Is the Jabra Elite 75t a Worthy Replacement for the OG Airpods?

In an age where the AirPods are all the rage, I must confess that I, too, own a pair. But more than the flex, what I genuinely love the AirPods for go beyond skin-deep. This may be an ‘I love pineapples on pizza’ kind of moment, but my friends recoil in surprise when I tell them that I love the fit of the AirPods and how they sit nicely in my ear. Many beg to differ, and in fact, highlight that the fit of the AirPods are in fact, the very thing that they hate about it. But that’s the thing with stuff you love—you can’t just love a fraction of what they are, you have to embrace it all, the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Just when I thought I’d settled down with the earpieces of my dreams, the Jabra Elite 75t came along—dubbed by many as the best AirPods alternative. Soon enough, I found myself in quite the meme situation. You know what I’m talking about, the distracted boyfriend meme. So, in the name of science, I cheat on my AirPods for a week and try out the Jabra Elite 75t to find out if it truly is the superior earpiece.

1. Instant Connection

With the AirPods, an instant connection is annoyingly a hit or a miss. There were occasions when they connected instantly to my phone, and yet there were times when I had to give them a little nudge and pair them manually. But with the Elite 75t, they’d pair almost immediately to my phone, taking less than a second to connect whenever I put them on. As an extremely impatient person, I do appreciate the efficiency.

2. Comprehensive Sound+ App

The unique feature of Jabra devices is that you can control and monitor them through the Jabra Sound+ app. There, you can utilise a range of features such as customising your music presets and profile, utilise Find My Jabra, and monitor battery levels. This one-stop app makes it a lot simpler to control and customise your earpiece, as opposed to AirPods that function without an app. Not to mention, it’s always a gamble waiting for the pop up to notify you of your AirPods’ battery levels every time you flip open the case.

3. Personalised Sound Profile

From the Sound+ app, you can customise your sound profile and preferences down to the very last detail. Apart from equalising your bass and treble, there are also several sounds presets built-in for you to select from, such as Bass Boost, Smooth, and Energise.

4. ‘Hear Through’ Function

With the earbud’s snug fit, noise cancellation is pretty much default. But it can be disconcerting especially to someone like me who gathers a sense of security from being able to hear slight ambience noise while on the go. The Elite 75t’s excellent noise isolation amplifies the sound of my own breathing and my heart beating. But with the ‘hear through’ function, a portion of ambience noise is allowed to pass through, and the user even gets fine control over just how much noise to let in.

5. Lightning-speed Charging

Priding itself on speedy charging, the Elite 75t lives up to its promise. With a mere 15 minutes in the charging case, the earbuds can last for about an hour of non-stop use. And on its own, the Elite 75t can survive for up to 28 hours before its next charge.

But as with all new relationships, this affair was not without its downsides.

Sound-wise, the Jabra Elite 75t was a little too crisp for my liking. Even after I’d already adjusted my sound preferences in the Jabra Sound+ app, the highs were still a tad too high. So despite using the earbuds for seven days straight, it was still pretty jarring and difficult for me to get used to.

I was initially sceptical about the Elite 75t’s fit, especially since I’m genuinely not too fond of in-ear pieces. Upon slipping in the Elite 75t for the first time, I was pleasantly surprised that its soft buds made the earpiece a lot more comfortable than I’d expected. However, while the suction sensation was minimised, the fit still wasn’t the most comfortable thing in the world.

Just a tiny sidetrack—I thought I’d bring up some features that make the 75t slightly different from the 65t since my boyfriend has been using the 65t for a while now. A notable difference was that the earbuds and case are magnetic now—meaning that they snap satisfyingly into place in the cradle and when closed. And about time—the 65t had no magnetic snaps, which meant constant disruption when charging in-case as the earbuds tend to shift during commute. The earbuds are also smaller and fit more snugly into the user’s ears, just as Jabra had promised.

All that said, the Elite 75t has impressed me in ways I did not expect. Where comfort and user-friendliness are concerned, it checks all the boxes. Perhaps I’m a creature of habit, but when it comes to the fit, sound and ease, few come close to the AirPods. And while I might not jump at the opportunity to make that permanent switch, I do think that the Elite 75t is definitely worth your while if you’re looking for a great pair of earbuds that are sure to last.

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