Jabra’s range of “Elite” earphones had a good run, but the owners are ending the Elite range, citing R&D costs amidst other reasons.
We’ve long been interested in the earphones offered by Jabra, particularly in the consumer space where the company has delivered consistent value in the low- and mid-range, but that appears to be coming to an end.
This week, Jabra’s owners GN (formerly GN Resound) announced something a little surprising: Jabra would be winding down its Elite earphone range, as well as the Talk Bluetooth microphone range.
The latter isn’t a major surprise, especially considering the wane of Bluetooth mic-only options. However, the Elite range being shut down does come as a shock, especially given the quality we’ve seen over the years.
Last year’s Elite 10 bundled noise cancellation and Dolby Atmos support in a pair we rated 4.2 out of 5, while 2022’s Elite 5 earphones scored a Best Pick for the great value and feature set. Jabra has seen some wins for the Elite earphones over the years, so to see this range get shut down comes out of left field.
Jabra says the Elite earphone range has been profitable, but notes that “the investment required for future innovation and growth in this very competitive space is deemed unjustified in the long-term given associated risks”.
As such, GN is winding down its consumer-grade earphone division, with no more consumer-focused earphones to come from Jabra, it seems. The company does note that it will “continue to service and support customers for several years”, which means owners of Jabra gear shouldn’t need to fret, and will get support for time to come.
However, it does mean that there’s one less consumer earphone offering in the world, though from the sound of things, this should not affect the company’s work-focused Evolve headphones.
