At CES 2018, Jabra is introducing the Elite franchise, a family of headphones and earbuds engineered for superior sound to provide the best combined voice and music experience.
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Jabra’s research shows that 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 users looking not only for outstanding music quality, but also for strong voice capability – whether they’re making calls or using voice assistants, such as Amazon Alexa*, Siri® or Google Now™. With the Elite family of products, users no longer have to make a choice between great music headphones or a headset designed for voice and calls – they can now have both.
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 speaking to Alexa or their family, and whether indoors or out on the street. In addition, the companion Jabra Sound+ app allows users to personalize their music to the sound they prefer.
In addition to offering a 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 includes sweat ingress). While users will benefit from 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 style – ‘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 is among the first movers to enable this mobile feature, providing customers with access to Alexa directly from the earbuds. With Alexa, users can ask to play music, hear the news, check the weather, control smart home devices, and much more.
While delivering a market-leading voice and music experience, along with 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 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 the best call and voice quality. Elite 65t delivers a four-microphone array and superior sound. The 65t includes one-touch access to Siri and Google Now, features a new integration with Amazon Alexa on-the-go, and has up to 15 hours of battery life (five hours initial and an extra 10 from the charging 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 a special coating), an integrated accelerometer for tracking activity, and IP56 sweat, water and dust certification. The Elite Active 65t has five hours of listening time on one charge, and an extra 10 from the charging 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 inclusive of sound, microphone and voice interaction capabilities. Moreover, we have different user levels and form factors, 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. Devices also support all major voice virtual assistants, including a new integration with Amazon Alexa on-the-go.
- Personalized 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***, and two-year warranty for Active & Sport variants against sweat and dust.
Find out more about the new Jabra Elite family at: www.jabra.com/elite.
Availability
The Jabra Elite 65t will be available for pre-order on BestBuy.com on January 8, 2018, and available exclusively at Best Buy in February. MSRP is $169.99. MSRP for the Elite Active 65t is $189.99. MSRP for the Jabra Elite 45e is $99.99.
*Alexa currently only available in the U.S., U.K. and Germany
**See facts on Jabra.com/commercial-claims
***Jabra app registration required
About Jabra
Jabra, part of the GN Group, is a leading developer and manufacturer of communications and sound solutions. We are committed to letting people hear more, do more and be more than they ever thought possible. We believe that through sound, we can transform lives. Jabra innovates and empowers with sound solutions for businesses and consumers, producing corded and wireless headsets, portable and in-office speakerphones, and sports earbuds. Jabra employs 1,000 people worldwide, and produced an annual revenue of DKK3.5 bn in 2016. The GN Group operates in more than 90 countries, and has almost 150 years’ experience in innovation and delivering reliability and ease of use. Founded in 1869, employing over 5,000 people, and listed on Nasdaq Copenhagen, GN makes life sound better. www.jabra.com
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