Jabra Elite 3 earbuds Review: One of the best, if not exactly the best

People often ask me to recomment a good TWS earbud within the budget. The question is a bit difficult to answer because it is actually tough to sift through the clutter and pick a decent one that gives good value for money.

But then, Nothing ear (1) did make the answer easier, as the earbuds offer a great mix of looks and performance without making a hole in the pocket.

Jabra has been consistently making some great audio accessories, but most of them have been costly and out of reach for many.

However, Jabra is trying to change that with Elite 3, its first budget earbuds.I used the Jabra Elite 3 for some days, check how the earbuds fare in this review:

Jabra Elite 3: Build and design

Jabra Elite 3 has a chunky build but they offer an in-canal fit with the earbuds a bit more angular to provide some isolation. The in-canal fit gives decent passive noise isolation, which is crucial as the earbuds don't support active noise cancellation.

The physical buttons on the earbuds are easy to press and make the control easy. Available in black, blue, gold, or lavender colours, the pair of earbuds is quite lightweight and comfortable for long hours of usage.

The charging case is also where Jabra has cut corners, the plastic doesn't feel as sturdy as we have seen in Jabra's premium models (Elite 85t or 75t).

There is USB-C support so it makes it easy to charge the case using any mobile cable.

Jabra Elite 3 review: Performance

The sound signature is pretty much close to what you get in premium earbuds. The bass is rich so the bass heads don't need to worry, the mids are clean and clear, so listening to Bollywood music is a pleasant experience.

The earbuds support AptX and SBC Bluetooth codecs but not AAC so people using Apple iPhones may not get the best out of these earpieces.

You can play any genre of music using these earbuds and chances are high that you will enjoy the sound.

For example, Peter Cat Recording Co.'s 'Love Demons', 'Roses', 'Heera', and 'We're Getting Married' sound just the way they should. In fact, it's pretty impressive for budget earbuds to produce quality sound, thanks to its 6mm drivers.

Likewise, you can play Coldplay, Kings of Leon, Prateek Kuhad, Ankur Tewari, Shamoon Ismail, or any artist, all songs sound sweet.

A big downside is there is no active noise cancellation so you will have to make do with the passive one which is decent enough if you use the earbuds outdoors but does the job well indoors.

Also, there’s no auto-pause so it doesn't pause the music when you remove the earbuds.

Surprisingly, the call quality is good, unlike what I had thought of. There are four microphones that work well to ensure calls aren't an issue.

You will need Jabra's app if you want to use equalizer but in my view, the default sound settings are good enough. Unlike Jabra's earlier offerings, the Elite 3 lacks multipoint, so you can't connect two devices at the same time.

However, you can use earbuds independently in the mono mode which is a welcome feature.

Jabra Elite 3: Battery life

Jabra Elite 3 earbuds offer an impressive battery life of up to six hours in regular use. Besides, you can charge the earbuds close to 4 times using the charging case so you get more than 25 hours of battery time easily.

Moreover, there’s fast charging support so you get close to an hour of battery time with just 10 minutes of charging.

Jabra Elite 3: Verdict

The Jabra Elite 3 has set the bar high for its rivals. Although its closest rival Nothing Ear (1) still has an edge with the ANC feature, Jabra's overall sound quality is far better than most of the earbuds you get below Rs 10,000.

Priced at Rs 6,999, Jabra Elite 3 covers the basics, and more, with a powerful sound quality, impressive battery life, and more.

The Jabra Elite 3 may not be feature-heavy, but it's one pair of TWS earbuds you would love to have.