Jabra elite 85t vs galaxy buds pro

The Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro is an obvious rival to the Apple AirPods Pro, but it’s also a threat to less popular noise cancelling true wireless earbuds like the Jabra Elite 85t. Samsung’s flagship attracts the eye with its glossy earbuds and jewelry box-inspired case, meanwhile Jabra’s headset is all business. Comprehensive software features accompany both pairs of earbuds, but which company has the edge?

Editor’s note: this versus article was updated on February 10, 2022, to include updated charts from active noise cancellation/isolation, frequency response, a new microphone demo for the Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro, and some new information on the frequency response of the Jabra Elite 85t.

Jabra Elite 85t vs Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro: Fit and hardware

Tiny little microphone holes enable clear call quality, and noise cancellation.

Jabra holds a respected reputation within the professional headset market, and its nine-to-five design bleeds into the Elite 85t. These earbuds come in three serious colorways (copper/black, gold beige, and titanium black) and lack any glossy coating. Oblong ear tips extend from the earbuds, and form a more natural fit to the ear canal’s contours than standard spherical ear tips. Each earbud houses a vent to reduce any uncomfortable pressure within the ear, a feature also seen on the Galaxy Buds Plus.

See also: Jabra Elite 85t review | Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro review

The Jabra Elite 85t doesn’t rely on wing tip attachments to keep the earbuds in place, instead Jabra refined the shape of the Elite 75t series, which makes light contact with different parts of the outer ear. This works very well, and the earbuds remain stable whether you bike, run, or rock climb while wearing them. Although these aren’t explicitly billed as workout earbuds like the Elite Active 75t, the Elite 85t have an IPX4 rating and can endure most all exercise regimens.

Once you start using the Elite 85t, you’ll want to take them everywhere.

You may control music playback, calls, and more from the button on either earbud, and you can reconfigure the controls from the Jabra Sound+ app. The buttons require some force, but not enough to cause pain when you push either of them. Jabra’s earphones also support automatic play/pause functionality when you insert or remove the buds.

The Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro follows a different framework than the Jabra Elite 85t. Rather than emulating a professional appearance, the Galaxy Buds Pro looks fun and approachable like a true wardrobe accessory. Samsung offers the Galaxy Buds Pro in three color variants: white, black, and violet. Like Jabra’s earbuds, the Galaxy Buds Pro has oblong ear tips and integrates pressure-relief vents. Samsung goes a step further with its earbud hardware by adding a host of sensors for Samsung 360 Audio, automatic ear detection, and more. Samsung’s earbuds only support automatic pause functionality though; to resume playback, you must tap either touch panel.

The oblong ear tips are comfortable and maintain a good seal.

The Galaxy Buds Pro is a bit more durable than the Jabra Elite 85t, as proven by the IPX7 rating. You can fumble these earbuds into the pool without worry, so long as you fish them out within 30 minutes. Don’t get it twisted, though: the Galaxy Buds Pro isn’t intended for swimming because they lack onboard storage. Even though the Galaxy Buds Pro is more water-resistant than Jabra’s earbuds, the Elite 85t provides a more stable fit.

See: What makes a good set of in-ears?

Samsung’s earbuds have reflective finishes and you can use the Galaxy Wearable app to remap the touch controls to your liking. The touch panels often register unintended taps, which may prove annoying if you use them regularly. Worst case scenario, you can disable the taps from the Galaxy Wearable app (Android only).

The Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro takes the best features from all of the previous Galaxy Buds generations.

Both cases support USB-C and wireless charging, but only the Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro case can charge when you place it on top of a Samsung Galaxy device. Samsung Wireless PowerShare isn’t likely a must-have feature, but it’s convenient when you’re in a pinch and the batteries are drained. Jabra’s case is a bit larger, but feels more premium, while Samsung’s is more compact and lightweight.

Jabra Elite 85t vs Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro: Bluetooth connection

The Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro uses Bluetooth 5.0 and supports three Bluetooth codecs: SBC, AAC, and the Samsung Scalable Codec. The company’s proprietary streaming codec is similar to aptX adaptive in that it makes constant adjustments to optimize streaming quality and connection stability, but it only works for Samsung devices. If you have a non-Samsung Android phone, you aren’t guaranteed access to reliable, high-quality audio because the AAC Bluetooth codec is difficult for Android to encode. iPhone users benefit from high-quality playback with either headset though.

You may use either Galaxy Buds Pro earpiece in mono mode.

Initially, the Jabra Elite 85t supported Bluetooth 5.0. Jabra quickly released an update for its flagship earphones, upgrading it to Bluetooth 5.1 and bringing other improvements. You get fewer Bluetooth codecs here with support for just SBC and AAC, which may be a bummer for Android owners. Connection strength is great with either headset, but Jabra has a leg up when it comes to productivity: the Elite 85t supports Bluetooth multipoint, so you can connect the buds to two source devices at a time. Samsung supports automatic device switching among compatible Samsung Galaxy devices, as long as they’re all affiliated with the same Samsung account.

