Jabra sets the industry bar for voice and music quality headphones with new Elite franchise

GN News

Jan 07, 2018

Voice assistant support, choice of different wearing styles, unbeatable connection and comfort add to user appeal

CES, Las Vegas, 8 January 2018 – Jabra is starting the year by introducing the Elite franchise, a family of headphones and earbuds engineered for superior sound to provide the best combined voice and music experience.

Jabra’s research shows that the daily usage of headphones by frequent users focuses on calls (58% of users each day), music (53%) and voice control (35%). The Elite franchise is engineered to meet the needs of these users looking not only for outstanding music quality, but also for strong voice capability, whether they’re making calls or increasingly using voice assistants such as Alexa, Siri or Google Now. With the Elite family of products, headphone users no longer have to make a choice between great music headphones or a headset designed for voice and calls, now they can have both with whichever Elite product they choose.

At CES, Jabra is showcasing three new products; Elite 45e, Elite 65t and Elite Active 65t. The Jabra Elite Sport, the best-selling, most technically advanced true wireless sports earbuds*, set the standard for the Elite product suite by incorporating leading audio technology, and the new family members follow this direction. Drawing on the GN Group’s long-standing audio, headset and hearing aid expertise, each new Elite product contains unique microphone configurations to ensure users will always be heard, whether you’re speaking to Alexa or your family and whether you’re indoors or out on the street. In addition, the companion Jabra Sound+ app allows you to personalise your music to the sound that suits you.

In addition to the best-in-class voice and music experience, the new Elite products also come with the security of a two-year warranty against dust and water ingress (two years for the Elite Active 65t also including sweat ingress). While users will experience the great voice and music experience that Elite products offer, they will also be able to choose the wearing style that suits them best. The Elite family includes true wireless and soft neckband variants with the suffix letter signifying the styles clearly using ‘e’ for earbud and ‘t’ for true wireless.

Alexa integration

For those who prefer using voice commands, the new products allow voice support for all major voice services, now including Amazon Alexa on-the-go. Jabra will be among the first movers to enable this mobile feature, providing customers with access to Alexa directly from the earbuds. With Alexa, you can ask to play music, hear the news, check weather, control smart home devices, and much more. Elite 65t delivers a 4-microphone array and superior sound.

While delivering a market-leading voice and music experience and durability, each of the Elite products Jabra is presenting at this year’s CES also has its own specific features:

Elite 45e: Engineered for the best voice and music experience. The Elite 45e is for users who want the best combined voice and music experience in a headset with a discreet design and a great fit. This soft neckband (with memory wire) headset has a lightweight form factor and a unique box microphone solution that delivers the clearest voice communication on any stereo wireless headphone.

Elite 65t: Engineered for the best true wireless voice and music experience. The Elite 65t is a third generation true wireless earbud aimed at those who want the best voice and music experience without wires. It is engineered to ensure a stable wireless connection and best call and voice quality. The 65t includes one-touch access to Siri®, and Google Now™, new integration for Amazon Alexa on-the-go and has up to 15 hours of battery life (with cradle).

Elite Active 65t: Engineered for active users who want a true wireless voice and music experience while working out. The Jabra Elite Active 65t is for those who want the features of the Elite 65t, while being able to use the earbuds in a sports or training setting. The earbuds have enhanced grip, through special coating, integrated accelerometer for tracking features and IP56 sweat, water and dust certification. The Elite Active 65t has five hours of listening time on one charge with two additional charges in the cradle.

“By introducing the Elite franchise, we have demonstrated to headphone users that we understand their needs and that we are fully committed to providing the best voice and music headphone solutions. Our new Elite franchise accommodates three levels of technology in sound, microphone and voice interaction capabilities, different endurance levels, and both true wireless earbud and neckband solutions,” said René Svendsen-Tune, CEO at Jabra. “With the Elite family, we now offer headsets for every choice of wearing style, use case and price point.”

Key features of the Elite franchise:

• The best voice experience: unique, market-leading microphone technology ensures the best calls and voice interactions on the market. Plus support for all major voice virtual assistants including new integration with Amazon Alexa-on-the-go


• Personalised music experience: users can adapt their sound to suit their personal preferences with the Jabra Sound+ app


• Biggest choice of wearing styles: true wireless, neckband, soft neckband – always the best voice, music and calls


• Unbeatable durability: two-year life proof warranty against water and dust ingress**, two-year warranty for Active & Sport variants against sweat and dust

For our Video News Release, go to:

Sound only: https://youtu.be/ea6zv6N5x0k

With subtitles: https://youtu.be/uyd8eqDh4hk

Find out more about the new Jabra Elite family at: www.jabra.com/elite

Availability

The Jabra Elite 65t will be available from Q1 in selected retailers at a MSRP at USD/EUR 169.99

The Jabra Elite Active 65t will become available early April in selected retailers at a MSRP at USD/EUR 189.99

The Jabra Elite 45e will become available early April in selected retailers at a MSRP at USD/EUR 99.99

* See facts on Jabra.com/commercial-claims

**Jabra app registration required

PR CONTACTS

Jabra US: Karl Bateson, PR Senior Manager, kbateson@jabra.com, 617-306-6275

Jabra Global: Claus Fonnesbech, PR Senior Director, cfonnesbech@jabra.com, +45 2588 4107

GN Audio - Jabra

Jabra is a leader in engineering communications and sound solutions – innovating to empower both consumers and businesses. Proudly part of the GN Group, we are committed to letting people hear more, do more, and be more than they ever thought possible. Through sound, we help transform lives. Jabra engineering excellence leads the way, building on 150 years of pioneering work. This allows us to create integrated headsets and communications tools that help professionals work more productively; and wireless headphones and earbuds that let consumers better enjoy calls, music, and media. Jabra employs close to 1,100 people worldwide, and reported annual revenue of DKK 4bn in 2017. The GN Group, founded in 1869, operates in 100 countries and delivers innovation, reliability, and ease of use. Today, GN employs more than 5,500 people, and is Nasdaq Copenhagen listed. GN makes life sound better. www.jabra.com