Home Wireless Earbuds Ultimate Ears Drops Vs. Jabra Elite 5

A Review By Comparison of the Ultimate Ears Drops Vs. Jabra Elite 5

Last updated on Apr 19, 2023   7 minute read
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Ultimate Ears Drops

Ultimate Ears Drops

Reasons why you might like the Ultimate Ears Drops

Overall Score 6 Represents average audio ecosystem compatibility score.

  • Battery Life of 6 hours
  • Has Usb Type-C
  • Number Of Microphones of 2 only
  • Has Ambient Sound Mode
VS
Jabra Elite 5

Jabra Elite 5

See price on Amazon

Reasons why you might like the Jabra Elite 5

Overall Score 5.7 Represents average audio ecosystem compatibility score.

  • Ingress Protection (Ip) Rating of IP55
  • Has Active Noise Cancellation (Noise Control)
  • Battery Life of 9 hours
  • Has Usb Type-C
  • Number Of Microphones of 6 only
  • Has Ambient Sound Mode

A summary of the review by feature comparison

Category Features Ultimate Ears Drops Jabra Elite 5
DESIGN ingress protection (ip) rating ip55
weight 10g
has no wires or cables
wingtips included
sweat resistance
is dust proof and water-resistant
has stereo speakers
SOUND QUALITY has active noise cancellation (noise control)
has passive noise reduction
driver unit size 9.2mm 6mm
lowest frequency 20hz 20hz
highest frequency 20,000hz 20,000hz
sound pressure level 110db/mw
POWER battery life 6hours 9hours
battery life of charging case 9hours 27hours
charge time 2hours
has wireless charging
has a battery level indicator
CONNECTIVITY has usb type-c
bluetooth version v4.2 v5.2
maximum bluetooth range 10meters 10meters
has aac
has aptx adaptive
MICROPHONE number of microphones 2only 6only
EXTRAS has ambient sound mode
has find earbuds feature
supports fast charging
multipoint count 2only
has a mute function
control panel placed on a device
warranty period 2years
has voice prompts
travel bag is included
See price on Amazon

A breakdown of the review per specifications

Design

Ingress Protection (Ip) Rating

Ultimate Ears Drops
Jabra Elite 5 ip55

IP ratings refer to the level of protection given by an enclosure, against solids and water. In the format of IPXX, 'X' represents a number The first value of the IP rating refers to protection against solids say dust, followed by the one that refers to resistance against liquids (sweat).

Scoring IP55, the Jabra Elite 5's rating is read as, the first value of 5 denotes that ingress of dust is not totally prevented but dust does not enter in harmful quantities to interfere with the correct operation or impair safety, and the second value of 5 means that they can withstand medium pressure jet that's 6.3mm diameter, similar to garden hose from any angle for 3 minutes at a distance of 2.5 to 3 metres.

Weight

Ultimate Ears Drops
Jabra Elite 5 10g

Jabra Elite 5 have a weight of 10g . We prefer a lower weight best because lighter devices are more comfortable to carry.

Has No Wires Or Cables

Ultimate Ears Drops
Jabra Elite 5

True wireless devices have no cables linking any part of the device together, Ultimate Ears Drops are true wireless for this matter since they don't have cables. This is a key difference as some wireless earbuds have cables connecting the two earbuds together.

Jabra Elite 5 also is true wireless since it doesn't have cables linking the two earbuds together.

Wingtips Included

Ultimate Ears Drops
Jabra Elite 5

Ultimate Ears Drops have wingtips, these are commonly used for workout earbuds and come as an optional add-on to each silicone ear tip for a more secure fit.

Sweat Resistance

Ultimate Ears Drops
Jabra Elite 5

Ultimate Ears Drops have sweat resistance

Jabra Elite 5's resistance to sweat makes both devices good for use while doing sports such as long-distance running, marathons, training in workout bodysuits, etc

Is Dust Proof And Water-Resistant

Ultimate Ears Drops
Jabra Elite 5

The Ultimate Ears Drops are both dustproof and water-resistant.

Has Stereo Speakers

Ultimate Ears Drops
Jabra Elite 5

Ultimate Ears Drops have stereo speakers, what this means is that Ultimate Ears Drops's speakers deliver sound from independent channels on both left and right sides, creating a richer sound and a better listening experience.

