The earphones are IP55 rated, guaranteeing protection from water jets (not underwater), dust, and small objects. This allows the Elite 3 to participate in outdoor activities without worrying about rain or dirt on hiking trails. Made of lightweight plastic, the earbuds are held in place with magnets, but the hinge feels rather flimsy. Jabra offers seven hours on the earbuds themselves and three more full charges in the tidy little case, for a total of 28 hours of music listening. And if you leave the power on for 10 minutes, you get an additional hour of playback. What else? They are IP55 rated and offer moderate protection against moisture and dust. The low frequencies are nicely managed and controlled enough to show a clean, linear edge to the attack and decay of the individual bass notes. While it is true that they sound somewhat detached from other frequency information, they are at least in line with the overconfidence that many of their competitors in the same price range tend to fall into. Once the earbuds are comfortably in place, use is quite simple: each Jabra Elite 3 earphone has a multifunction touch panel (a plate that says Jabra on it) that allows you to control the appropriate level with a series of taps. In addition to the usual single, double, and triple taps (right earbud) to play, skip, and return to songs, you can also press and hold the right or left button to increase or decrease volume, respectively. Double-tap the left earbud to call the phone’s virtual assistant. A single tap on the left earbud activates HearThrough mode, which uses the microphone to block out outside noise and draws attention to your surroundings.
