Jabra’s latest set of truly wireless earbuds, the Elite 65t, are once again a strong competitor to other noise cancelling, truly wireless headphone with a small design refresh, improved sound quality, battery improvements, and voice support for virtual assistants.

What does the Jabra Elite 65t come with?

Inside the box, you will find the Jabra Elite 65t wireless earbuds, a micro USB charging cable, a total of three eartip sizes, and lastly a carry/charging case for the earbuds themselves. The carry case is constructed out of plastic. The build quality is decent and does the job when it comes to storing, carrying, and charging the Elite 65t.

Setting up Jabra Elite 65t

As for the setup experience, the Jabra Elite 65t utilizes Bluetooth to pair with your devices. Begin by leaving the right earbud in the charging case, hold the multi-function button found on the labelled right earbud for 5 seconds, and from there a voice prompt and blue LED flash should appear. The earbuds should appear on the Bluetooth setup menu of your device.

Jabra Elite 65t design & build quality

The Jabra Elite 65t is definitely not the best looking wireless earbud setup on the market. I found them somewhat bulky but still low-key once inserted in the ear. The titanium colour option also isn’t my favourite. From a build quality perspective, however, the Elite 65t feels solid in every aspect while still remaining lightweight due to a plastic construction. It is clear that Jabra has a focus on audio experience and features which is important, but it won’t be winning any awards in the looks department.

Jabra Elite 65t comfort & fit

Despite an odd shape, the earbuds are comfortable for extended listening periods without any fear of them falling out. The three included ear tips offer enough customizability and seal to find the best size for you, while the earbuds remain lightweight for a carefree experience. Some individuals may experience discomfort due to the unique shape, but from my own experiences, the Jabra 65t was overall quite comfortable. The Jabra 65t, however, is the non-active model, and although it still has an IP55 water-resistant rating, you should refrain from exposing the earbuds to liquid for any extended period of time.

Jabra Elite 65t sound quality

The Jabra Elite 65t had a comparable sound to other fully wireless earbuds I have previously tested. There was a good level of stereo separation within music, the mids and highs were relatively clear with respectable range, but a category of weakness would definitely be the bass being slightly less naturally outspoken when compared to the mids and trebles.

After testing EDM, rap, and hip-hop, I believe most users would be very satisfied with the wireless sound quality found on the Elite 65t’s, especially with the ability to customize EQ emphasis within Jabra’s Sound+ app. A common issue found on non-AirPod wireless earbuds was connectivity consistency; the Jabra Elite 65t thankfully remained connected consistently both with my smartphone and to the other ear bud during playback.

Jabra Elite 65t phone call quality

A popular use for truly wireless earbuds is for conference calls while on the go. The Jabra Elite 65t has a 4-microphone setup for calls. Within the Sound+ app, there is an option to adjust the volume of your own voice during a call, enhanced treble or bass, or Caller ID where the earbud narrates the name or number calling. All of these features are much appreciated when it comes to a clear and audible experience especially when making calls through the earbuds.

Using Jabra Sound+ App

The Jabra Elite 65t is compatible with Jabra’s own Sound+ that hopes to maximize the audio listening experience for the user by offering customizability. The app itself displays important information including battery life alongside key controls such as voice assistant, audio experience, call experience, and equalizer.

The voice assistant currently supports Siri on iOS devices with Amazon Alexa coming soon. Audio experience has a “Hearthrough” setting for surrounding ambient sound mix and “Auto Pause” which seamlessly pauses playback when one side is removed. EQ control, on the other hand, is likely the feature that users will be most excited for. Within the app, you are able to adjust emphasis levels of different frequencies while testing the sound in real-time.

As for additional controls, the Jabra Elite 65t features a button built into the earbud on both sides. One of which serves as a standard play, pause, skip, while the other allows you to adjust the volume directly from the earbud.

Jabra Elite 65t battery life

The battery life claim of the Jabra Elite 65t is 5 hours, with an additional 10 built into the charging carry case, and that’s about what you should expect from truly wireless earbuds. From my testing I was able to get quite close to 4 hours of listening time and the carry case is likely something that you will be carrying around at all times when using the earbuds. The carry cases charges with micro USB and includes a cable, but for a product released in 2018, it would have been nice to see a transition to USB C.

Is the Jabra Elite 65t worth it?

To conclude, the Jabra Elite 65tIn-Ear Noise Cancelling Truly Wireless Bluetooth Headphones with Mic is an excellent option for anyone looking for universally supported truly wireless earbuds. As market offerings continue to improve in this category of earbud, Jabra finds themselves at the forefront with a good sounding and feature-rich experience that is also supported by a customizable app.