Jabra Elite 85t review: do ANC and 6 microphones really make a difference?
The Jabra Elite 85t are the latest true wireless earbuds from Danish brand Jabra. And wow! Jabra has really listened to its users: active noise cancelling, Qi-certified wireless charging, and a great choice for calls and video meetings. The earbuds themselves are slightly larger than earlier models. Are they as comfortable as the 75t? We put them to the test in this review.
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The Jabra Elite 85t have been available for around €230 since November 2020. You can choose from colors including black, beige, copper/black, and gray.
Specifications
- Bluetooth: 5.0
- ANC: Yes
- Case weight: 35gr.
- Earbud weight: 7.5gr.
- Charging case battery: 500mAh
- Multipoint connection: up to 8 devices
- Controls: buttons
- Cable: usb c
- Codecs: SBC, AAC
- Microphone: 6 microphones
The Jabra Elite 85t deliver professional sound
The Jabra Elite 85t sound absolutely stunning. Beautiful, full tones come through clearly thanks to the oval ear tips. The low end really shines. And we've heard our fair share of good audio. We've worn Beyerdynamic over-ear headphones and other studio monitors. So we know what good sound is.
Sound score: 9
We'll try to be critical wherever we can in this review. But when it comes to sound, we simply can't. It sounds beautiful. Whether that's down to the larger openings or other hardware is hard to say.
💡 Take a look at the best wireless earbuds we've tested so far.
Jabra chose oval ear tips rather than round ones. We suspect the main benefit is the larger opening between the speaker and your ear. That lets the sound travel better. The low end benefits in particular.
One thing that definitely improves the sound of the Jabra Elite 85t is the excellent ANC. We'll take a closer look at that feature later, but it deserves a mention here too. This well-executed technology makes the sound even cleaner. You only hear what's coming from the speaker. Other sounds are digitally blocked out. And that makes a big difference.
Personal and balanced
The Jabra 85t don't have overpowering bass, as long as you leave the equalizer in the MySound+ app unchanged. You don't get the exaggerated bass you might get from a radio's audio filters. The Jabras are nicely balanced. Lows, mids, and highs all come together like a symphony.
And the app, which we highly recommend, has an equalizer that lets you find your own sound balance.
Fit: how comfortable are the Jabra Elite 85t?
The Jabra Elite 85t earbuds are slightly heavier than their predecessor. We measured 7.5 grams. The new model is also a little wider, so it sticks out of your ear a bit more. That makes sense: more processing power, better sound, Hear Through technology, and active noise cancelling. Wider openings (12mm) with oval ear tips. More on that later.
So the Jabra Elite 85t are now heavyweights, both on the scale and in the world of earbuds. Ergonomic design is always a challenge for manufacturers. Especially when an earbud is slightly bigger and heavier than its predecessor. Are the Jabra 85t still as comfortable as we've come to expect from the brand?
Left: Jabra 85t with oval ear tips | Right: Jabra 75t (the predecessor) with round ear tips
The earbuds fit well in your ears. The oval ear tips take a little getting used to. Their predecessor, the Jabra Elite 75t, had round ear tips that were already very comfortable. These oval ear tips feel at least as comfortable, but not necessarily better. An improved fit probably wasn't even the main reason for choosing oval ear tips. The larger speaker opening lets sound travel better. There's a wider passage from the speaker to your ear. And you can hear the difference.
A nicely compact charging case
The Jabra 85t charging case is nicely compact, measuring 40x65x23cm.
The Jabra Elite 85t charging case is small, which is handy when you're out or traveling. Despite its size, Jabra has fitted it with a 500 mAh battery. That's average for earbuds. But with so many useful features, these earbuds also use quite a bit of power. You had to plug in the Jabra 75t case fairly often. Luckily, you can charge the Jabra 85t case wirelessly. That makes everyday use much easier.
Still, we would have liked more battery capacity in the 85t case. Jabra has prioritized portability over longer use between charges.
Can you charge the 85t wirelessly?
You can charge the Jabra Elite 85t wirelessly. That's a big plus. The case needs charging a little more often than those of other earbuds, so easy charging really matters. Jabra has delivered on that with wireless charging.
The charging case has a 500 mAh battery and supports wireless charging (Qi-certified)
Jabra Elite 85t calls and microphone
The Jabra Elite 85t have 6 microphones built into the earbuds! You read that right: six microphones! Their predecessor had 4 microphones and already handled calls very well. But listen to the sound quality of the Jabra Elite 85t.
