The successor to the popular Jabra Elite Active 65t and the sports-based alternative to the relatively new Jabra Elite 75t, the Jabra Elite Active 75t is almost identical in design and sound quality. The main difference between the active variant and the regular one is the added extra strength with IP57 sweat and water resistance rating. However, coming from the Jabra Elite Active 65t, you’ll find several upgrades, including a more compact design, longer battery life, higher IP rating, and Panchia’s bus response. So, let’s see how the Jabra Elite Active 75t genuine wireless earphones have tested our results.

Construction, design and fit

One difference between the Jabra Elite 75t and the ‘Active’ variant is the rubberized coating on the bud and the charging case that prevents accidental drops. The matte plastic build was a bit slippery at regular 75t, so the rubberized texture is a welcome addition. However, due to the new and relatively improved texture, cases and earbuds attract a lot more fingerprints and dust over time. Be prepared to clean them every day or two. Still, the matte rubberized texture feels a bit more premium than the original 75t.

Featuring the same design as the Jabra Elite 75t, the Active 75t has a significantly smaller footprint than the 65t model. The charging case is rectangular with rounded angles and a slight dip at the top and bottom. The case may stand out against the 65t model, which in our opinion is a significant improvement. On the back, there is a USB Type-C charging port and on the front there is a small Jabra logo. The magnets between the lid and the charging case are strong enough to hold the earphones in the case even if dropped.

The earbuds have shrunk significantly compared to the Elite 65t model and now have a slimmer and neutral form factor. These are significantly lighter than older models. The angular nozzles help make it comfortable and fit, making it easy for users to wear even during extended listening periods. The jawbone also has three sizes of silicone ear tips and a proper fit is essential for good sound isolation.

Each earbud has a physical button, battery information, and an LED indicator to relay the microphone grill. Physical buttons are extremely easy to push down and do not require too much energy. You don’t even have to worry about pushing the buttons and scratching the earphones in your ear as they require very little energy to register. You can pause / play music, answer / reject calls, find tracks, and even increase / decrease the volume level with the default controls.

Additionally, the buttons can be customized to your liking via the Jabra Sound + app. More on that later. We have found in our extensive experiments that controls are highly responsive, however, volume control is a slow and erroneous process. You need to press and hold the left / right buttons to increase / decrease the volume and because of this you cannot control the volume level properly. Additionally, volume controls can’t be customized through the app, which is rather frustrating.

Features

The Jabra Elite Active 75t features a pair of true wireless earphones with IP57 dust and water resistance, HearThrough mode, customizable controls and EQ, auto pause and play, multipoint connection (can connect up to two devices at the same time) and USB Type-A. However, some features that are missing, in particular this price point include active noise cancellation (ANC), aptx support and touch control.

While we didn’t miss the ANC (due to nice isolation) and touch controls on these earphones, we were disappointed with the lack of aptX HD sound support. Wireless charging for the case was missing in our review unit, however, the latest models of the Jabra Elite Active 75t will have wireless charging features. These units will be available on Amazon from August 6 at Rs 16,999. Since we got a unit without wireless charging, we couldn’t test the feature.

One of the major differences between the Jabra Elite 75t and the Elite Active 75t is the IP rating. Compared to previous IP55 ratings, the Jabra Elite Active 75t boasts an IP57 IP rating which means it can be completely submerged in water (maximum 1-meter depth) for up to 30 minutes. The company offers a 2 year warranty for dust and sweat damage.

We also got quite a nifty with automatic pause and play and multipoint connection features. The earphone has a sensor inside the bud that determines if it has been removed from the user’s ear and re-inserted. Depending on this, the media is automatically paused when the bud is moved, and when the buds are re-inserted into the ear, it will automatically resume playing. Multipoint connection lets you connect up to two devices simultaneously. So, you can stay connected to both your smartphone and laptop at the same time and switch between them seamlessly when you need to. Both features acted as ads, without any irresistible flaws.