Learn more: Understanding Bluetooth codecs

The Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro offers full mono mode support, so you can choose between the left or right earbud for mono playback. This is a must-have feature for hearing-impaired listeners, and is generally useful if you just want to switch it up every once in a while. The Jabra Elite 85t also supports mono playback, but it’s limited to the right earbud.

Which pair of earbuds has the best software?

The app is necessary if you want to take full control of your Jabra headset.

All Android and iPhone users have complete access to software features and updates for the Elite 85t through the Jabra Sound+ mobile app. You can use the Sound+ app to make granular adjustments to active noise cancelling (ANC) intensity, toggle HearThru mode, locate the earbuds, and more. Jabra also includes a five-band custom EQ module, which you can use to adjust the sound profile. These settings are then saved to the earbuds and applied no matter what source device you use.

With the Elite 85t your custom EQ and ANC settings save and work even when you connect to a different device.

You can also create three different presets called “Moments” for different environments you plan to use the Elite 85t in (My Moment, Commute, and Focus). Each option presents you with a certain level of ANC or HearThru, and you can customize the intensity of either to your liking. Cycling between these situational recipes is much faster than making small changes every time you wear the earphones.

The Galaxy Wearable app is easy to use and makes customizing your experience a breeze.

The Samsung Galaxy Wearable app is a bit more limited, and exclusive to the Android OS. Apple has its own Samsung Galaxy Buds app, but it doesn’t support the Galaxy Buds Pro, though this could easily change with a future app update. The Galaxy Wearable app is an excellent complement to the earbuds, and it brings many useful features to the table: you can cycle between ANC levels, enable ambient sound modes, remap the touch controls, select your favorite EQ preset, and more.

iPhone users can't access the features in the app, because the Galaxy Buds Pro is not supported in iOS app version.

You can use the app to toggle speech detection, which automatically registers when you’re in a conversation and enables ambient sound mode for a limited time. Samsung lets you choose the duration of this process from the Wearable app, which you might want to do if you talk to yourself a lot. Another feature, albeit one limited to Samsung Galaxy devices, is Samsung 360 Audio which is its own audio standard; it uses head tracking to place you in the middle of the action during your favorite TV show or movie. This effect is currently limited to Dolby Atmos content, but it’s a great option for traveling movie buffs.

Do Samsung or Jabra’s earbuds have better battery life?

The Elite 85t has exceptional battery life for ANC true wireless earbuds.

The Jabra Elite 85t lasts 5 hours, 41 minutes on a single charge with ANC enabled at a consistent output of 75 dB—nearly an hour longer than the Galaxy Buds Pro’s battery life of 4 hours, 48 minutes under the same conditions. Both cases can fast charge their earbuds. With Samsung, you get 85 minutes of playtime after charging the buds for 10 minutes, while with Jabra you get 60 minutes of playtime after charging the buds for 15 minutes.

Related: How we test

Jabra’s case is bigger than the Galaxy Buds Pro case and provides a few extra charge cycles—nearly 19 hours of reserve battery. You get multiple charge cycles from the Galaxy Buds Pro case too, but it totals to 13 hours of extra juice. Again, both USB-C charging cases support wireless charging.

Does the Jabra Elite 85t have better noise cancelling than the Galaxy Buds Pro?

The Galaxy Buds Pro fits pretty securely, provided you don’t jostle things too much.

Both the Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro and Jabra Elite 85t have top-notch noise cancelling. No matter which headset you get, background noise is reduced tremendously, which makes traveling much more bearable. As previously noted, both pairs of earbuds feature pressure-relief vents, which reduces the rare dizzying effect some listeners experience when using highly effective ANC headsets.

In order to maximize either set of earbuds’ noise cancelling, you need to find the best fit. Optimal passive isolation begets optimal noise cancellation, because ANC technology isn’t able to nullify sounds higher than 1kHz. This is where incidental sounds are heard like the clang of dishware. Again, both headsets have very good passive isolation too and a comfortable fit in part due to the oblong ear tips. The Jabra Elite 85t earbuds provide a slightly more secure fit, meaning they can passively block out noise with greater consistency.

Noises above 200Hz receive a stronger attenuation on the Elite 85t than the Galaxy Buds Pro. In particular ANC does most of its work between 100Hz and just above 1000Hz (up to 25dB in reduction), after which isolation takes over as the primary method of blocking noise. Below 100Hz the noise cancelling tapers off quickly on both earbuds, although, the Galaxy Buds Pro have a little more noise cancelling here down to about 60Hz, below that threshold any effect is minimal.

Does Samsung or Jabra have better sounding earbuds?

