A new affordable but impressive earbud just came to town and I am proud to be the one who hosted the livestream on Lazada to announce its launch in Singapore. A few weeks ago, I unveiled the launch of the Jabra Elite 3 for the first time in Singapore. It is the most affordable model in the True Wireless series with nothing much you can really nitpick about even with a friendly price point. I got hold of the navy model and after enjoying it for a while after the livestream, here is my review of the Jabra Elite 3.
What I look out for, which is usually the dealbreaker for lower price point earbuds, is whether the sound production is well-balanced and has depth, across songs that are treble to bass-heavy. Almost all the earbuds I’ve tried that are under S$150 do not meet my rather high expectations in sound quality. To test the Jabra Elite 3, I shuffled some top hits and was impressed by how great the tuning is for earbuds at this price range. Kudos to the 6mm speakers for the extra punch and fuller bass.
The next factor Jabra is a champion for is the fit. If you have tried other Jabra earbuds before, you would be familiar with how comfortable they fit, even though they sit quite deep into your ear canals. The Elite 3 is no different, and the nozzle-like ear gels seal my ears quite well, lending it some passive noise cancellation which largely makes up for the lack of active noise cancellation in this model. The Elite 3 comes with 3 other ear gels to swap with to find your best fit. The earbud itself has a triangular shape (which is also the button for certain functions) and rest neatly on my ears.
The next cool function that you have to look out for is the Mono Mode, which is really handy when you need to charge your earbuds but still have meetings throughout the day. Fortunately, I am well stocked with earbuds and headphones (tech writer for a reason, right?), but I can imagine a lot of users who will find it really handy to use one earbud while the other charges so that you will never be disconnected. It is also compatible with Find My Jabra if you ever misplace your earbuds.
Speaking of charging, let’s talk about the battery. Remember the iconic Dutch distance runner Sifan Hassan who fell but still won the 1,500m race at Tokyo Olympics? That is what charging the Elite 3 is like. Unexpectedly fast. The fast charge option gives an extra hour of power in just ten minutes, which is about the time I take to do a simple makeup look. With the case, the Elite 3 is booted with 28 hours of battery, which lasts me almost a week without charging when I use it a few hours a day.
What happens when I have to talk? Online meetings are smooth with the 4-microphone call technology, an impressive feature yet again for an affordable price point. Elite 3 gets even fancier with Alexa Built-in, one-touch Spotify playback, and Google Fast Pair. Check out my unscripted reaction below in the livestream where I was talking about the earbuds and was taken aback by how quick my phone detected the earbuds to pair with through Google Fast Pair:
While I am not familiar with Danish design, I do know what sleek design looks like, and I love the minimalist design in an ultra-light case which comes in a new range of colours including Dark Grey, Navy, Lilac and Light Beige. I am especially a big fan of the Lilac and Light Beige ones which I cannot wait to pair with my pastel dresses.
All in all, Jabra Elite 3 packs a punch for an affordable price point, with great quality and features that you could hardly find in comparables with similar prices. This device is something I will still be using in my daily life just because it is so comfortable, lightweight, and have everything I need to enjoy music and take meetings.
The Jabra Elite 3 retails at S$128 on Jabra’s Web Store and Lazada. For more information, visit www.jabra.com/elite.
