Jabra's latest earbuds are incredibly tough, phenomenally powerful, and pretty expensive
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If you thought Jabra had everything it needed to take on the global leaders of the super-crowded and competitive wireless audio industry before, wait until you see (or rather hear) what the company's latest AirPods and Galaxy Buds alternatives are capable of.
Both the Elite 8 Active and Elite 10 come with state-of-the-art active noise cancellation technology, thus rivaling Apple and Samsung's ultra-high-end AirPods Pro 2 and Galaxy Buds 2 Pro, but that's actually not the key selling point or the most impressive feature of either one of these two new Jabra products.
Meet "the world's toughest earbuds"
In a market where most of the top-of-the-line options are made to handle the daily pressures of intense gym use and extended outdoor workout sessions, that's certainly a bold claim on Jabra's part that the Elite 8 Active seem to deliver on with not only IP68 certification for protection against water immersion and dust but also drop resistance up to 1 meter high.
That's right, these puppies should emerge unscathed from contacts with hard surfaces (as long as they don't fall directly out of your ears, which are probably found at a greater height than 1 meter from the ground), as well as from the occasional dive in the pool, not to mention sweat, various splashes of water, and even heavy rainfall.
With all of that in mind (as well as the buds' military-grade resistance to extreme temperatures, altitudes, humidity, and salt), it's definitely remarkable that the Elite 8 Active tip the scales at only 5 grams (a bud), shipping alongside a relatively lightweight charging case that rocks IP54 certification of its own to easily withstand dust and splashes.
The Elite 8 Active's industry-leading durability is of course not quite matched by its audio performance, but Jabra still promises to deliver "crystal clear sound and added dimensionality with Dolby Audio" for your two Benjamins.
You can already purchase this latest addition to the brand's Active family of fitness-centric earbuds in exchange for $199.99 from a few different US retailers in navy, black, dark grey, and a delicious-sounding "caramel" color. The battery life is about as great as you've come to expect from Jabra, at up to 8 hours of uninterrupted listening time and a whopping 32 hours with the charging case factored in, and the company's proprietary ShakeGrip technology makes sure your exercise will not end with the Elite 8 Active on the floor or in the dirt.
Believe it or not, you can do even better
Strictly speaking from a sound quality perspective, the Jabra Elite 10 are very clearly and substantially superior to the Elite 8 Active, offering among others Dolby Atmos support with Dolby Head Tracking technology.
That's a first for the brand's earbuds, and as far as we can tell from Dolby's official website, it follows in the footsteps of last year's LG Tone Free T90 and a bunch of over-ear headphones from a few different companies.
In other words, Jabra is beating everyone but LG to the Dolby Atmos-enabled wireless earbuds punch with the Elite 10, promising a more immersive listening experience than most competitors at an admittedly high $249.99 retail price.
The Elite 10's noise-cancelling skills sound like they perfectly match that price, vastly improving Jabra's "standard ANC" capabilities found on products like the Elite 8 Active and Elite 7 Pro, while the innovative ComfortFit technology claims to enable a "natural airy fit and less occlusion with a semi-open design" aimed at relieving ear pressure.
Simply put, the Jabra Elite 10 should be able to strike the perfect balance between comfort and stability, at least according to their manufacturers, all while delivering super-powerful sound and crystal clear calls in any environment for up to 6 hours on a single charge.
That battery life rating is bumped up to as much as 27 hours with the help of a wireless charging case, while the IP57 certification is obviously not as impressive as what the Elite 8 Active offer in the durability department but still pretty solid. The Elite 10's color options are both expansive and titillating, ranging from no less than three shades of black (titanium, matte, and glass) to cream and cocoa, with Best Buy pre-orders underway right now and a proper release set for September 17.
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