Jabra Elite 3: An Honest Review

Jabra’s Elite 3 is its first entry into the extremely competitive sub-£100 market, despite its longstanding presence in true wireless audio. The Elite 3 are entry-level earbuds that focus on the basics rather than features as part of Jabra’s September 2021 truly wireless lineup, which also includes the Elite 7 Pro and Elite 7 Active. Comfort and controls are great, and their audio is good for the price. The Jabra Elite 3 falls short of our favorite true wireless earphones in this competitive price range.

Jabra Elite 3 Specification

Pros

• Great fit
• Warm, engaging sound
• Mono mode for both earbuds

Cons

• No ANC
• Non-wear detection

Sound

The Jabra Elite 3 used Google Fast Pair to link to my Google account, provide visible battery reminders, and more, making pairing easy. The default aptX codec ensures steady audio streaming and clean sound. This highlighted the Jabra Elite 3’s tuning. Jabra Elite 3 started with Rusko and Amber Coffman’s Hold On (Sub Focus Remix) for an exciting, attacking sound. The lush, full lows of this drum-and-bass-meets-dubstep track made it fascinating to listen to at any volume. Despite the sub-bass aggressiveness, the mid-range and highs were refined and coherent. The Jabra Elite 3 is carefully tuned to maximize Qualcomm aptX performance. Despite a low-frequency skew, the earphones accurately reproduced The Avalanches’ If I Were a Folkstar’s constantly changing samples. The faint elements the artists used to build the tone of this sample-based number felt clean and rich, while the snappy beat kept me focused on the track’s flow.

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Colorful and simple

In black, blue, gold, or lavender, the Elite 3 earpieces are bulky but lightweight and secure in the ear, and their eggshell-like texture is easier to hold than other glossier ones. Jabra describes the design as “noise isolating,” and while the in-canal fit offers a great seal and passively blocks some noise, this is true of most in-canal earphones we test and is not active noise cancellation. Three silicone eartips—small, medium, and large—are included. Not having mirrored on-ear controls means each ear functions differently. The left ear push-button panel activates or disables HearThrough mode, which helps you monitor your surroundings. Single presses on the right earpiece control playback, while double and triple presses skip tracks. Two left-ear presses activate your phone’s voice assistant.

Price

The Jabra Elite 3 are attractively priced for true wireless earbuds at $79.99, £79.99, or AU$119, especially for a well-known audio brand. Light beige, dark gray, lilac, and navy are available from most third-party shops.

Design

The Jabra Elite 3 doesn’t stand out like the Elite 75t or Elite 85. I prioritize a good fit, and the Elite 3 felt snug and secure in the ears right away. This is because spherical ear tips always feel better than oval ones. The charging case feels plasticky and lacks wireless capabilities, but it works well otherwise. For instant status, an LED indicator on the case’s front makes more sense than on the back. In other logical steps, the Jabra Elite 3 uses physical buttons instead of touch controls, eliminating the chance of mistaps when changing while moving. The earbuds’ 6mm drivers, which we’ll investigate later, work well. No active noise cancellation, but noise isolation. The Jabra Elite 3 earphones don’t eliminate background noise, but they keep you focused on your music.

Audio Quality

The Jabra Elite 3 is somewhat balanced. When listening to Foo Fighters’ All My Life and Billie Eilish’s Bad Guy, the bass was heavier and distorted at higher volumes. We were pleased with the details and clarity. We wouldn’t expect these earbuds to change your mind or make you see your favorite music in a new light at this price. The soundstage could be larger and better, but David Bowie’s Under Pressure has deep lows and crisp highs. Bass is the one thing that makes you want more energy. While turning on the bass preset via the Jabra app helps, fans will miss being able to adjust the equalizer.

Battery

The Jabra Elite 3’s battery is good despite not supporting wireless charging. In real life, the Jabra earphones provided seven hours of playtime. The case can last 28 hours with three more charges. Best of all, a 10-minute rapid charge gives you an hour of playback, which is perfect for forgetful users. Bluetooth 5.2 eliminated signal dropouts in our testing. Even after we disconnected from our phones, our connectivity remained stable. As mentioned, the Jabra Elite 3 was trustworthy.