If you’ve used any of the Jabra wireless earbuds that hit the market last year (and there were many), the Jabra Elite 5 will look very familiar. The earphones have the same rounded shape and stemless design as the Jabra Elite 3 and Elite 4 Active, among other earphones from the company. The Elite 5 features the same matte plastic construction as many of its predecessors, rather than the rubberized texture of the current Jabra Elite 7 Active, for example. The curved earbuds nestle deep into the ear canals, and the different sizes of ear tips (small, medium and large) ensure a good seal and a secure fit. The earbuds themselves are IP55 dust and water resistant, meaning they’re not quite waterproof, but they’re well equipped for rain and sweat at the gym. There are no stabilizing fins or nubs on these earbuds, but the depth at which they sit in the ears provides enough stability that even a slight shake of the head during activity won’t throw them off balance and running is completely hassle-free. The Jabra Elite 5 connects to your device of choice via Bluetooth 5.2 and supports connections with the standard SBC codec as well as aptX and AAC. This means that no matter what your preferred platform is, you get a reliable, high-quality option, which is very pleasing. The earphones also support Bluetooth Multipoint, and in my experience, the pairing process is nearly seamless. The Jabra Elite 5 remembers up to 6 devices, and you don’t have to do anything else to connect to more than one – just connect to new devices, and new ones are always added. Switching between audio sources has a slight delay, and the earbuds can get a little confused when choosing between two devices playing audio at the same time, but it’s easy to avoid these situations most of the time.
