Why the noise-cancelling Jabra Elite Active 75t is the best AirPods alternative

(Image credit: Reagan Coule/Tom's Guide)

When it came to choosing the best Apple tree AirPods alternatives, merely one pair of truthful wireless buds has the summit spot. The Jabra Aristocracy Agile 75t has been a grade-leader ever since information technology launched in 2020, and can currently count itself amongst the all-time wireless earbuds and even the all-time headphones overall.

Equally such, it's more than than a match for Apple's permanently popular buds. The Elite Active 75t is a petty more expensive than the basic AirPods, only not by much because how much more you become for your money, and it undercuts the more advanced AirPods Pro for good measure.

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With never rivals similar the Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro and Master& Dynamic MW08 showing up, it's worth checking in on how more established champions are however stacking upward. With that said, hither's why the Jabra Elite 75t is the best AirPods alternative, even well into 2021.

Active noise cancellation makes the difference

The unmarried most meaning reason to choose the Aristocracy Active 75t over the AirPods wasn't even function of Jabra'due south earbuds at launch. Agile racket cancellation (ANC) was instead added though a later firmware update, granting the Elite Active 75t a massive advantage over the ANC-deprived AirPods overnight.

Jabra's ANC isn't on par with the audio-silencing mastery of the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds, simply so few dissonance-cancelling earbuds tin can compete there either — including the AirPods Pro. If you lot want a pair of noise-cancelling earbuds for well under $200, the Elite Agile 75t will do the job comfortably.

The majority of sound is blocked out past the Elite Active 75t's four microphones, leaving you to enjoy your music with fewer interruptions. Jabra's HearThrough transparency mode also turns this around, repurposing the mics to allow sound through at your command for easier conversations or merely some extra spatial awareness in busy areas.

By dissimilarity, the AirPods has neither ANC nor a transparency mode. Its passive noise isolation won't fifty-fifty be as good as the Aristocracy Active 75t'south considering its sound ports don't form a tight seal inside your ear canal, unlike Jabra's buds which come with customizable in-ear tips.

A secure fit that stays dry

Existence able to adjust the fit isn't the but reason the Elite Active 75t beats the AirPods on design. Apple's buds are comfortable, simply Jabra's merely seem much more than thoroughly sculpted to maintain the almost secure fit possible. Every bit such, each of the Aristocracy Agile 75t'south earbuds deliver some of the best stability on the market; you won't need to worry almost them falling out, even when exercising, then they're a worthy entrant on our listing of the all-time sport headphones.

Aesthetically, the Elite Active 75t's more rounded shape is far less ostentacious than the AirPods' long, dangling stems. The former likewise offers a range of color options, every bit opposed to the latter's sole white design.

The Elite Agile 75t is likewise one of very few pairs of headphones to reach the IP57 certification for dust resistance and waterproofing. For sporty earbuds we always look for at to the lowest degree some level of water resistance, as this usually ways the buds are sweatproof, but the Elite Agile 75t goes much further on protection: information technology tin can survive existence fully submerged in water for upwards to 30 minutes, at depths up to ane meter.

The AirPods won't close downwards if it rains, but the fact remains that it lacks whatever kind of IP-rated water protection. Even the AirPods Pro merely manage a so-so IPX4 rating, so this is something Apple tree should wait to better on for the AirPods 3.

Expert sounds, adept vibes

Jabra Elite Active 75t review — (Image credit: Regan Coule/Tom'south Guide)

Even before ANC arrived, the Elite Active 75t seriously impressed us with its sound quality. The preceding Jabra Elite 75t suffered from overpowering bass but the newer model fixes this result, producing a sound signature that's balanced, detailed and vibrant all at once.

Y'all also go the aforementioned level of sound performance regardless of whether ANC is enabled or not, and so if y'all're somewhere repose you can turn it off to save bombardment — and your music won't take a hitting.

In fairness, the AirPods is no slouch in this area, and in more than full general audio terms its has ane advantage: microphone quality. Telephone calls on the Jabra buds are complicated by the mics' trend to selection upwards background noise, whereas the AirPods is 1 of the best headphones with a mic for vox and video calls. Still, the Elite Active 75t's wide soundstage and finely-tuned sound hands outweigh its calling hiccups.

Better battery

The AirPods' underwhelming battery life remains a sore signal well after its 2019 launch. We got a little nether 5 hours of mixed use from the Apple buds, and again, that's without the added bleed of ANC. On the AirPods Pro, uptime drops to 4.v hours.

The Elite Active 75t can go on going for around 7 hours — that difference could interpret into a couple of extra days' light employ compared to the AirPods. Granted, that's without noise cancellation, but even with ANC permanently running, you can still await about 5.5 hours of music playback.

It'due south yet some other way in which the Jabra Aristocracy Active 75t is a more practical pair of earbuds, and another reason why information technology remains the best AirPods alternative you tin buy today.

More: Prefer to save? Bank check out the best cheap wireless earbuds

James is currently Hardware Editor at Rock Newspaper Shotgun, only before that was Audio Editor at Tom's Guide, where he covered headphones, speakers, soundbars and anything else that intentionally makes noise. A PC enthusiast, he also wrote computing and gaming news for TG, usually relating to how difficult it is to find graphics carte du jour stock.