Jabra Evolve 65e Review: A case for wires on your wireless earphones

Jabra 65e earbuds hands on — Jeff Li/IBTimes

In the pursuit for fully wireless earbuds, Jabra Evolve 65e is making the case for keeping some wires. After spending considerable time with the 65e, my conclusion is that these headphones are a compelling case for just that, filling gaps that wireless earbuds can't fill while retaining many of the same conveniences.

Robust construction

Having some experience with other neckband headphones, the Jabra 65e is smaller where I expected it to be bigger, and thicker where I expected it to be thinner.

The body of the headphone -- which contains all the battery, circuitry and control buttons -- is smaller than what I've seen from competitors.

Part of the reason is that the headphones are not retractable - which I actually prefer. It means the wires of the earpieces are not being pulled and yanked day in and day out. The smaller body also makes it light enough that you can almost forget about you place them on your neck. But this does not mean a compromise in terms of battery life, as they are rated for 13 hours music playback or 8 hours talk-time -- enough for a full-day's work. In using these headphones I found myself only needing to charge them every three days with moderate use throughout the day.

That small body is then coupled with a thicker-than-expected flat cable that runs to the earbuds, with the right wire running in-line with an extra stout microphone. Both the thicker wire and microphone pieces are welcomed features as these tend to be the weakest link in headphones of this type. While I only tested these for a short while, my impression is that would likely handle a lot of use before issues arise.

Always at hand

What set these apart from typical wireless headphones is that they are always within reach. When I hang these off my neck, the earbuds rest right on top of my solar plexus, and I can reach out and grab them without looking. In fact, I don't need to look at any part of it to operate it. Whether it's putting them on or taking them off, or using the three buttons on the main body for volume, call or music control: you quickly learn where things are and can reach them without much thought. This makes it great for using them in the office, or where you're constantly tending to calls. Like a handset, you can easily do it without thinking twice but without the telemarketer look.

While having wires are passe in today's wireless everything market, the obvious advantage is that this design keeps you from losing your earpieces. When not in use, the two earbuds join together magnetically, and you have a Bluetooth enabled necklace that's you won't misplace or drop when you're in a rush.

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Dedicated Line to your PC - Wirelessly

Wireless headphones are an inevitable future as mobile phone manufacturers have followed iPhone's cue to remove the headphone jack in 2016. Indeed, Bluetooth streaming technology in sound quality is also keeping up, improving greatly alongside the push to go wireless. But Bluetooth headphones are only as good as the connection from the source. Even if the headphones themselves sound good, and the streaming technology is advanced, a stable Bluetooth connection will make or break your experience.

That's why I became an instant fan of the Bluetooth dongle that came with the Jabra 65e. Labeled the 'Jabra Link 370 USB Adapter', once you plug it into your computer, you will get a gentle vibration and a pleasant tone in your earpiece telling you that it's connected. The dedicated connection, unlike the normal Bluetooth connection, is much more stable, and gives you better range, enabling you get up from your desk and walk around if you need. If you do wander out of the connection zone, the headphones will immediately connect again once you enter the reach of the wireless signal. Having this dongle included in the package is what makes the Jabra 65e a device that is reliable enough to be used professionally in the office with your work PC.

Work and play

The Jabra 65e earpiece uses a less common elliptical silicon tip that is combined with an AirPod style side firing speaker. What you get is a better-than-AirPod seal - which gives you decent bass in music playback, but at the same time a semi-sealed fit that allows the environment sound to pass through, and is less fatiguing to the ears for longer periods of time.

As for work, and especially if phone calls are a critical element for you, the microphone could be the most compelling feature of the 65e. Comparing sound picked up through the 65e and the built in microphones in my Lenovo ThinkPad, the sound clarity is night and day. The sound picked up by the Jabra is warm and detailed, as opposed to the built-in microphones that sound tinny in comparison. Callers commented that speech had good presence without being overbearing.

What was pleasantly surprising was that the sound quality in music playback was also decent enough for my casual listening to-and-fro from work, or during breaks at work. Using the Jabra 65e away from the workplace is streamlined through its ability to connect to multiple devices via Bluetooth. In practice, this means you can walk away from your computer at anytime while being still connected with the phone in your pocket, eliminating the need to disconnect or reconnect. Jabra 65e seems also to be designed with movement in mind, with the ear wings design in the earpiece firmly holding it in the ears even while jogging or jumping. The body of the 65e that hangs behind the neck is also held in place by its own weight, instead of bouncing around as one might expect it to.

Who is the Jabra 65e for?

If your work involves talking on the phone frequently throughout the day, but you don't want neither an earpiece in your ears all the time OR having to look for the earpieces when you need them: the neckband design of the Jabra 65e will take a lot of the pain away by keeping the earpieces where you can find them. It is also extra reliable through its dedicated dongle for those who want a solid wireless connection which is crucial for work calls, but still offer a large freedom of movement around their workspace, or even on a run out of the office. For those who doesn't mind a short length of wire around the neck in exchange for all the features that it brings, the Jabra Evolve 65e is indeed an excellent alternative to wireless earbuds.

Sam is a production engineer turned tech writer who specializes in seeking out gadgets that enhances productivity while still looking sharp. This is a contribution to an ongoing IBTimes review series on gadgets for Business Travelers.