The Elite 85t’s oblong ear tips look strange but are very comfortable once you find the right fit.

Samsung-subsidiary AKG tuned the Galaxy Buds Pro, which resulted in a consumer friendly frequency response, save for some bass and treble emphasis. This means your music will generally sound as the audio engineers intended, but with a bit more oomph in the low end.

Jabra follows a little more of a conservative sound profile, and its Elite 85t earbuds generally under-emphasize frequencies across the board except between 100Hz and 1000Hz. It’s pretty “flat” for consumer earbuds. You might miss some of that low end in the sub-bass, but you ought to hear everything well.

The Jabra Elite 85t (cyan) under-emphasizes sub-bass relative to our consumer curve (pink) and the Galaxy Buds Pro (yellow dash). If you want all frequencies to sound fairly close to the same loudness, get the Elite 85t.

The Galaxy Buds Pro’s sub-bass amplification doesn’t run a great risk of auditory masking, as sub-bass notes aren’t even twice as loud as mids. This means you can eat your cake and have it too when you listen with the Galaxy Buds Pro. The same can’t quite be said for the Jabra Elite 85t. You’ll more often have a difficult time distinguishing harmonic detail and clarity with Jabra’s earbuds, particularly during busy song segments like a chorus or loud bridge. This is because of the Elite 85t under-emphasis in the highs, compared to the Galaxy Buds Pro.

At first read, this may make it seem like the Galaxy Buds Pro sound inherently better, but that isn’t quite the entire story. Remember, you can make fine adjustments to the Jabra Elite 85t sound profile from the Jabra Sound+ app, whereas with the Galaxy Wearable app, you’re limited to a handful of EQ presets. That said, Samsung has the more versatile sound right out of the gate.

Is the Jabra Elite 85t or Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro better for phone calls?

You can quickly answer or end calls directly from the earbuds’ button controls.

Samsung came out swinging with its advanced microphone system. The Galaxy Buds Pro’s microphones relay voices clearly even when outside, due to the wind-reducing hardware. The Jabra Elite 85t mic array is great too, though it noticeably reduces low-frequency sounds. This is good because it combats the proximity effect, when a low-voiced speaker is too close to the mic and causes audio clipping, but it also means some people may sound distant or muffled. Both headsets do a fine job of rejecting distant noise.

Take a few moments to listen to the samples below and rate them; it helps our other readers!

Jabra Elite 85t microphone demo (Office):

Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro microphone demo (Office):

Which microphone do you think sound better?

3117 votes

Should you buy the Jabra Elite 85t or Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro?

The Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro is a great all-around headset with few drawbacks for the price.

Although both of these earbuds are great, there’s one defining feature that may push you to the Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro over the Jabra Elite 85t: price. The Galaxy Buds Pro costs at least $30 less than the Jabra Elite 85t and includes more premium features like a greater IP rating, more compact build, and arguably better sound quality. However, the Elite 85t has its advantages too: the case provides plenty of reserve battery, the earbuds fit a bit more securely, and noise cancelling performance is stellar. While you can’t go wrong with either of these, the Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro is the better deal.

Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro

All prices listed in USD unless otherwise specified. Prices may change over time, and vary by region. Unfortunately, we cannot list Amazon prices on the site, as they vary greatly by currency.

The Jabra Elite 85t is the better buy for iPhone users who want to take full advantage of any included software features because its app is available on the App Store. Again, the iOS Galaxy Buds app doesn’t support the Galaxy Buds Pro, which means you miss out on basic and advanced features with the earbuds. An even cheaper pair of noise cancelling earbuds are the Amazon Echo Buds (2nd Gen), which might make more sense to you than the Samsung earbuds.

Jabra Elite 85t

All prices listed in USD unless otherwise specified. Prices may change over time, and vary by region. Unfortunately, we cannot list Amazon prices on the site, as they vary greatly by currency.

Frequently asked questions about the Samsung and Jabra true wireless earbuds

To enter pairing mode on the Elite 85t, you must:

1. Hold the left and right earbud buttons for three seconds.
2. Wait for the LED on the right earbud to flash blue.
3. Open your mobile device’s Bluetooth settings.
4. Select the Jabra Elite 85t from the list

Yes, you can use either Elite 85t earbud in mono mode. Simply remove the desired earbud from the case. First, go through the pairing process above with both earbuds. Once, the Jabra Elite 85t forms a connection to your device, put one earbud back in the case. In the future when you want to listen in mono mode, all you’ll need to do is remove the desired earbud from the case and it will automatically connect to the last-used device (assuming Bluetooth is enabled).

Samsung provides three different sizes of silicone ear tips for you to find the best fit. You want to make sure that each earbud stays in place while you move your head. If the ear tip is too small, the bud won’t seal to your ear and will soon fall out. If it’s too big, you might get a seal at first, but then it will loosen as you move and fall out.

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