The quality of this microphone is remarkable. It's a pleasure to listen to. We haven't heard anything this good before. The lower tones still come through in our recordings, to a degree we haven't experienced before.
Score: 10
Yes, a 10. We're giving the Jabra Elite 85t microphone a 10. That's a first for us. The sound is so clear that we really can't give it anything less.
Want to know which earbuds have the best microphone? We put together a comparison with all the audio clips.
We test plenty of cheaper earbuds on our website too. We've noticed that while your voice is clear enough, the deeper, lower tones often aren't picked up. That's certainly not the case here. The microphone captures the full range of your voice.
The older 75t is at the top, with the 85t below.
One small drawback of the previous model was a crackling sound in windy conditions. You could hear it clearly while cycling with HearThrough enabled. How useful would it be if HearThrough, which amplifies your surroundings in your ears, worked without crackling while cycling or running?
That's why Jabra built wind protection into the Jabra Elite 85t microphone. Thankfully, they haven't wrapped a big fluffy windscreen around the earbud. Instead, the wind protection is built around the tiny microphone itself. Very handy for outdoor calls or using Hear Through!
With in-ear earbuds in particular, you often can't hear yourself. Not hearing your own voice makes talking difficult. And that makes calls difficult too, assuming you have something to add to the conversation.
There are 6 microphones built into the two earbuds! They're not just for calls, but also for HearThrough technology. More on that later.
Controls: the buttons work perfectly
You control the Jabra Elite 85t with buttons. That's a good choice. The previous model didn't have touch controls either. The buttons are designed to respond to a light press. On some earbuds, you need to press hard to use the buttons. The SoundPEATS Truengine SE are one example. We're very glad Jabra chose buttons for the 85t.
Physical buttons on earbuds costing around €160. For a while, putting touch controls on earbuds was all the rage. The trouble with touch controls is that, while they look very fancy, they don't always work well. And nothing is more annoying than someone speaking to you outside while your touch controls refuse to pause your music.
- 1x right: pause/play
- 1x left: HearThrough on/off
- 1x both: disconnect the earbuds from your device*
Prefer different functions? Change them in the Jabra app.
Volume control generally works well with Jabra's earbud buttons. Just press and hold the button, and the volume gradually goes up on the right or down on the left. It all works well.
Customize the button functions
You can customize all the button functions to suit you. You do this in Jabra's app, Sound+. More on that later.
Here's the Jabra app, where you can set up all your earbud functions just how you like them.
HearThrough: hear your surroundings on demand
With in-ear earbuds in, you often hear very little of your surroundings. That's because the earbuds seal off your ears completely. This is also called passive noise cancelling. But sometimes you do want to hear what's going on around you. When you're running or cycling, hearing a warning sound could even save your life.
That's why the Jabra Elite 85t have HearThrough. It works like an amplifier, making the sounds around you louder in your ears. Even while you're listening to music. It's similar to Apple's transparency mode.
On the 75t, though, you couldn't use it while cycling. The microphone couldn't handle the wind properly, so you heard a lot of crackling and rattling.
The Jabra Elite 85t have 6 microphones and technology that picks up sound clearly, even in strong wind. That's handy! It means you can use the earbuds outdoors with HearThrough enabled.
How HearThrough improves phone calls
You can set HearThrough to switch on automatically when you receive a call. That lets you hear yourself clearly while talking. Calls can be difficult with cheaper earbuds because you can't hear your own voice. That makes talking much harder.
You decide whether this feature turns on. You can set that in Jabra's Sound+ app too.
HearThrough amplifies your surroundings through your earbuds. Handy!
Do the Jabra 85t have ANC?
Yes, the Jabra Elite 85t have active noise cancelling (ANC), also known as noise reduction.
The moment you put the Jabra Elite 85t in your ears, it feels like you've stepped into a soundproof recording studio. All the surrounding noise is immediately suppressed digitally. The noise cancelling works very well in that respect.
Hear Through vs. ANC
Press the left earbud once (1x), and the Jabras switch from ANC to Hear Through. Hear Through is essentially the same as active noise cancelling (...), but in reverse.
With ANC, the earbuds pick up ambient sound through the microphone and digitally filter it out in your ears at high speed. With Hear Through, the earbuds pick up ambient sound and play it back louder, and actively, in your ears. A bit like a hearing aid.
Pressing the button on the left earbud switches the Jabras from ANC to Hear Through and back again. That's when you really notice how well the ANC works. With 1 press of the button, you go from the quiet of ANC to hearing almost everything around you, as if your hearing were extra sensitive (Hear Through).
