Jabra's new flagship Elite 10 true wireless earbuds hits it out of the park when it comes to sound and comfort. It's also packed with the features you'd expect of a pair of premium earbuds, from useful ones like in-ear detection and Bluetooth Multipoint to fun extras like Dolby Head Tracking. However, its active noise cancellation (ANC) is not quite top-tier. Jabra is going for the high-end here with an asking price of S$378, and despite some shortcomings, it delivers the goods.

The Elite 10's headlining feature: It's optimised for Dolby Atmos with Dolby Head Tracking. We previously tried this cool feature on the LG Tone Free T90 earbuds. Apple's AirPods Pro 2 and Samsung's Galaxy Buds Pro 2 also offer a similar head-tracking feature. Basically, this feature adds a 3D, spatial element to the sound, for example, the vocals may appear to move from one direction to the other when you turn your head. Obviously, it works best with Dolby Atmos content (and better for movies, it can be distracting for music in my opinion), which is mixed for spatial audio. But if you don't have access to Dolby Atmos content, the Elite 10 also has Jabra's Spatial Sound feature, which takes stereo content, and makes it sound more expansive. The end result is not as good as Dolby Atmos — the vocals seem more distant — but it's passable.

Trending

Technics EAH-AZ80 review: Premium sound

Jabra says the Elite 10 has a semi-open design, which reduces the pressure in the ears. Together with the shallow ear tip and the shape of the earbuds, the Elite 10 is very comfortable to wear. They don't stick out like some larger earbuds. And they stayed snug and secure in the ears during a jog. But perhaps because of this design, the ANC doesn't reduce ambient noise as much as I would have liked. I could still make out quite clearly the traffic noise or the drone of my robot vacuum. I even had to increase the volume above my usual level on the train or bus. For sure, the ANC is an improvement over Jabra's more affordable earbuds. But it won't produce a cocoon of silence. However, the HearThrough (or transparency) mode is very good — outside sounds seem natural, as if you're not wearing any earbuds.

Like other Jabra earbuds, the Elite 10 comes with tactile physical buttons instead of touch-sensitive ones. This means no accidental taps and swipes, but it also means no touch gestures like swiping up or down. Jabra's Sound+ app, lets you customise the controls for the buttons, switch between music presets, and adjust the sound via an equaliser. The Neutral preset, for example, sounds a bit too bland. As for the audio quality, I would say it's probably the Elite 10's second-best attribute. The soundstage is wide and there's excellent separation. It sounds clean and detailed. Bass is tight and well-defined, not muddy. As for voice calls, my voice came through in a room with the robot vacuum operating nearby. However, some of the noise was also audible.

Jabra says the Elite 10 can last up to six hours on battery with ANC enabled. That's decent, but not as good as some premium earbuds. The Sony WF-1000XM5 (S$419), for example, offers up to eight hours of uptime with ANC. But you can replenish an hour of the Elite 10's battery with just five minutes of charging, so this is not a deal breaker. With its S$378 retail price, the Elite 10 is competing with the best. It's definitely a top contender for comfort and sound quality. The head-tracking feature is nice to play around with, and there are plenty of other useful features, too. But if you're hoping to mute your surroundings completely, there are better earbuds in this price range than the Elite 10. It comes in five colours (Cream, Cocoa, Titanium black, Gloss Black, and Matte Black), and is available from Lazada, Shopee and Amazon SG.

See Also

Razer Hammerhead Pro Hyperspeed review: Solid but flawed

Note: Review unit provided by Jabra.