Jabra Elite 10 Review vs THE BEST! (Sony, Bose, Apple, Samsung)
Today, we’re going to look at how the Jabra Elite 10 stacks up to the most popular earbuds in terms of sound, call quality, active noise canceling and features. The competitors listed here are the Sony WF-1000XM5, Bose QC Earbuds II, Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Pro and AirPods Pro 2 USB-C. After that we’re going to talk about the pros and cons of each product. Read on.
Microphone Quality
In terms of mic pickup, the Jabras came out very strong. In noisy, windy conditions, the Jabras were able to suppress background noise quite effectively without cutting into the vocals much. The Sonys had the best noise reduction, but it also had issues filtering noise from my voice. The Samsung’s noise reduction was great, but my voice sounded the most muffled, and the Bose had weak noise reduction with my voice sounding soft and distant both in quiet and noisy conditions. That being said, I think we can all agree that the AirPods Pro 2 USBC sounded the cleanest, my voice also sounded less radio than the others. Listen to the samples here.
(Tested under simulated noisy cafe conditions and wind from a fan. It is important to note that with iPhones running iOS17 and later, there is a ‘Voice Isolation mode’ when making calls, which cuts background noise regardless of whether the earbuds’ noise gating is effective or not.)
Active Noise Canceling
The Bose is still king when it comes to ANC, but the Elite 10s are very close. In fact, they seem to cancel as much noise as the Sony WF-1000XM5, maybe a bit better in cutting low frequencies, although the XM5 with its foam tips block mid-range noise better, that’s why the pitch of the noise is lower. The AirPods Pro 2 USBC is a little better than the Jabras in general noise canceling, while the Samsungs aren’t that great at noise canceling compared to the rest. Listen to the samples.
Transparency Mode
In terms of transparency, All of them are quite usable. You won’t have any problems with talking to people or being more aware. Still the AirPods Pro 2 has the best transparency, it sounds closer than the rest to not wearing earbuds at all. The Samsungs amplify too much, so certain high frequencies are too loud, the Bose feels a little more blocked but has more hiss, while the Sonys and Jabras sit somewhere in the middle. They don’t feel as transparent as the AirPods but not as blocked as the Bose. They also have less hiss than the Bose.
Sound Quality
In terms of sound, You’ll notice that the Elite 10s are tuned quite differently to the rest, with the exception of the AirPods Pro 2. I think it sounds quite close to it. It’s a clean sound, not really emphasizing the bass much, although with certain passages you do get that gravity and thump, but you also hear more of the instruments in the mids, without the vocals sounding too bright or too laid back. If you like a heavier sound with darker mids, that’s more like the Sony and Bose earbuds, and if you like crisp vocals and percussions with less bass, the Samsungs with its 1,3 khz spike is more preferable. Listen to the samples.
The one thing I don’t quite like about the Elite 10’s sound though, is that it can sound a bit too brilliant in the highs. Somehow I get annoyed by that brilliance when I hear hi-hats and cymbals. It can be corrected somewhat in the app but not exactly because the Sound+ app only lets you adjust the 7.6 khz band. But that’s just a personal preference thing. I’m hitting 40, so my ears are extra sensitive now to brilliance than when I was in my 20s. I’m just waiting to see if it will be better when the MySound calibration feature update rolls out, sometime in Q1 2024.
Why choose the Jabra Elite 10?
What I do like about the Elite 10 is that it gets the basics right. It is right now one of the better sounding earbuds versus many competitors, great ANC and call quality, and very reliable bluetooth connectivity with multipoint pairing. It’s also feature rich, and compared to the Apple and Samsung earbuds, you get the full Jabra experience whether you’re on iOS or Android. I’m talking about app support, customization, access to special features like Dolby Spatial audio, Dolby Atmos, and head tracking. (Spatial audio spreads the audio around so it feels more enveloping and cinematic, and head tracking locks the sound in place so it stays fixed in place when you turn your head.)
The point is it works with any device because it’s relying on its own sensors that determine which way you’re facing. Whereas similar features on the Sony, the Samsung and Apple earbuds require some sort of handshake with a specific device and with specific apps.
But the reason I’ll pick the Jabras over all of them is a very simple one. The Elite 10 is a very safe option. It’s not the best at everything, but it’s got all the features most people need, performs very well in important aspects like ANC, Microphone, sound and bluetooth reliability, and none of its features are restricted to any one ecosystem which makes this a great option as a gift, or for yourself if you don’t want to think too hard about which one to buy.
So it does have a lot going for it. Is is perfect? Definitely not. Others do some things better, as follows:
vs Sony WF-1000XM5
Compared to the Jabras to the Sony WF-1000XM5, the Sonys has a smaller case and it’s more feature rich than the Jabras. It’s got Adaptive Sound Control, Speak to Chat, DSEE Extreme audio upscaling and more custom options. And it’s also hi-res certified, supporting hi-res streaming with LDAC. If those appeal to you, consider the XM5s, but if call quality is more important, consider the Elite 10.
vs Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II
The Bose is the King of noise canceling, and even when using a single earbud, you can access all the controls like volume up and down, pause play, so on. It also has the best fit for me, which is why I use it for the gym. It doesn’t have multipoint pairing though, and its case is larger compared to the Jabras.
vs AirPods Pro 2
The AirPods Pro 2’s case is the smallest of the bunch, better mic pickup, and it’s the best option if you have everything Apple because of all the Apple exclusive features, and it’s got even better with iOS 17, which I covered in this video. And just like the Bose it also lets you access all the controls with just one earbud.
vs Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Pro
The Samsung is great if you use Samsung devices. Think of it as the reverse of Apple, just like how AirPods are best on iOS, the Buds2 Pro is better on Android because only on Android can you get app support and firmware updates, and some other features you can get only if you use a Samsung device, like the lower latency Gaming mode, and higher quality audio with the new Seamless codec.
If you’d like to check the latest prices of these earbuds, click on the Amazon links below.
Jabra Elite 10 - https://amzn.to/3EHIp9J
Sony WF-1000XM5 - https://amzn.to/3qiamkS
Bose QuietComfort II - https://amzn.to/3gHBWmq
AirPods Pro 2 - https://amzn.to/3VbAmsW
Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Pro here - https://amzn.to/3piWy5v
Singapore Prices -
Sony WF-1000XM5 - https://s.lazada.sg/s.bsAyl?cc
Bose QuietComfort II - https://s.lazada.sg/s.bMAPm?cc
Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Pro here - https://s.lazada.sg/s.bMAIi?cc
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