It’s a great alternative to Apple’s AirPods

If you haven’t noticed lately, a lot of companies has found the courage to shed 3.5mm jacks from their smartphones. For audiophiles, this means they either keep using their old cans and connect via USB Type-C adapters (that are easily lost) or upgrade to a pair of Bluetooth cans. If you’re making the jump to the latter, you might want to take a look at Jabra’s Elite 65T.

The design looks different from other wireless earbuds we see

It kinda is. The Jabra Elite 65T has a more mature and subdued design compared to the regular stuff we see in the market today. Our review unit, which came in cream and copper, blended quite nicely with our skin tone, which makes them almost invisible when you’re using them.

The buds are made out of plastic so they’re quite light, though their build quality feels top notch. There are perforations on the side, and the circle in the center of the buds are buttons that control power, pairing, and volume.

The left earbud controls volume, with the upper half of the button working as the volume up button while the lower half is the volume down button. A long press on the top skips the current track, while a long press goes back to the previous track.

Pressing on the button on the right pauses and plays the current track, while a long press turns the headphone off. Pairing is pretty easy – you just press on the right button (while the headphones are off) to hear the prompt to pair then pair your phone as usual.

How easy is it to use?

Pretty freakin’ easy. The headphones automatically pair and turn on when you take them out of the carrying case, which also doubles as the charging dock. You can choose to use just the right earbud if you’re not interested in listening to music and just need to make and take calls hands-free.

Both earbuds turn off when you put them back in the charging case, and the charging case has enough additional power in it to keep the earbuds rocking for 10 additional hours. The only issue we have with the case is that it doesn’t magnetically lock the earbuds in, so if you accidentally drop it on the floor, your earbuds are going to spill out, which inevitably leads to you crawling on the floor looking for where they went.

The earbuds are comfy and aren’t annoying to have in your ear for extended periods, and just like any good earpod, it comes with 3 tips (small, medium, large) for maximum comfort. Jabra says that the Elite 65T is IP55 rated, so you’ll be able to use them when you run, jog or exercise.

How’s the sound quality?

They’re good enough for most users, but people who have picky ears may have a bit of an issue with overall sound clarity. It’s not bad per se, but it’s not quite as good as what you’d expect from hi-res models that retail for higher.

Bass is lacking, though mids are clear and crisp. Highs are good but again, aren’t as clear as we would have liked.

Jabra’s Android app allows you to pipe in sound from the outside when you’re using the earbuds, which is kind of important when you decide to use these excellent buds when you’re jogging or biking.

How’s the battery life?

Excellent. One of the things we really like about the Jabra Elite 65T is overall battery life – we easily got around 5 hours of useful battery life on a single charge. Add that to the additional 10 hours of battery that the dock gives you, and you have a pair of wireless earbuds that’ll go the distance, easily.

Should you buy it?

If you’re looking for a pair of long-lasting wireless earbuds that have good audio quality, then Jabra’s Elite 65T might just be for you. The only thing that’s preventing us from wholeheartedly recommending it is its price: at Php 10,490, they are not cheap.

Still, they deliver great sound quality, excellent battery endurance and feel comfortable to use even during extended listening sessions.