to bring non-flagship ANC up to competent levels bring.
As with most Jabra headsets, call quality on the Jabra Elite 5 is pretty good. This is largely due to the six microphones in each earbud, which work in tandem with the ANC and ambient noise-cancelling algorithms. My voice was heard clearly on the other end of calls, and the unique tuning and reasonably competent mids made it easy for me to hear the caller clearly, too.
The battery life of the Jabra Elite 5 is very good for a true wireless headset in this price range. With active noise cancellation turned on, the earbuds ran for just over six hours at a moderate volume, with the charging case adding three full extra charges for a total runtime of around 25 hours per charge cycle. With ANC off, you can expect an extra hour of listening time on the earbuds.
Verdict
The Jabra Elite 5 differs from many competitors in the mid-price segment and is unique in sound and performance. Like other Jabra headsets, it’s an all-rounder that works just as well on calls as it does on music and conversational content. It also performs reasonably well on all source devices, although it does have a slight advantage in sound quality when paired with an Android device. The battery life is also decent. However, none of this is enough to make it stand out, despite ticking virtually all the boxes.
If you spend a lot of time taking calls through your headphones and like slower, detail-oriented music, the Jabra Elite 5 might make sense for you. Keep in mind that ANC performance isn’t quite as good as it should be. Otherwise alternatives such Oppo EncoX2 or OnePlus Buds Pro 2 might be worth considering instead, especially if you have a smartphone that works with the LHDC codec.
