The Jabra Elite 85h offer incredible battery life and terrific noise cancelling in a very stylish package. Purists may be put off by the lack of high-end audio codecs like AAC, aptX or LDAC, but the Elite 85h sound almost as good as Bose’s QuietComfort 35 II but not quite.
Good
Class-leading battery life
Excellent ANC performance
Stylish and comfortable
Bad
Lacks support for high-end codecs
Bass could be punchier
Jabra Elite 85h Spec
Price $299.99
Active noise cancellation: Digital hybrid uses four of 8 mics
Passive noise cancellation: Yes
Voice assistant button: Yes, Alexa or on-device option (Google Assistant, Bixby, or Siri)
Speaker size: 40mm
Microphone type: Six MEMS and two ECM
Music and talk time: 41 hours with ANC off and 36 with ANC on
Standby time: Greater than one year, auto power off after eight hours
Charging time: 2.5 hours with 500mA wall charger
Bluetooth profiles: HSP v1.2 , HFP v1.7, A2DP v1.3, AVRCP v1.6, PBAP v1.1, SPP v1.2
Bluetooth version: 5.0
Dimensions: 195 x 82 x 225 mm and 296 grams
Colors: Black, Gold Beige, Navy, and Titanium Black
Jabra impressed us last year with a mix of quality and value on the Elite 65t. The Elite 85h is a well-built audio workhorse with amazing battery life and capable ANC, but the overall audio quality isn’t as good as the Sony 1000XM3 or the Bose QuietComfort 35 II. And at $300, they’re not undercutting the competition and making a value play. These are every bit a flagship set, right down to the price.
Offering class-leading battery life, terrific style and plenty of personalization when it comes to sound profiles, the Elite 85h is easy to recommend. That said, the lack of high-end codec support and there are punchier headphones on the market at this price point. When you consider that Jabra’s Elite 85h headphones are the company’s first attempt at premium wireless ANC headphones, the result is quite commendable. We can’t wait to see what the company’s next premium ANC headphones will accomplish.
