The $279 Jabra Elite 10 Gen 2 noise-cancelling true wireless earbuds improve upon the successful $249 originals by offering class-leading active noise cancellation (ANC) against low frequencies and an advanced charging case that can transmit audio to the earphones from practically any source. The audio drivers and companion app remain the same, but that's good since we enjoy the balanced sound signature and adjustable EQ. But what really makes these stand out among their high-end, noise-cancelling peers is their excellent IP57 rating against dust and water ingress. The $229 Jabra Elite 8 Active Gen 2 and $299 Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds ultimately earn our Editors' Choice award, respectively, for their even more rugged design and slightly stronger noise cancellation overall, but the Elite 10 Gen 2 earphones strike an ideal balance between the two.
Design: A Familiar, Waterproof Build
The Elite 10 earbuds are available in Cocoa (brown), Denim (light blue), Gloss Black, Soft White, or Titanium Black. I tested the Soft White model and appreciate the variety of color options. The earphones feel comfortable to wear over long listening sessions, and Jabra provides three sets of angled eartips with semi-open perforated grilles to ensure a secure fit. Internally, the same 10mm dynamic drivers from the original deliver a frequency range of 20Hz to 20kHz.
They are compatible with Bluetooth 5.3, use the AAC and SBC codecs, support Google Fast Pair, and offer multipoint connectivity with up to two devices. The earphones can receive Bluetooth LE Audio (including via the LC3 codec) from the case, but not by themselves. If you want high-end codec support for your Android device, consider the LDAC-equipped, $299 Sony WF-1000XM5 instead.
Each earpiece has a flat, clickable outer panel for the controls. Some users might prefer this to a capacitive touch area, but you must still be careful to avoid accidental presses. I'm happy to report that pressing the button didn't shove the earbuds further into my ear canal during testing.
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The standard control layout is mostly intuitive, but you can customize it via the app. By default, a single press toggles between the ANC and HearThrough (transparency) modes on the left earpiece and controls playback on the right. Double presses on the left earbud summon your voice assistant, while the same action skips to the next track on the right. Hands-free voice-assistant access is available for Google Assistant only. Triple presses on the right take you to the previous track. Finally, press and hold the buttons to control the volume (left for down, right for up). Single taps on either side also answer incoming calls, while double taps end them.
These earbuds have an IP57 rating like their predecessors, so they are far more durable than most noise-cancelling competitors. Practically, this rating means they are highly dust-resistant and can survive submersion in water at depths of up to a meter for 30 minutes. Neither heavy rain, sweaty workouts, nor accidental dunks in a pool should cause an issue. Just keep in mind that the Elite 8 Active earphones have an even better IP68 rating that makes them fully dustproof and waterproof at greater depths. Both should be fine for running in stormy weather, though you can likely benefit from the Elite 8 Active's IP68 rating if you work out a lot in especially dirty or wet conditions.
The included USB-C-to-USB-C charging cable serves several purposes. Primarily, it allows you to charge the case via a USB-C port on the bottom. But it also enables LE Audio transmissions from anything with a USB-C or aux output. (The wire cleverly works in a 3.5mm adapter.) To get started, simply connect the case to a source and press the button on the front to establish a connection to the earbuds. This feature worked seamlessly in testing with both a TV and an iPad. Between this transmission ability and the wireless charging support, this is one of the best earbud cases I've tested. Just keep in mind that the one for the Jabra Elite 8 Active has all the same functionality and an IP54 rating.
Jabra estimates that the Elite 10 Gen 2 earphones can last 6 hours with ANC on or 8 hours with ANC off per charge, and that the case holds between 21 (ANC on) and 30 (ANC off) hours; these numbers aren't much different than those for the previous version. Your results will vary, of course, depending on your typical listening volume level. The company also claims that 5 minutes of charging will net you 1 hour of playback but doesn't specify how long a full charge takes.
App Experience: Tons of Features
Although it buries some settings, the Jabra Sound+ app (available for Android and iOS) is easy to operate, and I enjoy its slick graphics. It organizes everything into three tabs, but you can ignore the Discover and About Sound+ sections since they mainly provide links to other Jabra products and some redundant options. The main screen shows an image of the earbuds at the top, along with battery life readouts for each earpiece and the case.
Scroll down to reach the Sound Modes section. Here, you can select between the ANC and HearThrough modes or turn both off. The ANC mode doesn't offer any adjustable parameters, though the HearThrough setting has five levels.
Further down, you can enable spatial sound for media. It's off by default but includes both Dolby Atmos and head-tracking support. The Elite 8 Active Gen 2 earbuds get the more basic Dolby Audio implementation.
Head to the Music Equalizer tile to access a five-band EQ with vague Bass, Midrange, and Treble labels. You can start from the default Neutral sound signature or another preset such as Bass Boost, Energize, Speech, Smooth, and Treble Boost. EQ changes have a noticeable effect on the sound signature.
The final tile, Soundscape, offers various ambient sound loops for focusing or relaxing. Options include Perfect Storm, Ocean Waves (the default), Songbirds, and Waterfall, along with the more artificial White and Pink Noise.
In the app's settings menu, you can download firmware updates, configure your voice assistant, or set up Spotify Tap. Otherwise, you can rename your earbuds, enable wind-noise reduction, and customize practically all of the on-ear controls. Finally, you can adjust various calling features (such as automatic mic muting, sidetone, and EQ), enable the location-based Find My Jabra tool, and access support documentation.
