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Apple AirPods VS Jabra Elite 65t

by David Carnoy / Apr 24, 2018

The AirPods finally have some competition. See how they stack up against the highly rated Jabra Elite 65t.

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The Good

The ultra-lightweight Apple AirPods are fully wireless headphones that offer a reliable wireless connection, effortless pairing with Apple devices, decent sonics and good call quality. The included compact charging case quickly charges the buds. You can now control playback of your music with a double tap.

The Bad

Will fit more securely in some ears than others. Their open design allows for a lot of ambient noise to leak in. Similarly priced wireless models deliver better sound. And yes, they still look kinda dorky.

The Bottom Line

Look past their offbeat design and you'll find that Apple AirPods' compact size and high convenience factor are a winning combination.

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Overview

The Good

The Jabra Elite 65t are smaller and fit more comfortably than their predecessors. They sound excellent for truly wireless headphones, perform reliably and are great for making calls, with two microphones in each earpiece. Battery life is decent at 5 hours and the included charging case delivers two extra charges.

The Bad

The relatively tight, noise-isolating fit isn't for everyone. You have to step up to the more expensive Elite Active 65t to get a true sports model that's fully water-resistant.

The Bottom Line

The well-designed Jabra Elite 65t truly wireless earphones rival Apple's AirPods and are superior in some ways.

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Ratings

Design

The AirPods get props for being ultra-lightweight, very comfortable to wear and they slip beautifully into their compact charging case. The only problem is they don't fit everybody's ears securely. Meanwhile the Jabra Elite 65t fits many ears comfortably and securely, although its noise-isolating design isn't for everybody. The Jabra has physical buttons for controlling playback -- they work well -- while the AirPods have touch controls that are a little limited.

Features

Apple's custom Bluetooth chip, the W1, is designed to allow for automatic pairing with Apple devices -- and it totally delivers. The AirPods also work very well as a headset for making calls (you can use one bud or two). However, the Elite 65t works even better as a headset, with dual microphones, and have a HearThrough transparency feature that you can toggle on in the Jabra Sound+ companion app. The AirPods' battery life may be slightly better but the Elite 65t's is close.

Value

The Jabra Elite 65t costs slightly more but both products are reasonably priced for premium totally wireless earphones.

Sound

The big difference between the AirPods and Jabra Elite 65t is that the AirPods have an open design that allows a lot of sound to leak in while the Elite 65t has a noise-isolating design that passively seals out a lot of ambient sound. Simply put: The AirPods' sound suffers in noisier environments. The Jabra's sound is slightly richer overall with more bass.

Overall

For some people the AirPods are great. If you're among those who can get a secure fit, they work well as both an everyday headphone and a sports headphone -- you can even run with them. But if they don't fit your ears securely, the Jabra Elite 65t is an excellent alternative so long as you don't mind a noise-isolating design (having a silicon tip in your ear canal). In some ways, it's the better set of truly wireless earphones -- just not for everyone.

Videos / Photos

Apple AirPods are nowhere near as ridiculous as they look

Jabra Elite 65t

Specs / Prices