Jabra Elite 10 Gen 2 review: A small upgrade to an already excellent flagship

The original Elite 10 did something that past Jabra releases, like the former-flagship Elite 7 Pro, great-value Elite 3, and sporty Elite 7 Active, couldn’t. They made the company a true wireless force to be reckoned with once again. Critical acclaim and significant achievements in sound and design made the first-gen version some of the best wireless earbuds available.

At the same time as Jabra announced that it is pulling the plug on its Elite and Talk consumer ranges, Jabra launched a flagship successor: the Elite 10 Gen 2. They feature every perk that made the original Elite 10 a hit, including active noise cancelation, Bluetooth multipoint, spatial audio with Dolby head tracking, and several settings that enhance usability on multiple ends. Jabra also performed tweaks to their proprietary technologies, while introducing the world’s first LE Audio smart case that doubles as a Bluetooth transmitter. 

Jabra says that support is expected to continue on all new products for the two-year warranty period and beyond. So, are the next-gen Elite 10 enhancements enough to elevate Jabra past Apple, Bose, and Sony as the market’s top wireless earbuds maker? Read my full review to find out.

Jabra Elite 10 Gen 2 review: Price & availability

• Gen 2 version is $30 more expensive than the original Elite 10
• New color options  

The Jabra Elite 10 (Gen 2) are available for $279 / £259 in the U.S. and U.K. (approx. AU$344) on Jabra’s website or on Amazon. At the time of writing they were not available in Australia. 

Color options have been updated to include cocoa, denim, gloss black, soft white, and titanium black.

The Elite 10 (Gen 2) are $30 more expensive than the first-gen model. They’re also listed higher than the best-selling $249 AirPods Pro 2 and fall in the same price range as category leaders as the Bose QC Ultra Earbuds and Sony WF-1000XM5, both priced at $299.

Jabra Elite 10 Gen 2 review: Design

• Chic craftsmanship
• Dust and waterproof
• Smart case is more practical than the first-gen case 

Looks haven’t changed between the first- and second-gen versions. Whereas the Elite 7 Pro lacked the high-end design of masterpieces like the Elite 75t Active, the Elite 10 (Gen 1 and Gen 2) look and feel like a premium product. There’s something appealing about the teardrop shape, which also factors into comfort and fit. The glossy multifunctional button with laser-etched branding stands out from afar, and the buds’ smooth rubberized texture resembles suede. All color options are gorgeous, especially cocoa with its dark burgundy-like complexion. Furthermore, these buds come with a 2-year warranty and IP57 rating, making them better protected against dust and water than the AirPods Pro 2 and WF-1000XM5.

Jabra’s semi-open design doesn’t make the buds feel like they’re plugged. New oval EarGel tips sculpt perfectly to different ear shapes, while the curved cavity rests pleasantly on the concha. I wore the buds daily for 5 hours straight and didn’t experience any soreness. The slightest adjustment locked them in place for optimal stability.

The charging case shares similar design traits. Its soft-touch finish and sleek, compact shape complement the buds’ appearance. Even though it has no IP rating (only the Elite 8 Active case comes IP54 splash- and dust-resistant), this version is similarly sturdy, though the chic exterior is sensitive to dirt and scratches. New to this version is a pairing button on the front that also activates the Bluetooth transmission mode when wired to an audio source (more on that later). 

Jabra Elite 10 Gen 2 review: Features

• Jabra Sound+ app is loaded with extras
• Useful shortcut widget
• Intuitive wireless functionality 

Everything the Jabra Sound+ app afforded the original Elite 10 is available on the next-gen model. Primary features like Call Experience, EQ with multiple presets, Find 

My Jabra (earbuds), MyControls, Sound Modes (ANC/HearThrough), spatial audio, and voice assistant are all accounted for. Soundscape returns to provide listeners a variety of audio vignettes designed for relaxation. Rounding things out are battery level indicators, firmware updates, a sleep mode, and wear detection.

Jabra developed a shortcut widget to enable the listening modes without entering the app. It’s accessible on your phone’s wake screen or by pulling down the notification bar atop the touchscreen.

