Headphones are coming closer to the vision of replacing smartphones, thanks to the arrival of voice control, artificial intelligence (AI) and enhanced battery life.
That, at least, is the promise held out by active headset leaders Jabra at this week’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, with the expansion of its Elite headset range and release of the Jabra Move Style Edition.
The new Elite 85h headphones are fitted with Jabra SmartSound, AI technology that intelligent adaptive audio, and hands-free Voice Assistant Control, allowing for faster and easier voice assistant access on-the-go.
The SmartSound feature has been developed in partnership with the intelligent audio analysis company audEERING’s soundscape technology. This feature ensures the audio of the headphones automatically adjusts to its surroundings.
The microphone solution, combined with the Jabra Sound+ app, creates a hands-free Voice Assistant access experience with Alexa, Siri or Google Assistant. This means invoking the wake word rather than having to push a button to activate controls,
The Elite 85h headphones are also claimed to set new standards time, with battery life of 32-hours, along with advanced six-microphone call technology and custom-engineered 40mm speakers for top-quality acoustic experience and industry-leading durability. It features Active Noise Control (ANC), better known as noise cancellation.
Jabra is also announcing full Voice Activation (VA) integration with Chinese tech giants Baidu, Tmall, Tencent and iFlytek.
Click here to see the specs of the latest Jabra accessories.
Jabra provided the following information:
Key features of the Jabra Elite 85h
- SmartSound: Audio that automatically adapts to surroundings
- 100 hands-free: Voice Assistant access without pushing a button
- Four colour variations: Black, Titanium Black, Gold Beige and Navy
- Battery: Up to 32-hours of battery with Active Noise Control (ANC) activated and 35 hours without ANC
- Microphones: Eight microphones in total. Six dedicated for calls, four for ANC and two hybrid mics for both calls and ANC.
- Speakers: 40mm custom-engineered speakers
- Durability: IP52 dust and rain resistance, backed by a two-year warranty against water and
- : Jabra Sound+ app for SmartSound features, including customised settings.
Move Style Edition
Engineered for wireless music on-the-move, the Move Style Edition offers an improved battery life of up to 14 hours, while offering the same great sound, comfort and lightweight design that users love. Available in three new stylish colours for users to choose Titanium Black, Gold Beige and Navy.
Since the introduction of the Jabra Move five years ago, the headphones have been widely recognised in its category for superior wireless sound and music experience in the below US$100 category.
René Svendsen-Tune, CEO at Jabra said, “Innovation lies at the heart of everything we do at Jabra. We constantly push ourselves to explore new grounds by establishing partnerships with exciting brands like Amazon, audEERING, Microsoft and Red Bull to ensure we are providing only the best-in-class solutions for our users. SmartSound is to our commitment to being the leaders in audio, after 150 years in the sound business.”
* Find out more about the Jabra Elite 85h, Jabra Move Style and Elite Active 45e www.jabra.com.