Although earbuds miss out on the ANC, they are equipped in a rather efficient HearThrough mode. This mode competes with the transparency mode of Apple AirPods Pro and many other genuine wireless earphones from different brands. It’s safe to say that the HearThrough mode is just as effective as the acclaimed transparency mode in AirPods Pro. We played music at about 70 percent of the volume and could still hear the surroundings quite well.

The earphones can be paired with the Jabra Sound + app, which gives users access to the cornucopia of features and customization. There’s an array of ‘moments’ and music presets for a variety of situations, including an adjustable EQ, customizable HearThrough Level, My Moment, Commute and Focus. Another feature of the app is ‘Find My Jabra’ which basically lets you identify if the earphones are in the wrong place.

You can customize controls for media, incoming calls, and ongoing calls within the app by switching around the command for certain actions such as pause / play, next / previous track, receiving / rejecting a call, and more. There’s also a My Sound feature that lets the earphones sound fine with your hearing, which can be useful for hearing-impaired users. It’s safe to say that the app adds a wide range of customizations to the earphones, so you can do whatever you want with it.

However, there was one area where we were very disappointed. The Jabra Elite Active 75t, like many non-active variants, can only be used in mono mode via the right earphones. So, if you keep the left earbud inside the case, you can still listen to music / media through the right earphones and answer the call if necessary. However, most earphones, especially within this price range, offer mono mode via both earbuds.

Battery life

In terms of battery life, this is a significant increase over previous generation products (65t models). The earphones themselves are rated at 7.5 hours while the charging case brings the total battery life to 28 hours. In our experiment, at about 60-70 percent volume, the earbuds were cold for 7 hours when the charging case overflowed the buds three times and there was still some juice left. Impressive.

There is also a sleep mode which is triggered after 15 minutes of inactivity or 60 minutes of inactivity while connected. Like most things, it is configurable via the Sound + app. Earphones come with fast charging capability, where 15 minutes of charging time equals 60 minutes of playback. In addition, the charging case, in our test, was filled from empty in about two and a half hours, which is quite decent. These earbuds are easily worn by most users throughout the day and if you are a heavy user, you can always use fast charging to recharge the buds quickly if needed. We’ve been able to air for almost a whole week without a case charge.

Sound quality

The 6mm drivers inside the Jabra Elite Active 75t earphones produce a lively and dynamic sound featuring punchy bus response, detailed mids and decent height. The overall sound signature lacks some warmth due to the less extended high pit, but the lower pit has a lot of energy and results in lower-edge pronounced sound. There is a slight auditory masking in the middle due to the extended lower pit. Inside Hysteria By MuseThe low drums certainly make the vocals cloud, but on most tracks and genres it’s not too noticeable.

The heights, on the other hand, are not very elaborate but they sound quite detailed and balanced. These are not usually small or sharp, but at higher volumes (pushed to the last 80 percent) you will hear some ambiguity in the female voice. The soundstage, as expected from the inside of the ear, is quite limited yet the imaging and instrumental separation is excellent. Such as crowd tracks Selkis By Buried and between meEach instrument is clearly rendered and there is no obvious overlapping.

The quality of the expected microphone in the Jabra product is quite good. Earphones use a 4-microphone call technology that does a really good job of muteing external sounds like noise and wind. There was also a problem with minimal speech intelligence when making calls and recording notes using voice. Although there were some issues with wireless connectivity on our Jabra Elite 75t, where we occasionally encountered lag and avoidance in audio. This problem was completely absent in the Elite Active 75t, which also has solid wireless connectivity and good range.

The last row

If you are looking for a premium pair of genuine wireless earphones that cost significantly less than the AirPods Pro and Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 2, then the Jabra Elite Active 75t is a great choice. They have a fairly balanced sound profile with punchy bass and detailed height, but you’ll miss features like ANC and aptx support. For those with an active lifestyle, the earphones offer an IP57 dust and sweat resistant IP rating and a snug and comfortable fit. If you choose between the original Jabra Elite 75t and the Active variant, it would be more understandable to go for the Active variant as you will get a higher IP rating and a 2-year warranty.