The ANC works extremely well. Once you've found the button, you'll keep reaching for it. One moment, you're working on your laptop with ANC on. Then you take the dog out and switch to Hear Through because you're outdoors. You hear everything around you clearly while listening to your favorite music. Lovely! These Jabra 85t are a helpful companion in daily life.
Multipoint: connect Jabra 85t to your phone and laptop at once
You can connect the Jabra Elite 85t to 8 devices, if you want to. So you can connect your earbuds to a phone and a laptop at the same time. That's very handy. It's called a multipoint connection.
Working from home and video meetings with Jabra 85t
The Jabra Elite 85t are well suited to working from home. The 6 microphones ensure your voice comes through clearly. As mentioned earlier, you can also connect your earbuds to your laptop and phone at the same time. You can listen to music on your phone, and when your video meeting starts, the earbuds automatically switch to your laptop connection.
The same applies when you're listening to music on your laptop. If your phone rings, the earbuds automatically switch to your phone.
One thing is certain: once you're used to it, you won't want to go back.
Can you connect Jabra Elite 85t to a laptop?
You can connect the Jabra Elite 85t to your laptop. On a Windows desktop or laptop, follow these steps:
- Click the notification icon in the bottom-right corner
- Right-click Bluetooth
- Go to settings
- Choose 'new Bluetooth device'
- Open the case and put the Jabra 85t in your ears
- You should now see Jabra Elite 85t. If not, press and hold both earbud buttons until you hear instructions
- Click 'Jabra Elite 85t' and choose 'connect'
Want to use multipoint, or multiple connections? After connecting to your laptop, connect the earbuds to your phone as you normally would.
What makes the Jabra app so good?
You know how it goes: you buy a printer, TV, or smartwatch, and it asks you to download 'the app'. You're excited about your new purchase, so you download it. But when you open it, you realize the app adds nothing for you. The main benefit is for the manufacturer.
Jabra's earbuds have an app too: Sound+. After reading the previous paragraph, you'll understand that our expectations weren't high. Still, we decided to give it a try for this Jabra Elite 75t review. And it turns out this is the first earbud app we'd call worth its weight in gold.
App interface
First of all, the app looks good. On Android, there's a handy pop-up when you swipe down from the top of your screen. It shows the battery percentage of your earbuds and charging case. Always useful information.
Tap that panel to open the app. The main screen shows the equalizer, where you can adjust the sound to your liking. You can set HearThrough from 0% to 100%. There are also 3 modes: My Moment, Commute, and Focus. Each mode has different settings.
The 'Headset' tab lets you configure everything for your earbuds. Want to customize the buttons? You can. Need the user manual? It's there. Want to check for an update? You can do that too! Oh, and you can also see where your earbuds are. GPS helps you find them again. Another handy feature!
MySound: Jabra 85t adapt to your hearing
MySound can assess your hearing through a series of beep tests that you respond to. The earbuds then personalize the sound balance for you. It's a clever feature.
A lot of money has gone into this app. You can tell straight away.
Updates
When we opened the app, it immediately told us a new firmware update was available to download. So the app also keeps your earbuds up to date. That's reassuring when buying these true wireless earbuds.
Download the Jabra Sound+ app
You can download Jabra's Sound+ app for Android and iOS.
Jabra 85t review: our verdict
The Jabra Elite 85t are a solid upgrade over their predecessor. Judging by the specifications, Jabra has listened carefully to user feedback.
The earbuds have ANC, a feature users really wanted. And the active noise cancelling is well executed. As soon as you put the earbuds in, most of the surrounding noise disappears.
The Jabra 85t microphone is very good. The 6 microphones built into the earbuds do their job extremely well. That makes these earbuds a good choice for calls and video meetings. They also have wind protection to help them cope better with wind. That's another plus, since you can now use HearThrough while cycling, running, and on the go. The microphone was so good that we gave it the score below.
| Score | |
| Sound | 9 |
| Microphone | 10 🏆 |
| Fit | 7 |
| Battery | 7 |
| Controls | 9 |
| Stability | 8.5 |
Others also viewed:
- Browse all our wireless earbud articles
- Also see our 75t review (the predecessor to the 85t)
- Prefer budget in-ear earbuds? These are the best earbuds under €50 we've tested.
- Also check out our article on alternatives to AirPods
- Take a look at the 3 best earbuds for running
- Also see our hands-on look at the Eardopes B6 pro
