There are obviously limitations, but in general, we prefer our true wireless earbuds to be as small and light as possible. The Elite 5 are small and light enough to be no burden at all, weighing only 5g per earbud and measuring 21 x 20 x 27mm – to be completely honest, if your ears are on the generous side, the Elite 5 may be too small even with the largest of the provided eartips fitted. They’ll be comfortable for the long haul once they’re in place. The fit is so snug and secure that the fact that the Jabras have a ‘press’ rather than a ‘touch’ control on the surface of each earbud has no effect on how well they fit. To issue instructions, you don’t need to exert much pressure, but you do need to be more positive than when using the more common capacitive touch-control option. The charging case in which the earbuds are stored is also small. It’s small enough to fit in a pocket and finished so smoothly that it won’t irritate you while it’s there. It’s also lighter than many price-comparable alternatives, weighing only 40g. The Elite 5 is available in three finishes – or, to be more precise, two and a half. ‘Gold beige’ and ‘titanium black’ are available from any retailer, but ‘black’ is only available from jabra.co.uk. The Jabra Elite 5 is the latest product to demonstrate that just because a product is small doesn’t mean it can’t be extensively specified. Bluetooth 5.2 is used for wireless connectivity, and SBC, AAC, and aptX codecs are supported. The Elite 5 has multipoint connectivity, which allows it to connect to two sources at the same time, and once the sounds are streaming, they are delivered to your ears by a pair of 6mm full-range drivers. Owners of compatible smartphones will be pleased to learn that the Elite 5 supports both Microsoft Swift Pair and Google Fast Pair. Battery life is perfectly respectable if unremarkable: seven hours with active noise cancellation turned on, rising to nine hours with ANC turned off. The case is good for three more full charges, so anywhere between 28 and 36 hours should be available before recharging. The Jabra is compatible with Qi-certified wireless charging devices, which only adds to the convenience quotient – 10 minutes of power equals about an hour of playback.
