Jabra Elite Active 75t review: My favourite workout companion

It was a couple of months when I reviewed the Jabra Elite 75t. The true wireless earbuds from Jabra were my favourite pair for 2020 until now. The Elite 75t’s were very comfortable (never felt like they’d fall out), had a great sound quality that could be tuned further, excellent connectivity and even better battery life. The icing on the cake was the compact size of the charging case.

The earphones to have trumpeted them, you may ask? Well, Jabra themselves came out with something even better; Elite Active 75t. It may not be the revolutionary product you were all expecting but it is a slightly modified version - higher IP rating, rubberised coating and more - of the originals that elevate them to greater heights.

The Jabra Elite Active 75t’s are my go-to pair of TWEs in 2020. Let me tell you why.

Add WION as a Preferred Source

Oftentimes, truly wireless earbuds prioritise convenience or certain features over good sound quality and battery life. With the Elite Active 75ts, that formula has been turned on its head.

I’ve been using the Elite Active 75ts for a couple of weeks now and I’m truly happy having them as my daily drivers. They’re the best-sounding truly wireless earbuds in the Indian market today.

The one noticeable difference between the Elite 75ts and the Elite Active 75ts is that the latter’s earbuds and charging case have rubberised textures unlike the smooth textures on the former.

The rubberised texture makes a huge difference in the comfort levels when holding the charging case or having the earbuds inside your ears. The earbuds themselves look really sleek and the colour coding between the case and the earbuds deserves a thumbs up.



Case and fit: Can wear them for many hours on a stretch

The case itself features a USB Type-C charging point but unfortunately doesn’t support wireless charging like that of the Galaxy Buds+ from Samsung and the AirPods Pro from Apple.

The fit on the earphones is always the number one priority for customers. This is because the sheer number of hours they’d be stuck inside your ears, so having something that is comfortable for the long run, is preferable. Let me just say this. The Elite Active 75ts felt comfortable even after using them for five hours straight. In fact, at times, I had forgotten they were in my ears. Each earbud weighs just 5.5g, while the charging case weighs 35g.

Furthermore, having no wires means TWEs are easy to wear in 2020. While we’re all wearing a mask, it’s easy to just pop these truly wireless earbuds into your ear and take them out whenever. You needn’t have to worry about them getting entangled in your mask.

Included in the box are three different-sized pairs of ear tips so that there is a right fit for everyone. For me, it was the medium-sized that fit snugly in my ears and refused to fall out during runs.

The one downside is that there is no active noise cancellation (ANC) like on the cheaper Galaxy Buds+. The earbuds offer good passive noise isolation that reduces ambient noise. This isn’t ANC but one could argue that you wouldn’t really need/use the feature while exercising, especially if it is outdoors. The Elite Active 75ts have a HearThrough function. This lets you simultaneously listen to your music/podcast as well as what is going on nearby.

Sound quality: Excellent, as always

The Elite Active 75tssounds way better than they should. The bass is booming and the audio fills your ears like a concert fills a room. The sound comes into your ears just the same way a performance or a movie in a cinema hall does. It doesn’t escape you even for one minute.

There’s also a four-mic array that optimises audio quality during calls. One of the microphones in each earbud is dedicated to noise reduction while making calls.

A much-needed software update

At the end of May, Jabra released an update for the truly wireless earbuds, making them even better and fixing the physical controls that are so hard to get used to. The Jabra Sound+ app now features MySound and MyControls.

MySound customises the audio output based on your hearing. You’re taken through a hearing test - asked to tap the icon at every tone - for each ear individually. Based on the test - frequencies and volumes - the app creates a personalised sound profile. This tech is in collaboration with GN Hearing, a company that’s been developing hearing aids for decades.

MyControls lets you remap the buttons on your earbuds individually. All three controls - single, double or triple pressing a button - can now perform a different action. The one expected feature that hasn’t made it is that MyControls doesn’t allow you to operate one earbud independently. That’s a major disappointment. Jabra has promised to release an update, in the near future, to address this issue.

Battery life: Pretty stellar

The Elite Active 75ts are rated at 7.5 hours on a single charge and just about four more charges with the case for a total of 28 hours. I found it to be more or less accurate. I averaged about just over seven hours on a single charge during my test. The charging case died after two whole weeks of listening, which is pretty good.

The charging time though is somewhat slow but that shouldn’t put you off.

Verdict: A must-buy over the regular Elite 75ts

The Jabra Elite Active 75ts have some nifty differences from its elder brother, the Elite 75ts that make it a must-buy in today’s crowded TWEs market. If you really need ANC then you’re the best bet is the Galaxy Buds+ from Samsung.

Besides the lack of active noise cancellation and wireless charging, there is hardly anything to complain about the Elite Active 75ts.

The Elite Active 75ts fit snugly, sound amazing, have long-lasting battery life and a very stable connection. The compact size is the icing on the cake.

he only problem is that these cost Rs 15,999 on Amazon. That’s a hefty asking price in an industry where most of the launches in 2020 have been in the sub-Rs 10,000 price bracket. If you already own the Elite 75ts from Jabra, then there is no real need to upgrade to these.

Right now, the Elite Active 75ts is available in Navy and Copper Black (an Amazon exclusive) but by the end of the month, four more colours - Titanium Black, Grey, Sienna & Mint - will be launched in India.