The Jabra Elite 5 also have stereo speakers

Sound Quality

Has Active Noise Cancellation (Noise Control)

Ultimate Ears Drops
Jabra Elite 5

ANC makes use of advanced technology to reduce ambient sounds. How it works, it listens to the sound pattern outside and inside the earbud and then inverts the soundwaves to counter it. In simple terms, it's like having +1 (sound from your surrounding) then producing -1 (counter sound by the device) giving zero hence "diluting" the noise.

The Jabra Elite 5 have Active Noise Cancellation enabling you to listen at lower volume levels, causing less ear fatigue since you don't have to crank up the earbuds volume to outcompete background sounds.

Has Passive Noise Reduction

Ultimate Ears Drops
Jabra Elite 5

Ultimate Ears Drops sit well in place, creating an acoustic seal that reduces your environment noise well as preventing the earbuds sound from leaking out at the same.

Both of these devices have passive noise reduction this means that both tone down ambient noise without using technology to cancel it out.

Driver Unit Size

Ultimate Ears Drops 9.2mm
Jabra Elite 5 6mm

The Ultimate Ears Drops have a unit size of 9.2mm in diameter, the bigger the unit the more powerful, and can produce better bass. A driver unit is the component that produces sound in the earbuds, the unit size dictates the sound made by the earbuds.

Jabra Elite 5 driver unit is 6mm in diameter, which means that they have a smaller driver unit than that of Ultimate Ears Drops by 3.2mm , a common assumption that driver units of a bigger size automatically produce better sound quality.

However, large drivers find it difficult to produce high frequencies so it's true that, larger drivers are capable of generating louder sound, but this does not mean that they produce better quality sound.

Lowest Frequency

Ultimate Ears Drops 20hz
Jabra Elite 5 20hz

The Ultimate Ears Drops's lowest frequency is at 20Hz, low-frequency response inidcates how well a particular audio component produces low recognizable frequencies and if it alters the signal on its way through.

Jabra Elite 5's lowest frequency is at 20Hz, this implies that both devices can make sound with equal bass

Highest Frequency

Ultimate Ears Drops 20,000hz
Jabra Elite 5 20,000hz

Ultimate Ears Drops's highest frequency is at 20,000Hz, high-frequency response shows how well an audio component makes high human frequencies and if it changes to the signal on its way through.

Jabra Elite 5's highest frequency is at 20,000Hz, this implies that both devices can produce equal treble

Sound Pressure Level

Ultimate Ears Drops 110db/mw
Jabra Elite 5

SPL, is the level of pressure of sound, measured in decibels, dB, Ultimate Ears Drops's measurement is 110dB/mW. Devices with a higher sound pressure level are generally louder when supplied with any given audio source.

Power

Battery Life

Ultimate Ears Drops 6hours
Jabra Elite 5 9hours

Ultimate Ears Drops's battery life is 6 hours, these last longer than 5 hours of listening which is considered average before recharge. A device's battery life is commonly given by the manufacturer, and with more battery hours, you get to use it for longer and have to charge the device less often.

Jabra Elite 5's battery life is more than that of Ultimate Ears Drops by 3 hours . Each time you recharge your earbuds, they get a little less playing time. The effect is not noticeable at first, but over a few years, your wireless earbuds will have shorter listening time.

Battery Life Of Charging Case

Ultimate Ears Drops 9hours
Jabra Elite 5 27hours

This is given by the vendor, and the Ultimate Ears Drops's case is said to have a full charge of 9 hours. A charging case with a longer battery life allows you to recharge your earbuds on the go several times before recharging the case itself.

Jabra Elite 5's charging case has a battery life of 27 hours, more than that of Ultimate Ears Drops by 18 hours

Charge Time

Ultimate Ears Drops
Jabra Elite 5 2hours

It takes 2 hours to fully charge the Jabra Elite 5's battery. It is recommended to fully charge the battery before using the earbuds when they have been in storage for extended periods.

Has Wireless Charging

Ultimate Ears Drops
Jabra Elite 5

The Ultimate Ears Drops, the device supports wireless charging. To charge the earbuds, you just put down on a supported charging pad.

Jabra Elite 5 also support wireless charging, always look out for the charging standard of the earbuds.

Has A Battery Level Indicator

Ultimate Ears Drops
Jabra Elite 5

The Ultimate Ears Drops have a battery level indicator, an indicator notifies you when the earbuds has a low battery. Its lights indicate the charging status of your device and case.

Jabra Elite 5 too have a battery level indicator, these allow you tell the charging state of your earbuds, whether fully charged, or having a low battery.

