Today we will compare two pretty popular truly wireless earbuds that compete in the market with big players like Samsung, Apple, Sennheiser, and Sony. Recently Jabra launched a new generation of their 75T earbuds and called it 85T which is a pure successor of 75T. And we will compare these two to find out which one is better suited for your choices.
| Jabra Elite 85T | Jabra 75T |
| Adjustable active noise cancellation | Compact earbuds and case |
| Elegant design | Stunning design. |
| Great audio with impressive bass | App lets you customize EQ |
| Much bulkier than the 75t | Overwhelming, muddy bass |
| Fit isn’t perfect | Difficult to dial in volume |
General
| Jabra Elite 85T | Jabra 75T | |
| Price | CHECK PRICE | CHECK PRICE |
| Release date | 25 October 2020 | 23 February 2020 |
| Type | In-Ear | In-Ear |
| Colors | Titanium Black | Black, Mint, and Sienna |
| Battery life | 30 Hours | 20 Hours |
| Weight | 52 grams | 46 grams |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth | Bluetooth |
The new Jabra Elite 85T’s… they’re completely different from the 75T’s and 65T’s and in general Jabra has been doing a great job of refining their truly wireless earbuds year over year. Now the most notable new feature on these earbuds is that they have active noise cancellation but personally we really like their brand new fit and improved ambient mode. When it comes to pricing the 85T’s retail for $230… and for comparison sake, the Jabra Elite 75T’s used to retail for $180 when they first came out but you can pick them up for around $140 these days when they’re on sale. And again for comparison sake, you can pick up the 65T’s for around $80 bucks. Nonetheless, if you want to pick any of these earbuds up they’ll be linked down below.
Design
| Jabra Elite 85T | Jabra 75T | |
| Type | Closed, dynamic | Over Ear |
| Wireless | Yes | Yes |
| Noise Cancelling | Yes | Yes |
| Weight | 52 grams | 46 grams |
| Foldable Design | – | – |
Now as with any pair of truly wireless earbuds first let’s address the case. The 85T’s have a very similar case to the 75T’s. This case has a matte finish to it, the lid is easy to open and close, and this case has strong magnets in it which makes taking your earbuds out and putting them back in super easy. Now we know this might all sound super basic but this is very important to point out cause the 65T’s don’t have the best case out there. Now anyone easily likes the 85T’s case and it’s not super noticeable when you’ve got it in your pocket. However, 85T’s case is a little larger than the 75T’s case. Now it’s not a huge difference, and the 85T’s case size is acceptable for today’s standards unlike the Bose QC earbud’s case which is just way too big… but if you are somebody that has been daily driving the 75T’s for a while now you will notice a difference. But in general, the 85T’s have a good case. Now one of the reasons the 85T’s case might be a little larger is cause it now has wireless charging.
Now let’s talk about the earbuds themselves and their fit. Now we love how the 85T’s fit. Now, these are in-ear earbuds but they don’t fit like your standard pair of in-ear earbuds like the 75T’s or 65T’s. Now yeah the 85T’s do go into your ear canals… but not all that much. The 85T’s only gone into your ear canals a little bit similar to how the AirPods Pro does. But unlike the AirPods Pro… the ear tips on the 85T’s are a little stiffer. So for me, these earbuds have been doing a noticeably better job of staying in place when you can put them in, unlike the AirPods Pro which does constantly likes to wiggle out. Now I am not the biggest fan of in-ear earbuds for long use sessions and that’s why still prefer options like either your standard AirPods or galaxy buds live… but the 85T’s are very comfortable to wear for long use sessions. Now I don’t think that these would be the best option for working out but for casual use, these earbuds fit great.
Features
| Jabra Elite 85T | Jabra 75T | |
| USB | USB-C | USB-C |
| Microphone | Yes | Yes |
| Music Controls | Yes, Touch Sensor | Yes |
| Quick Charge | Yes, 10 Minutes = 1 Hours | Yes, 15 Minutes = 45 Hours Minutes |
| Stereo speakers | – | – |
Nonetheless, when it comes to watching movies or videos on your phone these earbuds do have zero-latency across the board whether you’re using an iPhone or an Android device which is always great and when it comes to audio codecs these earbuds have support for SBC and AAC. But now let’s talk about listening to music with these earbuds. Now, these earbuds sound like your typical pair of Jabra earbuds as in yeah they have good instrument separation and a decent sound stage but what’s special about them is that they have a lot of basses.
