We’ve been waiting long enough
At CES 2022, Jabra announced its popular but flawed Elite 7 Pro earbuds would receive an update to add an important feature that was absent, and decried as a betrayal, at launch: multipoint support. Jabra earbuds have long been able to connect to two devices at once, switching seamlessly between, say, a smartphone for calls and a laptop for streaming music, but the feature did not make it to the final shipping product back in the fall of 2021.
According to Jabra, a firmware update will be issued to the Elite 7 Pro and Elite 7 Active “in early 2022,” though the company wouldn’t provide more details than that. Still, it’s good news for a product that, in many ways, left us a bit underwhelmed when it was released, especially for its $200 price. It is in our list of the best wireless earbuds, though.
Here’s what we said about the earbuds in our review:
While I like most things about the Elite 7 Pro, the real clincher here is the microphone quality which, paired with some incredible battery life and stellar in-ear comfort, make them the best I’ve used for that purpose.
If your primary concern is sound quality, there are better options out there at the same $200 price, from Samsung’s Galaxy Buds Pro to Sennheiser’s now-discounted Momentum True Wireless 2. If you’re looking for dedicated workout buds, either wait for the Elite 7 Active, which should offer a more solid fit while running and working out, or the Jaybird Vista 2, which also use physical buttons but are a bit more robust than these.
Still, Jabra’s done something pretty impressive here; aside from the lack of multipoint at launch and the mediocre ANC quality, there isn’t a ton to dislike. Aside from phone calls, it doesn’t do anything best-in-class, but the Elite 7 Pro are a solid choice that will happily slip into a pocket for a couple of years.
During its CES event, Jabra also announced a new, cheaper version of the Elite 7 Active aptly called the Elite 4 Active, which features ANC, IP57 water and dust protection, and a tight, workout-approved fit, for $120. It is available now in either black or navy colorways. Stay tuned for a review in the coming days.
UPDATE: 2022/01/28 17:18 EST BY WILL SATTELBERG
Update now available
Although Jabra had initially refused to set a strict timetable for when multipoint was coming to its Elite 7 Pro earbuds, it turns out it wasn’t too long of a wait after all. As spotted by Engadget, a new update brings this essential feature to both the Pro and Active models, available now via the Sound+ app on your phone. We’ve updated this post to reflect it.
It’s not the only change Jabra’s bundling with its latest firmware. Google Assistant is now available as an option in the Sound+ app, adding another choice alongside Alexa. These earbuds worked fine with your phone’s default voice service, but this way, your choice is actually official. Connectivity and general performance improvements are also listed among the patches. You can find the entire changelog over at Jabra’s website.
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