Jabra Elite 8 Active review: Rugged quality, at a cost

Jabra Elite 8 Active Review: Jabra has added one more product to its Active range - the Elite 8 Active. Priced at Rs 17,999, the company claims that it is the world's toughest earbuds. Does this make these earbuds worth the price tag? Let's find out in this review.

Jabra Elite 8 Active Review: Design and Comfort

The earbuds are available in Caramel, Navy, Black and Dark Grey colours. The buds have rubberised material which feels soft both in the hands and in the ears but they also end up picking some marks. In terms of fit, these earbuds are quite comfortable to wear - in fact, these are some of the most comfortable earbuds that I have used recently.

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Another notable thing is that these earbuds don't come with touch controls - which is a good thing, because it gets irritating when earbuds with this feature pick accidental touches. The Jabra Elite 8 Active completely solves this issue by providing a button on each bud. These physical buttons are quite responsive and make sure that you end up doing what you want. From controlling music playback to answering or ending calls, you can do everything with just a gentle push.

These earbuds come with an IP68 rating and I tested them during my short trip to Goa. I decided to wear them on Ashvem beach and let myself get completely drenched by sea waves. While these buds remained snug the entire time I stayed at the beach, they also remained unaffected by the seawater.

However, the case has just a dust and splashproof IP54 rating, but it supports wireless charging.

Jabra Elite 8 Active review: Battery and charging

The buds offer around eight hours of battery life with ANC (active noise cancellation) turned on. With a charging case, this can go up to 32 hours. This is quite good and better than other premium earbuds.

But it takes over two hours to charge these buds completely. This can be a pain point for those spending around Rs 18,000. The only solace is that five minutes of charging can provide around one hour of usage.

Jabra Elite 8 Active review: Sound and Audio Quality

The Elite 8 Active earbuds come with 6mm drivers and offer a good combination of clear voice and punchy bass. For more adjustment, you can download the Jabra Sound Plus app - compatible with both iOS and Android. The app lets you activate Dolby Audio Spatial Sound, which offers a more immersive listening experience.

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They offer good noise cancellation and can substantially cut the noise of the plane's engines.

For phone calls, the Jabra Elite 8 buds come with six microphones. They can block background noise quite effectively but people on the other side of calls at times complained about my voice being not very clear to them. However, most of the time I had no issue listening to calls. Also, Bluetooth 5.3 ensures no audio dropouts or interruptions.

Jabra Elite 8 Active review: Verdict

If you are looking for earbuds that are unbeatable in every circumstance - be it gym, poolside or any adventure activity - the Elite 8 Active buds are the one for you. They come with military-grade durability and offer peace of mind. However, Rs 17,999 can be a bit expensive for people in India, where customers are quite price-sensitive. But those who prioritise comfortable fit and good battery life can definitely for Jabra Elite 8 Active earbuds.