Introduction
The Jabra Elite 3 are the cheapest earbuds in Jabra’s true wireless line-up – and they’ve only gotten more tempting in the last year. When I first reviewed the Elite 3 toward the end of 2021, I was seriously impressed by their comfortable design, crystal-clear sound and long battery life. In fact, I was reluctant to part ways with this pair after the review went live. Revisiting the Elite 3 in December 2022, the earbuds have dropped from £80 to £50, making them an even better deal for those who are still unconvinced by their original price. The Elite 3 sit on the bottom rung of Jabra’s true wireless range, below the flagship 85t, the Elite 7 series, the Elite 5 and the latest Elite 4 Active. The company also launched a cheaper Elite 2 set last year, but you’ll struggle to find those here in the UK. Not only have the Elite 3 seen a sizable price drop in time for Christmas, but they’ve also seen some exciting updates in the year since this review was published. While the earbuds don’t have the same breadth of features as some of the other headphones in Jabra’s catalogue (there’s no noise cancelling, for example, which is something you can get from similarly priced competitors like EarFun), they have gained a new graphical equaliser with the latest Jabra Sound+ app update. Keep reading to learn more about my experience using the Jabra Elite 3.
Design
Similar look to Jabra’s pricier earbuds Excellent fit and sealWaterproof up to IP55
The Jabra Elite 3 look almost identical to the Elite 7 Pro and the Elite 7 Active they launched alongside. They’re a lightweight and compact pair of earbuds, the triangular body softened with rounded corners before extending toward a silicone ear tip that fits snugly into the ear. In the box you’ll find small, medium and large ear tips that offer a fantastic seal, helping to isolate noise and improve audio quality. I was expecting the buttons on the top of the earbuds to be touch controls, but Jabra has opted for large physical buttons that offer a reassuring click when pressed. I quite liked the buttons on the Elite 3 – the click is satisfying and don’t require a lot of pressure, so there’s no fear of pushing the earbuds out of place in the ear as can happen with some true wireless earbuds. The Elite 3 are water-resistant up to IP55 and come packing a two-year warranty to protect them against dust and water damage. These buds are available in four colours: Dark Grey, Navy, Lilac and Light Beige. I tested the Dark Grey pair, which struck me as more of a black shade in most light. The pastel purple earbuds remind me of the Galaxy Buds 2, but my personal favourites are the Light Beige; the champagne colour makes the entry-level earbuds look far more expensive than they actually are. Lastly, there’s the matching charging case, which, like the earbuds, is similarly small and lightweight with a wide, curved body and a flat top and bottom.
Features
The buds support Jabra’s Sound+ appTransparency and mono modes Battery life is great
Like Jabra’s other earbuds, the Elite 3 support the brand’s Sound+ app. The app currently includes six audio presets to tweak the sound, including Neutral, Speech, Bass boost, Treble boost, Smooth and Energize – although Jabra says it will roll out further presets with future updates. Through the Sound+ app you can also see how much battery you have left, as well as activate HearThrough mode. You can also access the latter by clicking once on the left earbud. The HearThrough feature is essentially Jabra’s transparency mode. HearThrough uses the built-in mics to raise the volume of external sounds, making it easier to hold short interactions and hear announcements on public transport without taking the earbuds out. I found the setting to be reasonably effective, making my own voice crystal clear and other voices and sounds much easier to distinguish than before – although perhaps not clear enough to hold a lengthy conversation. In total, the Elite 3 include four mics, making them great for holding calls, too. A Mono mode allows you to listen with one earbud when the other is out of battery or charging. As far as specs go, the Elite 3 include the latest Bluetooth 5.2 connectivity and support for the Siri and Google Assistant voice assistants, along with the SBC and aptX codecs. For Android users, there are additional features, including Google Fast Pair compatibility, instant Alexa activation and one-touch Spotify Tap playback. Battery life is excellent. Jabra claims the earbuds offer up to seven hours of battery, or a total 28 hours with the charging case, but I found each earbud lasted closer 8hrs 15mins – an hour more than Jabra promises on the box. The Elite 3 also support fast charging with around an hour of playback available from just 10 minutes of charging. The case doesn’t support Qi wireless charging, however, which means you’ll need to rely on USB-C to charge the earbuds.
Sound quality
The 6mm drivers offer full bassAudio is clear and detailed It’s incredibly dynamic, too
Jabra claims the Elite 3’s 6mm drivers are engineered for rich, full bass, and after listening to the earbuds it’s difficult to argue with this. The Elite 3 offer a balanced sound with pounding bass that’s further emphasised by the Bass boost preset in the Sound+ app. Doja Cat’s Woman presents a bass performance that’s warm and bouncy, without overshadowing the vocals. Every aspect of the song is clear and packed with detail, and the stereo image offers a good presence as well. Moving on to a jazz track, the brass in Mean To Me by Dean Martin properly take advantage of the Elite 3’s dynamic sound. The deep vocals also sound fantastic through these bass-focused earbuds, offering both energy and clarity. Brain by Yang Yoseob sounds equally great, with steady bass, sparkling treble and an abundance of detail coming together to create an overall clear and balanced listening experience.
Latest deals
If you’re looking for an affordable pair of earbuds that fit snugly in the ears, offer a long battery life and – most importantly – sound great, you can’t go wrong with the Jabra Elite 3. That said, there’s still room for improvement. The Elite 3 lack wireless charging or active noise cancellation (ANC) to name a few features that can be found on similarly priced rivals, such as the EarFun Free Pro. It seems Jabra is saving these features for its more premium earbuds, such as the Elite 85t. Find out more about how we test in our ethics policy.