Outside of the app are one-tap pairing features, multipoint technology to pair to two devices simultaneously, and the smart case, which I’ll discuss further in the review.

Jabra Elite 10 Gen 2 review: Controls

• Great physical and voice controls
• Responsive wear detection 
• Spotify tap doesn’t work 

As with every pair of Jabra earbuds, the Elite 10 (Gen 2) come with multifunctional buttons that enable all call management and playback functions and let you cycle through different listening modes. Spotify Tap is onboard to instantly access the service by double pressing the left earbud, but it wasn’t working on my unit. The buttons produce solid tactility and are responsive to single-/multi-press and long-hold gestures. Taking off the buds will enable auto-pause, and placing them back on will play content.

Jabra’s mic array demonstrates terrific vocal capture and the native digital assistants (e.g., Google Assistant, Siri) acknowledge and execute voice commands with ease. Google Assistant voice activation can be turned on to fire up the feature by saying the wake word phrase (“Hey Google”). 

Jabra Elite 10 Gen 2 review: Sound quality

• Outstanding frequency range with energetic bass
• Charging case streams audio to buds
• Stellar head tracking but spatial audio isn’t convincing 

It looks like Jabra kept the same drivers and soundstage intact for the Elite 10 (Gen 2), which translates to sonic bliss. Expect well-balanced frequencies and deep bass that makes contemporary tracks engaging, especially when listening via lossless and hi-res streaming platforms like Tidal — one of the best music streaming services we've heard.  

Upbeat R&B records like 112’s “Only You (Remix)” had a nice bop to them. The infectious bassline knocked hard without coming on too strong. Also, the group’s harmonizing and the jingly triangle effect in the background were highly transparent. Black Sabbath’s “Paranoid” maintained that same warm, articulate presentation. The reproduction of Ozzy Osbourne’s frenetic vocals was shockingly good, while the pounding drums and speedy strums on the bridge guitar solo had me headbanging at my work desk.

Listening with ANC on slightly increases bass, though you can personalize sound via Music Equalizer in the Sound+ app. You’re given two options: manually adjust frequencies to create your own sound profile or select from six well-engineered presets. The absent MySound feature is more effective for calibrating sound to your hearing. Luckily, you don’t need it since the Neutral preset produces a terrific mix of lows, mids, and highs. 

LE Audio is incorporated and SBC and AAC achieve crisp, low-latency audio transmission. Qualcomm’s aptX Adaptive/Lossless or Sony’s LDAC codec would have been preferred to deliver high-quality audio streams. 

Spatial Sound is the company’s 3D audio format that includes Dolby Atmos and head-tracking support. The feature is a little better this time around, but it still doesn’t compare to Apple’s and Bose’s spatial audio alternatives. 

Most Dolby Atmos tracks on Apple Music were satisfying listens. Hello Yellow’s “Help Again” burst with vibrancy; the striking cymbals and vocoder rhymes enlivened the soundstage. Meanwhile, hip-hop songs like Slaughterhouse’s “Not Tonight” lacked amplification and clarity; the low-sounding vocals were distant and dull.

Using Spatial Sound on Android devices required some adjustments. I often have the Fixed Spatial Audio feature set on my OnePlus 11 smartphone, which works with all headphones and earbuds. Having it on at the same time as Spatial Sound decreased sound quality. Bass levels went haywire on Outkast’s “Rosa Parks,” but limiting 3D audio to Jabra’s version cleaned up the low end and kept it boomy.

Dolby head tracking is arguably the Elite 10’s best feature. The head motion detection on these buds is insanely precise. What I like most is that Jabra doesn’t make you take an ear-scanning test to use spatial audio like the Apple AirPods Pro 2 and Sony WF-1000XM5 models do.