As mentioned, some settings just aren't where I expect them to be. For instance, the wind-noise reduction feature should be in the Sounds Mode section, and the ability to add an Off option to the ANC/HearThrough cycle should be in the section for customizing all the other on-ear controls. It's still better to have all of these options than not, however.
Noise Cancellation: Superb Against Low Frequencies
Jabra says the Elite 10 Gen 2 earphones are twice as adept at canceling noise compared with the original. And based on my testing, I can confirm their impressive performance.
To start, I tried playing a recording of powerful low-frequency rumble. They eliminated these tones at first, though sub-bass at a high volume eventually caused a rippling effect—you hear these frequencies come in and out faintly and just a hint of their sonic texture. But when the headphones adjusted again after that, I couldn't hear any of the recording. I picked out a slight masking hiss, though most competing models also rely on this trick.
After restarting the earbuds several times, I confirmed they can usually cancel this noise completely. Anecdotally, they seemed to perform most effectively when a noise was already audible in an environment compared with any new sounds. At their best, the Jabra Elite 10 earbuds eliminate low-frequency noise better than any other model I've tested, including the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds. And the two are about equal when the Jabra isn't quite performing at its peak level.
A recording of white noise I played at a high volume was more of a challenge. The Elite 10 earphones somewhat lowered the highs here, though much of the white noise is still audible. In the same scenario, the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds eliminated a noticeably wider swath of noise and reduced the overall volume more. Bose also proved more effective against a recording of a busy restaurant with varied mids and highs, but Jabra came close.
Meanwhile, the Jabra earphones outperformed the Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Gen) against the deep rumble and white noise recordings, though they did about the same when I played the restaurant recording. The Jabras came out ahead of the Sony WF-1000XM5 on the low-frequency test. On the other tests, the Jabra model let through more high frequencies, while the Sony earphones allowed more midrange frequencies to pass.
All of this is to say that Jabra deserves to be part of the conversation with Apple, Bose, and Sony when it comes to active noise cancellation. The Bose QuietComfort Earbuds are still the best overall, though the others are all elite.
HearThrough, Jabra’s transparency mode, lets you monitor your surroundings with a subtle emphasis on conversational clarity. A hiss is audible at its top volume level, so the setting just below that works best for accurately hearing your environment. The new Natural HearThrough mode eliminates any noise from wind hitting the ambient mic array—this worked well in tests with a powerful fan.
Sound Quality: A Balanced Presentation
Whereas the Elite 8 Active earbuds offer just Dolby Audio, this model has Dolby Atmos and Head Tracking (similar to Apple's spatial audio with head tracking). I generally don't find Dolby Atmos impressive for headphones—it's more useful for a real surround system. The head-tracking feature can sometimes be interesting, however. On Bjork's “Atopos,” for instance, this feature allows her voice to follow your head movements while all the other elements in the mix stay in place. Both features are easy enough to try if you are curious.
As mentioned, the in-app EQ is useful for tweaking the audio signature. For testing, I restored the default Neutral profile and turned off the spatial audio effects.
On tracks with intense sub-bass content, like The Knife’s “Silent Shout,” the earphones produce low frequencies with lots of power. The thump is almost palpable at higher volumes, and the lows still sound robust at lower volumes.
They have no trouble reproducing the sub-bass at the 34-second mark of Kendrick Lamar’s “Loyalty.” The sub-bass synth notes pack what sounds like real subwoofer rumble through these drivers. The various vocals receive an ideal high-frequency clarity and never compete with the substantial bass depth for attention.
The drums on Bill Callahan’s “Drover” have just the right amount of extra bass depth to retain a natural tone. Callahan’s baritone vocals get a pleasant blend of low-mid richness and high-mid definition, while the acoustic strums and percussive hits sound bright and detailed. The mids can get lost a bit in this sound signature, but the EQ can restore their presence. Otherwise, the drivers maintain a nice balance between the low and high frequencies.
On orchestral tracks, like the opening scene from John Adams’ The Gospel According to the Other Mary, I hear some extra bass depth, though the higher-register brass, strings, and vocals remain the focus. Most listeners should enjoy this presentation, even if it isn't necessarily accurate.
The voice mic array works well overall, and I could understand every word from a test recording on my iPhone. The signal doesn't seem as treated for clarity as that of the Apple and Bose earphones, though it's just as loud.
Verdict: Sturdy Earbuds With Elite ANC
The Jabra Elite 10 Gen 2 earphones are far more than a cosmetic upgrade to the original. They still produce enjoyable sound and come with a full-featured companion app, but the ANC is much better this time around (and second to none against deep low rumble). It’s also difficult to understate how cool the case is—you can stream from practically any source. Overall, the Elite 10 earbuds are extremely well-rounded—don't hesitate to get them if you want noise-cancelling earphones that you don't have to worry about at the gym or out in rough weather. But if you want the absolute best in terms of durability, the Editors' Choice-winning Elite 8 Active Gen 2 earphones offer a superior IP68 rating for $229. And for the most effective noise cancellation overall, the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds remain our Editors' Choice pick at $299.
With excellent noise cancellation, enjoyable sound quality, and an innovative case that can transmit audio, the Jabra Elite 10 Gen 2 earphones are a top choice for runners who want it all.
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