Jabra is adding another pair of true wireless earbuds to its lineup with the Elite Active 75t, with a waterproof body and new upcoming features.
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The Elite Active 75t are, in effect, a more ruggedized iteration of the previous Elite 75t. Jabra had made those 22 percent smaller than the Elite 65t, significantly reducing not just the overall size, but also the weight. They’re definitely more comfortable, as a result.
Equally significant is the boost in battery life. The Elite 75t is able to go up to 7.5 hours per charge (though it does depend on volume level), and the new Active 75t is going to deliver the same duration.
They have an IP57 rating, making them officially waterproof, whereas the Elite Active 65t were at IP56 for a more water-resistant build. This does mean you can take this new pair swimming without worrying about damage, though I recommend staying away from saltwater.
MySound and MyControls
Jabra will also introduce two new features that will work with the Elite Active 75t. First, is MySound, which will allow users to create their own personal hearing profile using the Jabra Sound+ app on iOS or Android. Basically, you would need to listen to a series of beeps that will tune to your ears to “individualize each user’s music experience.”
The company says it was able to do this using software developed by its sister organization, GN Hearing, which specializes in hearing aids. It’s not yet clear how much the tuning experience will differ, given how subjective the whole thing is supposed to be, but it will be interesting to see how well it works.
The second is MyControls, and it will address a criticism some users have had for the earbuds (including the regular Elite 75t) to date. With it enabled, you will have the choice to use only one earbud whenever you prefer. This is pertinent for phone calls, where the earbuds route calls through both ears. But even if you wanted to, say, listen to a podcast with only one earbud, you will have the option to do that.
These new features will also apply to the Elite 75t, so are not exclusive to the new Active variant. You will have to wait a bit to try them out, though, as they will go live sometime between April and June in 2020.
Hands-on experience
I’ve actually had my hands on a beta unit of the Elite Active 75t, getting the chance to try them out prior to CES. I didn’t have access to the new software features, but could gauge audio performance and test the waterproof body.
Not surprisingly, they sound exactly the same as the regular Elite 75t. They even look the same, from the design to the earbud tips. That’s not a bad thing, mind you. The Elite 75t are already excellent (I tested those too), so the primary difference is simply the rugged build.
My waterproof tests went fine, though I only exposed it to clean water and snow, not saltwater or any other liquid. Even with sweat, I felt more confident the Elite Active 75t could withstand plenty of perspiration.
Jabra has displayed the new Elite Active 75t in various colours: navy, titanium black, grey, sienna and mint. It hasn’t been confirmed if all of them will be coming to Canada or not.
Jabra Elite 45h headphones
Jabra will also release a pair of on-ear Bluetooth headphones in the Elite 45h, which look sleek and stylish in a relatively compact size. They weigh about 170 grams, with the earcups folding inward to flatten out the form factor when lying flat.
The company claims they can play for up to 40 hours on a single charge, and fast charging should offer eight hours of battery life after only 15 minutes of charging. The headphones have 40mm speakers, and dual-microphone technology for ambient sound and clearer calls. There is also the standard one-button touch access for Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri.
Jabra will also include the MySound and MyControls features from the Sound+ app, and they will be available out of the box when the headphones launch. These would be the first pair from Jabra to support those features.
There are a handful of colours: titanium black, black, gold beige, navy and copper black. It’s not yet clear which ones will come to Canada.
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See the range of Jabra products that are available at Best Buy.
