If you’re trying to settle on a pair of really good wireless earbuds, the Jabra Elite 75T should be high up on your list. If you’re an iPhone user, the AirPods may be what you’d think of first and that’s as it may be, but for Android users, the 75T’s are a great option. They work with Apple devices also, of course. Here’s what these earbuds have going for them:

The earlier generation 65T were already a big favourite last year. Now, with the 75T, Jabra has fine tuned many things and made the earbuds much better. The two earbuds come out of a nice compact charging case: very easy to pack into a bag or pocket, but also easy to lose because of the size, so caution is advised. As each bud goes into the case, a light flashes to indicate proper magnetic fit and start of charging. The buds themselves drop out of my hand very easily and I think this has to do with their shape and balance, so again, it’s good idea to be careful. The design is subtle and un-flashy.

The case has a USB Type C charging slot so you can use any readily available cable to charge though there’s a small one in the box. The case doesn’t support wireless charging but it does work for fast charge and gives 7.5 hours of battery life on a single charge and then can go back into the case for another round adding up to 28 hours. Fifteen minutes of charging will give an hour’s play.

Compact comfort

Even though the 75T earbuds are the same rounded clumps they were in earlier versions, they’re now smaller and will fit most people much better. In fact, they fit in so well they’re among the more comfortable earbuds I’ve experienced lately. Two extra sets of ear-tips come in the package.

It’ll be specially important to choose the ear-tips that will give you the perfect fit and seal because these earbuds don’t actually have active noise cancellation but instead do a really good job of sealing you in with the music and blocking off the sounds outside. There were several times when I stared blankly at someone trying to talk to me when I had these earphones on. There’s even a hear-through mode available by tapping the left earbud or through the app because the noise is shut out so well you could miss sounds you need to hear in certain situations. And it works impressively.

Fitted well, the 75T earbuds sound very nice. The sharper sounds are clean and separated but there’s also some deep bass — in fact, too deep for some. I believe the sound configuration will be quite happily accepted by listeners in India. Undoubtedly, for others, the bass will be overwhelming, specially as these earphones sit so deep in the ear canal, but the companion app has an equaliser to adjust to your own preferences, a job which it does rather well, even letting you set presets for different situations or music genres.

There are onboard controls mostly with one big button on each earbud. They’re responsive and don’t need too much pressing, but many people do find controls on something that goes so deep into the ear very uncomfortable. There’s also a bit of getting accustomed to needed to remember how many taps achieve what action. It’s the volume control — long press on that one button with right for increase and left for decrease — is decidedly uncomfortable and it’s difficult to fine-tune the volume you want. You’ll resort to using the playback device. Personal assistants are available with a press on the left earbud, and quite easily. Calls sound fine with the 75T’s but if you’re to use only one earbud, it’ll have to be the right not the left. They come with four microphones make phone calls easier. The earphones can connect to more than one device which is always a nice to have feature. They maintain connectivity well.

These earphones are IP55 water and dust resistant which means a few splashes, sweat and some drops of rain are alright but actual immersion in water may be a problem. If you’re specifically looking for workout earbuds, there should be an Active version available with stronger water resistance.

The year has only just begun and I’ve already come across reviewers online who say the Jabra 75T are the best true wireless ear-phones of 2020. That’s jumping the gun more than a little, but for now they’re a good alternative to Apple’s AirPods, particularly for Android users, though both the Airpods and the Jabra Elite work with both platforms except for a feature or two. They won’t be compared with the AirPods Pro or other noise cancellation earphones because that takes it to another price range. It also comes with a two-year warranty, which is quite a lot.

Price: Rs 15,990

Pros: Very good sound quality with equaliser support from app, excellent comfort, excellent passive noise isolation, good feature set, battery life a plus point, useful stable companion app

Cons: Both earbuds don’t work individually, bass can be overwhelming in-ear but luckily adjustable from app

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