Jabra eliminates almost all of the disadvantages of the first generation of Jabra Elite 10 earbuds and delivers a near-perfect product. That’s why it’s a shame that Jabra is closing it.

The Jabra Elite 10 Gen 2 (279 euros including VAT) marks the end of the Elite line. At the same time as the launch, parent company GN announced that it would be burying the Elite series. Other markets are tempting. That’s unfortunate news, because with the second generation of the Jabra Elite 10, the company has finally perfected the craft.

Comfortable

Visually, the Jabra Elite 10 Gen 2 hardly differs from its predecessor. You get the same box (with an additional button on the front) that contains identical earbuds, again with a pleasant silicone coating. These things are IP57 certified and can therefore withstand rain (or sweat).

We already called the first generation of earbuds the most comfortable we’ve ever tested, and that hasn’t really changed. The things stay in place very well and don’t pinch. Even after several hours on the plane, we didn’t feel any discomfort. Whether the Jabra Elite 10 Gen 2 fits your ears as well depends on your size. In any case, Jabra ships the earbuds with four different tip sizes.

Excellent ANC

The biggest downside to the first generation Jabra Elite 10 was its mediocre noise cancellation. Despite the price, we noticed that the earphones filter out noise less well than alternatives in the price range.

This problem has been completely solved: the Jabra Elite 10 Gen 2’s noise cancellation is phenomenal. On a noisy tram, the earphones filter out more noise than the previous generation, and on a plane the noise from the engine almost completely disappears. The same applies to the noise on the train. The problem with high tones has completely disappeared.

As always with active noise cancellation, it’s harder to filter out non-constant noise, but again, the Jabra Elite 10 Gen 2 blocks a lot. Talking is much quieter and not distracting when you’re actually listening to music, and even the sound of a baby crying on a plane fades into the background.

The sound quality is still very good and is on par with other products in this price range. Turn on ANC, put on your favorite music and you’ll be transported into a comfortable cocoon.

Connected quickly

Connecting remains very simple: open the box, take out the earbuds and press the heads of both for three seconds. A sound makes it clear that you can connect and a voice tells you to go to your device’s Bluetooth menu.

The Jabra Elite 10 Gen 2 also supports Fast couple And Fast couple for Windows and Android respectively, so you don’t even have to navigate to the Bluetooth menu on compatible devices. As soon as the connection is established, a message will appear that you can click on. Whatever technology you use, the connection is reliable and lightning-fast.

You can connect two devices at the same time, but the implementation is not perfect. When you connect to your computer and receive a phone, you can record automatically. This is useful, but we lack a way to quickly manually switch between connected devices.

Also with cable

New to this edition of the earphones is the ability to connect them with a cable. This doesn’t happen directly, but rather via an included USB-C to USB-C/3.5mm cable that you click into the box. The box then transmits the sound to the earphones. This is particularly practical on planes, where the Jabra Elite 10 Gen 2 can be connected to the multimedia system. This follows in the footsteps of the Poly Voyager Free 60+, which first introduced this technology early last year.

When making calls, the sound quality is first-class for everyone you’re talking to. You can talk on the phone on a busy street on a windy day and still be heard well.

Convenient operation

The earphones themselves are operated via two buttons. You can physically press it. Play or pause your music (one click), go to the next song (two clicks) or the previous song (three clicks). If you have a phone, you can answer a call with one click. You can turn off (or turn on) your microphone during a call.

The left cap has additional functions. This allows you to activate the optional voice assistant, answer calls again and switch between ANC and Listen through. When we tested the previous earbuds, these were the only two options: either ANC or Listen through which amplifies the ambient noise. This is useful for having conversations.

No more noise

An option to disable ANC at the touch of a button, without Listen through There was no way to turn it on. This was annoying at the time as the ANC made a lot of noise in windy weather or when cycling.

On the Jabra Elite 10 Gen 2 we can switch between three modes: ANC on, ANC off and Listen through. We find this very useful, although we find it less necessary. Finally, Jabra has also worked on noise reduction in wind or cycling. Now we can enjoy the headphones as the wind whistles past our ears, with ANC on but no noise. The difference between the first and second generation of headphones is enormous.

App features

The Sound+ app has evolved a little from last year, but not much. You can customize the functionality of the buttons a little or activate other functions, such as: Surround sound.

The app also includes a shortcut to a handy manual, but like other features, this is strangely only available when the earbuds are connected. In the hypothetical case that someone wants to look up which button to click again to connect things, you can’t access it that way.

Look at the lights

Jabra once again relies on some subtle but practical LED lights that allow you to immediately see the status of the earbuds and the box. A light on the front of the box can be green, yellow or red to indicate high, medium or low battery levels, and flashing red when the battery level is critical. This means that you have put the earbuds in the box but they are no longer charging. A light at the top can take on the same three colors, revealing the battery status of the earbuds. Every time you take out or put the Jabra Elite 10 away, you can see the battery status using the lights. This way you can load on time.

The battery lasts a very long time. Jabra claims that you can enjoy the earbuds for a total of 36 hours (including charging in the case). Without charging with ANC activated, that’s six hours. During our extensive testing period, we never reached the limits of the battery.

Swan song

The Jabra Elite 10 Gen 2 is a top-of-the-range product that eliminates all the disadvantages of the first generation. The earphones fit well and are comfortable. The battery is excellent and the operation is easy. In contrast to the first edition, the noise cancellation works very well even under difficult conditions. The sound quality is excellent and the call quality remains good.

The earphones are not that cheap with a recommended retail price of 279 euros including VAT, but you are paying for the premium experience. Now that the overall experience of the Jabra Elite 10 Gen 2 has been improved, we think the price is justified. These earbuds are the swansong of the Elite series, but what a song. Jabra has finally cracked the wireless headphone formula and can totally keep up with the competition: talk about stopping at a high point. Although Jabra continues to support the headphones, we note that supplies are limited. This is immediately the biggest disadvantage of the thing.