Page Text: Fitness-focused features of Jabra Elite Sport (A concise review of Jabra Elite Sport)
As one of our favourite sports earbuds, Jabra Elite Sport has some outstanding fitness-focused features.
Heart rate monitor
Jabra Elite Sport has a heart rate monitor. Most importantly, it is quite accurate if you wear the buds correctly.
Samsung Gear IconX (2019) removed the heart rate sensor. Galaxy Gear Buds does not have it either. The updated Galaxy Buds+ does not have one. AirPods and AirPods Pro never have one.
So, if you need a heart rate monitor with your wireless earbuds, your choice is actually very limited. And this Jabra Elite Sport wireless earbuds probably is the best choice.
Exercise tracking
Ther built-in tri-axis accelerometer can track your walking or jog very accurately.
Of course, if you want to track or map your run, you need to use GPS on the phone through the Jabra Sport Life app (or some other supported fitness tracking apps).
You can also track reps for some exercises with the Jabra Sport Life app.
Audio coaching
You can get “personalized” real-time audio coaching through the Sport Life app.
You can watch the video illustration for some cross-training activities on the phone. It’s beneficial for owners who didn’t have a coach before.
VO2 max measurement
The Jabra Sport Life app can estimate your VO2 max based on your heart rate and activities. It uses the technology and algorithm from the First Beat.
The estimation will get more accurate gradually when you use it a few times.
Remember to input the correct age, height and weight if you want to get an accurate measurement.
IP67 rating
As an earbud for sports, sweat-proof is an essential requirement.
Jabra Elite Sport does more. It’s IP67 rated. So. The earbuds can survive in 1m-deep water for up to 30 mins. In the market, currently, only Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro offers comparable water-resistant. AirPods Pro and AirPods 3 both only have an IPX4 rating.
Jabra is so confident in their gadget that in most regions they offer a 3-year warranty including water damage.
Decent audio quality
Among wireless earbuds, Jabra Elite Sport delivers outstanding audio quality, which is on par with other top-tier wireless earbuds like AirPods or AirPods Pro, Sony WF-1000XM3, and Bose Sports Free.
Reliable connectivity
Jabra is a trusted brand of Bluetooth headsets. The connectivity of the earbuds is robust.
Decent battery life
There are two generations of Jabra Elite Sport. The first-gen has a 3-hour battery life, and the case offers an additional 6 hours for the buds. So the total battery life is about 9 hours. This gen was in the market before 2018.
The second-gen of the earbuds have a battery life of 4.5 hours and an additional 9 hours from the case. The total battery life is about 13.5 hours. If you bought the buds in 2018 or 2019, very likely, you got the second-gen.
Contents in the Jabra Elite Sport Box
In addition to the quick start guide and a few leaflets, you can find the following six items in the box (corresponding to the numbers in the picture below).
#1. Earbuds
Each of the two buds has a mark of L and R indicating for the left and right ear, respectively.
The one with + and – (volume control) is for the left ear, and the other one (with two dots) is for the right ear.
#2. Charging (and carrying) case
The only way to charge the Jabra Elite Sport buds is to put the buds into the charging case.
The charging case is also a carrying case.
There is a micro USB charging port on the side. You need to charge the case with a USB charger. Your computer or laptop can also charge the case.
#3. Micro USB cable
The micro USB cable is for you to charge the case (and therefore the buds).
You need to insert the smaller end (micro USB connector) into the charging case. The standard USB (USB A) end is for you to connect it to a USB charger or the USB port on your PC or laptop.
The USB cable is more or less universal. You can use any micro USB cable if you lose the original one.
#4. Silicon EarGels
You can use either the silicon EarGels or the foam ones (#5) for the Jabra Elite Sport buds.
For most owners, the foam tip EarGels are more comfortable.
There are three sizes of the EareGels: small, medium and large. You should try them to find the best fit for your ears.
#5. Foam tip EarGels
The foam tip EarGels are thicker and more comfortable for wearing the buds in an extended period. Of course, it depends on individual owners.
Some Jabra Elite Sport owners may still prefer the silicon ones.
#6. EarWings
The Jabra Elite Sport EarWings are designed to help you secure the buds in the ear.
How to use the buttons on Jabra Elite Sport to control the earbuds
There are two buttons and one LED on each of the earbuds, as shown below.
On the left bud, the two buttons are volume up and volume down. On the right one, the main button is the multifunction button. The other one is the Sports button to launch the Jabra Sport Life app on the connected phone.
For Jabra Elite Sport, the right earbud is the main one. It can be used alone. The left earbud can only be used with the right one.