Now the bass on these earbuds hits hard and it does resonate a little bit. But overall these are a pair of warm sounding earbuds which we like. Now, these earbuds do have a fully customizable EQ but these are better suited for people who like a more bass-heavy EQ. Now when compared to the 75T’s, the 75T’s and 85T’s are pushing out the same amount of bass… But the biggest difference about them sounds quality-wise is that the 85T’s does sound a little more open than the 75T’s. And then there are the 65T’s which are very mids focused and are super flat when compared to these other two earbuds. Overall the 85T’s are a pair of well-rounded earbuds with prominent bass that do sound a little more open than the 75T’s.
But from a performance standpoint, as we mentioned earlier the 85T’s block out the same amount of noise as the 75T’s but with less cabin pressure which is good. And their microphone array does a really good job of blocking out wind noise when walking outdoors. However, their active noise cancellation does change how they sound. They get narrowed up a little bit and the bass doesn’t hit as hard. So if you do want to get the best sound out of these guys you do want to use them with their ANC turned off.
Connectivity
| Jabra Elite 85T | Jabra 75T | |
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth 5.0 | Bluetooth 5.0 |
| Bluetooth Range | Approx. 10 meter | Approx. 10 meter |
| NFC | No | No |
| Multi-Device Connection | Yes | Yes |
Now when it comes to Bluetooth connectivity there’s good news and bad news. Now the bad news is that these earbuds are still using a hero and sidekick set up. So one earbud, the hero earbud, in this case, the right earbud establishes a connection with your phone and then relays that connection over to the other earbud. So if you just want to use one earbud at a time you gotta use the correct earbud, in this case, the right earbud. However, with the 85T’s they can be connected to 2 devices at the same time so you can easily hot swap from one device to another which could be a big deal for power users. Now yeah it is unfortunate that the 85T’s are still using a hero and sidekick set up cause these days we want earbuds to be independent of one another… but at least you are getting simulations of multi-devices connectivity with these earbuds. Cause there are other earbuds out there that still using a hero and sidekick set up but can only be connected to one device at a time like either the Sennheiser Momentum 2’s or the Bose QC earbuds.
Battery
| Jabra Elite 85T | Jabra 75T | |
| Battery Type | Li-polymer | Li-polymer |
| Battery Life | 31 Hours | 28 Hours |
| Charge Time | Approx. 2.5-3 hours | Approx. 2 hours |
| Charging Port | USB-C | USB-C |
Now one of the reasons the 85T’s case might be a little larger is cause it now has wireless charging. Now there are plenty of other earbuds out there that have wireless charging all while still having a smaller case like let’s say AirPods, Galaxy Buds Plus, or Galaxy Buds live… but nonetheless it is nice to see that the 85T’s have wireless charging. Now when it comes to battery life, these earbuds have an advertised combined battery life of 31 hours with their Active noise cancellation turned off. And since you are someone that only uses the ANC on any of their earbuds when they have to… these earbuds have an above-average battery. And with their active noise cancellation turned off the earbuds themselves can go for as long as 7 hours. However, with their active noise cancellation turned on these earbuds have an advertised combined battery life of 25 hours which is still very impressive. And for comparison sake, the 75T’s have a combined battery life of 28 hours with their active noise cancellation turned off and the 65T’s have a combined battery life of 15 hours.
Which is better!
So when it comes to choosing from these two we suggest you go for the 85T’s. With all the being said, we like the new Jabra Elite 85T’s. In general, Jabra has been doing a great job of refining their earbuds year over year. What we particularly like about the 85T’s is their new fit which we feel is a better version of how the AirPods Pro fit. We like their improved ambient mode and these truly are a battery champ if you only use their Active noise cancellation when you have to like we do. And in general, the active noise cancellation on these earbuds is very decent as well. Add to the fact that these are a pair of very well rounded sounding earbuds with strong bass and a decently small carrying case with wireless charging… we don’t think that you can go wrong with these earbuds.