Jabra Elite 10 Gen 2 review: Active Noise Cancelation

• Minor ANC enhancement
• Effective wind resistance
• Class-leading HearThrough ambient mode 

Jabra’s Advanced ANC technology debuted on the original Elite 10 and provided fantastic noise cancellation. The Elite 10 (Gen 2) have greater high-frequency reduction, though Jabra’s noise cancellation still ranks a few notches below the QC Ultra Earbuds and WF-1000XM5. These buds can reduce up to 90% of ambient noise. Advanced ANC silenced the construction work taking place outside and the shrieking sounds my intercom system made during fire alarm tests. Common distractions such as cat meows, household appliances, and high-volume TVs didn’t bother me either.  

The ANC technology was most effective outside. Walks to the grocery store were peacefully quiet. I blocked out the bratty tweens complaining about their Starbucks coffee orders, as well as loud portable speakers and trains passing through nearby. It took blaringly loud noises (e.g., train horns, whistles) to break my concentration.

HearThrough remains the best transparency mode out there. Jabra’s six-mic array captures vocals clearly, which made chatting with the missus from across the living room convenient. My awareness was high when strolling around the neighborhood at night; I could hear oncoming traffic from a block away.

Jabra Elite 10 Gen 2 review: Call quality and connectivity

• Voice calling remains a downgrade
• ANC still doesn’t keep calls clear of background noise
• More instantaneous pairing options 

According to Jabra, the first-gen Elite 10’s mic array could distinguish between background noise and the caller’s speaking voice, while employing noise-reduction algorithms to adaptively block out noise. This wasn’t entirely true. The buds did an impressive job of emphasizing vocal input. Using the Call Experience feature in the Sound+ app increased how loud I sounded and added more bass/treble to calls. Unfortunately, the mics and noise-canceling technology struggled to minimize background noise. 

Despite the claims of having “improved 6-mic call technology with effective noise-reduction algorithms,” the Elite 10 (Gen 2) fall short of the excellent call quality brand enthusiasts are accustomed to experiencing. My wife couldn’t make out much of what I said when walking home; all the ruckus around me was transparent on her end. Even slight summer breezes reduced clarity. The Elite 10 (Gen 2) worked much better for indoor calls. My wife applauded how loud and clear I sounded, though that feedback mostly applied when speaking in quiet settings.

On the plus side, the Elite 10 (Gen 2) have strong connectivity across the board. Bluetooth 5.3 with multipoint technology runs smoothly. Range extends up to 50 feet before stuttering. There’s even multiplatform one-tap pairing for Android (Google Fast Pair) and Windows devices (Microsoft Swift Pair). Connecting to iOS/macOS devices is quick as well.

Jabra Elite 10 review Gen 2: Battery life

• Steady playtimes
• Effective quick charging 

Battery life went untouched. The Elite 10 (Gen 2) offer up to 6 hours of playtime with ANC on, which is pretty standard. Turning it off extends battery life to 8 hours. Keep in mind that high volume and spatial audio reduces playtimes by about 2 hours. This isn’t far off from the AirPods Pro 2 (around 5.5 to 7 hours), but it’s lower than the WF-1000XM5 (around 8 to 12 hours). I got about 3 days of moderate use (2.5 hours daily) before recharging. 

As far as the wireless charging case goes, it can hold up to 36 hours, and a 5-minute quick charge generates 1 hour of listening time.

Jabra Elite 10 Gen 2 review: Verdict

Jabra didn’t need to upgrade the Elite 10 because the first-gen buds were already an outstanding addition to the field that compete at a high level. On the other hand, we appreciate their commitment to pushing the series forward with considerable additions like enhanced ANC and the smart case. Everything else practically looks and operates the same as the original. 

More focus should have been on perfecting Spatial Sound and refining connectivity. Furthermore, the increased price tag is an eye sore, especially when compared to the big three – the AirPods Pro 2, Bose QC Ultra Earbuds, and Sony WF-1000XM5 – all of which are frequently on sale for less than Jabra’s latest buds and perform similarly. 

If you’re an avid Jabra user and have the money to splurge, then the Elite 10 (Gen 2) can be a quality pickup. You can also enjoy much of the same functionality on the Gen 1 version, which can regularly be found discounted, or Apple’s flagship buds, and for a lower cost. 

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