Now, let’s learn to use the buttons to control Jabra Elite Sport. The meaning of LED colours will be explained later in this post.
Multifunction button
The multifunction button is the most important one to control Jabra Elite Sport. You can
Hold down the multifunction button for about 5-7 seconds to turn on (power on) or turn off (power off) the right earbud.
Hold down the multifunction button for 3 seconds to pair the earbuds with your smartphone (when the Jabra Elite Sport is turned off).
Hold down the multifunction button for 1 second to activate voice assistant (Siri, Google Assitant, or Cortana depending on the connected device).
Tap the multifunction button to play/pause music.
Tap the multifunction button to answer/end a phone call.
Double-tap the multifunction button to reject a phone call.
Double-tap the multifunction button to turn on/off HeearThrough (when not in a call).
Hold down the multifunction button for 2 seconds to put the current call on hold and answer the incoming call when you are already in a call.
Hold down the multifunction button for 2 seconds to switch between held call and active call when there is a held call.
Please note, the call holding relies on the carrier and phone support. A few carriers may not offer the call holding feature to some mobile plans.
The button requires some force to register the gesture. So, it is different from the touch control on Galaxy Buds devices . But the force needed is not as much as for the Force Sensor on AirPods Pro , or AirPods 3 .
Sports button
The sports button on the Jabra Elite Sport is mainly for sports-related activities.
The functions of the Sports button before and during a workout are different.
Before a workout
When you are not in a workout, you can:
Tap the Sports button to launch the Jabara Sports Life app on the connected phone.
Press and hold (hold down) the Sports button for about 1 second to start a workout.
Press and hold (hold down) the Sports button for about 10 seconds to enable or disable Bluetooth Smart .
During a cardio workout
If you are in a cardio workout, you can:
Press and hold (hold down) the Sports button for about 1 second to pause/resume the current workout.
Tap the Sports button to listen to on-the-go updates.
Double-tap the Sports button to turn on/off on-the-go updates.
During a cross-training workout
Press and hold (hold down) the Sports button for 1 about second to pause/resume the current workout.
Tap the Sports button to start the next exercise.
Multi-function button + Sports button
You can:
Press and hold (hold down) the multifunction button and the Sports button simultaneously for about 2 seconds to enable/disable sidetone.
Press and hold (hold down) the multifunction button and the Sports button simultaneously for about 5 seconds to reset the pairing list (reset pairing).
Sidetone is a feature that allows you to hear your own voice when you are on a call.
You can also use the Jabra Sport Life app to enable or disable the sidetone on Jabra Elite Sport.
Volume up button (+)
You can:
Tap volume up button to increase the volume (when in a call or during music playing).
Tap volume up button to listen to battery status (when not in a call and not during music playing).
Press and hold (hold down) the volume up button for 1-2 seconds to skip track (forward).
Volume down button (-)
In addition to the similar functions of the volume up button, the volume down button can also be used to turn off or turn on the left earbud.
You can:
Tap volume up button to decrease the volume (when in a call or during music playing).
Tap volume up button to listen to battery status (when not in a call and not during music playing).
Press and hold (hold down) the volume up button for 1-2 seconds to skip track (backward).
Hold down the volume down button for 5-7 seconds to power on or power off the left earbud.
The meaning of LED colours on Jabra Elite Sport earbuds and the charging case
LED colour meaning on the earbuds
On each earbud of Jabra Elite Sport, there is one LED to indicate the status of the earbud individually.
The meaning of the LED colours on the Jabra Elite Sport earbuds is illustrated in the following picture.
Green means high battery (more than 75%).
Yellow means medium battery (about 30% ~75%).
Red means low battery (less than about 30%).
Blue means pairing mode or connected to a device.
White means the left and right earbuds are linking or unlinking.
Purple means the earbud is being reset.
The LED lights up briefly after you take them out of the charging case (powering on), or when there is a status change.
It is NOT always on.
LED colour meaning on the charging case
On the charging case, there are 3 LEDs, as shown above.
The LED near the charging (micro USB) port indicates the battery status of the charging case. The meaning of the LED colours is:
Green means high battery, or the charging case is fully charged if it is connected to a charger.
Yellow means medium battery.
Red means low battery, or the charging case is being charged (when connected to a charger).
You should charge the charging case if the LED colour is red.
In the front side of the Jabra Elite Sport charging case, there are two LEDs for each earbud.
These two LEDs light up briefly after you open the case or close the case. The meaning of the LED colours are:
Green means high battery.