Price and Specifications
The Jabra Elite 85h are premium over-ear headphones designed with a focus on delivering high-quality sound, active noise cancellation (ANC), long battery life, and versatile features, making them an excellent choice for both casual listeners and audiophiles alike. Released in 2019, the Elite 85h stands as one of Jabra’s flagship audio products, catering to users who value both audio quality and user-friendly features. Known for their durability, excellent call quality, and intelligent noise cancellation, the Jabra Elite 85h has garnered a reputation as a solid choice in the competitive headphone market.
In this review, we’ll dive into the detailed specifications, features, price, and overall value of the Jabra Elite 85h headphones to help you decide whether they are the right choice for your audio needs.
Price
As of 2024, the Jabra Elite 85h can typically be found for:
- $299 USD (Standard Price)
However, like many premium products, the Jabra Elite 85h often goes on sale, and you can find it for $250–$270 during promotional periods such as Black Friday, Amazon Prime Day, or back-to-school events. While priced higher than many budget wireless headphones, the Elite 85h is competitive in the high-end market, offering features like adaptive ANC, long battery life, and high-quality audio at a relatively lower price than some competitors like the Sony WH-1000XM5 or Bose QuietComfort 45.
Key Specifications of Jabra Elite 85h
The Jabra Elite 85h is packed with a range of advanced features, designed to cater to users who seek premium sound and excellent noise cancellation. Below is a detailed breakdown of the key specifications:
1. Design and Build Quality
- Type: Over-Ear, Closed-Back Headphones
- Weight: 296g (10.4 oz)
- Materials:
- Premium fabric finish for a soft touch.
- Sturdy metal frame with durable hinges for foldability.
- Memory foam ear cushions for comfort and sound isolation.
- Colors: Available in three colors:
- Navy
- Black
- Gold Beige
The Jabra Elite 85h has an attractive and modern design, featuring premium fabric and metal components that give the headphones a solid, durable build. The headband is made of a sturdy material, ensuring flexibility and comfort for extended wear. The ear cups feature memory foam cushions that provide a comfortable, snug fit while also improving sound isolation.
Weighing in at just 296g, the Elite 85h are lightweight for over-ear headphones, making them ideal for long listening sessions without causing discomfort. The foldable design makes these headphones easy to store and carry, while the adjustable headband ensures a good fit for various head sizes.
2. Audio Quality
- Driver Size: 40mm custom drivers.
- Frequency Response: 20Hz – 20kHz.
- Sound Quality: Clear, balanced audio with rich bass, smooth mids, and crisp highs.
- Music Modes: Pre-configured sound modes to suit different genres (e.g., bass-heavy, balanced, or treble-focused).
The Jabra Elite 85h features 40mm drivers that deliver clear and balanced sound across all frequencies. Users can expect rich, punchy bass, crisp treble, and well-defined mids. Whether you’re listening to bass-heavy tracks or classical music, the Elite 85h provides a pleasant listening experience with no noticeable distortion at high volumes.
Jabra has also included Sound+ app support, which allows users to fine-tune their audio settings, choose from several predefined sound profiles, or create their own custom equalizer settings. This personalization feature ensures that the headphones can cater to a variety of listening preferences, whether you’re into EDM, rock, or podcast listening.
3. Active Noise Cancellation (ANC)
- Adaptive Noise Cancellation (ANC): The Elite 85h comes with an intelligent ANC system that automatically adapts to your environment.
- Wind Noise Protection: Helps reduce wind interference when outdoors.
- Adjustable ANC Levels: Can be customized via the Jabra Sound+ app or through onboard controls.
The adaptive noise cancellation technology in the Jabra Elite 85h is one of its standout features. The headphones continuously monitor the surrounding environment and adjust the ANC to provide optimal noise reduction. Whether you’re in a quiet room or a noisy café, the headphones adjust their noise cancellation level for the best listening experience.
Additionally, the wind noise protection feature is designed to reduce wind interference, making these headphones ideal for outdoor activities or calls when you’re walking or cycling.
4. Battery Life
- Battery Life: Up to 36 hours of continuous playtime with ANC on.
- Quick Charge: 15 minutes of charging provides up to 5 hours of listening time.
- Charging Port: USB-C for fast charging.
The Jabra Elite 85h boasts impressive battery life, with up to 36 hours of continuous playback when ANC is activated. This makes the Elite 85h one of the longest-lasting wireless headphones available. Whether you’re commuting, traveling, or on a long flight, the battery life of these headphones ensures that they will last through the day without needing to recharge.
For those in a rush, a quick 15-minute charge gives you an additional 5 hours of playback time, making the headphones ready to go after a short break. The headphones charge via USB-C, offering faster charging times compared to older micro-USB models.
5. Connectivity and Smart Features
- Bluetooth Version: Bluetooth 5.0 for a stable, low-latency connection.
- Multi-Point Connectivity: Yes, the Elite 85h can connect to two devices simultaneously, such as a laptop and a smartphone.
- Voice Assistant Support: Works with Google Assistant, Siri, and Amazon Alexa.
- Smart Audio: Automatically pauses and resumes playback when the headphones are removed or put back on.
The Jabra Elite 85h supports Bluetooth 5.0, which ensures a stable connection with your devices while also offering low latency for video streaming or gaming. The multi-point connectivity feature allows you to connect two devices at once, so you can seamlessly switch between listening to music on your laptop and answering calls on your smartphone without needing to disconnect.
The headphones also integrate with popular voice assistants such as Google Assistant, Siri, and Amazon Alexa, allowing you to make calls, check your calendar, control music playback, and more with voice commands. Additionally, Smart Audio ensures that your playback is automatically paused when you remove the headphones from your head, and resumes when you put them back on, offering a hands-free experience.
6. Comfort and Fit
- Adjustable Headband: For a custom fit.
- Memory Foam Earpads: Ensure a comfortable, secure fit and better sound isolation.
- Foldable Design: For easy storage and portability.
Comfort is one of the key strengths of the Jabra Elite 85h. The memory foam ear cushions provide excellent comfort and help create a secure fit for a wide range of head sizes. Whether you’re on a long flight or spending the day working at a desk, these headphones will remain comfortable for hours of wear.
The adjustable headband lets you fine-tune the fit, while the foldable design makes it easy to store the headphones when not in use, whether you’re packing them in a bag or traveling.
7. Durability and Build Quality
- IP52 Rating: The Elite 85h has an IP52 rating, meaning it is resistant to dust and water splashes.
- Durable Design: Constructed with sturdy plastic and metal materials.
The Jabra Elite 85h is built to last, with an IP52 rating for water and dust resistance. This makes the headphones durable enough to handle occasional exposure to rain or sweat, making them suitable for outdoor use, light workouts, or travel. While not fully waterproof, the IP52 rating means the headphones are resistant to everyday elements, such as light rain or sweat during exercise.
8. Call Quality
- 8 Microphones: The Elite 85h comes with 8 microphones for superior call quality, ensuring that your voice comes through clearly in noisy environments.
- Wind Protection: The microphones are designed to reduce wind noise during calls, providing clear communication even outdoors.
The call quality on the Jabra Elite 85h is exceptional, thanks to the 8 microphones built into the headphones. These microphones help isolate your voice and reduce background noise, ensuring that calls come through clearly, even in noisy environments like a busy street or an airport. The wind protection feature also helps to minimize wind noise when making calls outdoors.
Pros of Jabra Elite 85h
- Excellent noise cancellation with adaptive ANC technology that adjusts based on the environment.
- Exceptional battery life of up to 36 hours with ANC on.
- **Comfortable fit