Though more and more of us are gazing out at the fully wireless universe in 2018, one simple fact remains. There still aren’t many competitive options. Apple’s AirPods, far and away the industry sales leader, helped set the mold thanks to solid connection and battery life — issues that still plague many early true wireless options. But they come up short on sound, fit, and passive noise isolation. Another top option, Bragi’s ostentatiously named The Headphone, have better sound, but still exhibit their own hang-ups — specifically, they lack the now-ubiquitous portable battery case for charging on the go.

In this field of up-and-comers and almosts, Jabra’s new Elite 65t really shine. A solid sounding pair of true wireless headphones with stable wireless connection, good battery life, and advanced features that actually work well in the real world, the Elite 65t offer a blend of everyday usability and fidelity that puts the rest of the market on notice. Unless you’re a die-hard iOS enthusiast or plan to sweat your ever-loving brains out, that makes these the new true wireless headphones to beat.

Out of the Box

The Elite 65t come arrive in a grey box with Jabra’s signature yellow accents that slides open to reveal the two earbuds, a small black charging case, and three sets of rubber eartips. Also included in the box are a micro USB charging cable and a small user guide to get you up to speed on their various features.

Features and Design

At first glance, the Elite 65t resemble the kind of miniature hands-free headset you imagine Derek Zoolander would pair with his tiny little flip phone. But the small extrusion for the mic piece somehow manages to give them some style points, adding to the futuristic aesthetic rather than diminishing it. The earbuds come in all black, with silver accents to add some extra flash to their understated profile.

The included charging case is a small black pillbox with a micro USB charging port on the bottom and single LED on the outside to let you know when it’s charging or needs more juice. A treasure-chest hinge opens the top third of the case, revealing two snug cutouts for the headphones, with a green LED in between that lets you know if the headphones are fully charged. The lid is tightly sealed and can be tricky to open at first, but our fingers cracked the code over time. When the earbuds are in the case, LEDs on their exterior pulse red or green, depending on how much juice they’ve got.

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