Connectivity

Has Usb Type-C

Ultimate Ears Drops
Jabra Elite 5

Ultimate Ears Drops use USB TYPE-C, a standard connector for transmitting both data and power in a single cable.

Jabra Elite 5 too have USB TYPE-C. This USB-C plug is part and parcel of most current electronics.

Bluetooth Version

Ultimate Ears Drops v4.2
Jabra Elite 5 v5.2

Ultimate Ears Drops have Bluetooth version of 4.2, Bluetooth is a wireless technology standard that allows data transfers between devices placed in range, using short-wavelength, ultra-high frequency radio waves.

Jabra Elite 5 has a Bluetooth version of 5.2, newer than that of Ultimate Ears Drops . Newer versions provide faster data transfers.

Maximum Bluetooth Range

Ultimate Ears Drops 10meters
Jabra Elite 5 10meters

Ultimate Ears Drops have a 10meters distance to connect via Bluetooth.

Jabra Elite 5 have a maximum range of 10meters, equal to that of the Ultimate Ears Drops

Has Aac

Ultimate Ears Drops
Jabra Elite 5

Ultimate Ears Drops support AAC, a codec used for Bluetooth audio. It supports 24-bit audio at 250kbps. Because it uses psychoacoustic modeling, it can provide better results than other codecs at a similar bit rate.

Being the highest quality codec that any Bluetooth-supporting Apple product supports, the Ultimate Ears Drops will work fine with your iPhone. If you intend on using these with Android you need to pay even closer attention to codec support for if they only have AAC they won't provide the best audio quality possible, ensure that they also support aptX HD, LDAC, or LHDC as well.

The Jabra Elite 5 support AAC as well. Designed to be the successor of the MP3 format, AAC generally achieves higher sound quality than MP3 encoders at the same bit rate.

Has Aptx Adaptive

Ultimate Ears Drops
Jabra Elite 5

The Ultimate Ears Drops support APTX Adaptive, an audio codec for Bluetooth devices that are developed by Qualcomm. It has a variable bit rate (between 279kbps and 420kbps).

Microphone

Number Of Microphones

Ultimate Ears Drops 2only
Jabra Elite 5 6only

The Ultimate Ears Drops have 2 microphones.

Jabra Elite 5 microphones are 6, more than that of Ultimate Ears Drops by 4 . More microphones record better sound quality and help the earbuds to filter out noise.

Extras

Has Ambient Sound Mode

Ultimate Ears Drops
Jabra Elite 5

Ultimate Ears Drops support ambient sound mode, which uses microphones to pass through ambient noises so that they can still be heard even while wearing the earbuds

The Jabra Elite 5 support ambient sound mode as well, it’s useful when you want to listen to music while being aware of your surrounding, for example when you’re having a run but would still want to be able to hear traffic.

Has Find Earbuds Feature

Ultimate Ears Drops
Jabra Elite 5

When misplaced in a room, or can't be found in your bag, the Ultimate Ears Drops support the find earbuds feature.

Supports Fast Charging

Ultimate Ears Drops
Jabra Elite 5

Ultimate Ears Drops support fast charging. Commonly, technologies like MediaTek’s Pump Express, are used to reduce the amount of time it takes to fully charge the earbuds.

Also the Jabra Elite 5 too support fast charging. This kind is similar to regular charging, just that the battery fills up much faster. Say, with Quick Charge 3.0, the battery is charged to 50% in just thirty minutes.

Multipoint Count

Ultimate Ears Drops 2only
Jabra Elite 5

Ultimate Ears Drops support multipoint of 2 connections, the multipoint feature allows you to link to more than one Bluetooth device and switch between them. Say, you can switch calls from one device to another without having to manually disconnect and reconnect.

Has A Mute Function

Ultimate Ears Drops
Jabra Elite 5

The Ultimate Ears Drops have a mute function, they have the feature to mute/unmute a conversation directly from the device.

The Jabra Elite 5 too support the mute function. The mute function means that you can turn off the earbuds' microphone, but still hear the other party's voice.

Control Panel Placed On A Device

Ultimate Ears Drops
Jabra Elite 5

With the Ultimate Ears Drops, so you can access the volume control, pause, play, mute, etc whichever functions are supported on the earbuds.

The Jabra Elite 5 also have a control panel on them.

Warranty Period

Ultimate Ears Drops
Jabra Elite 5 2years

Jabra Elite 5 have a warranty period of 2 Years, the period of time that warrant free repair and adjustment services in case of a malfunction occurring under normal use following instruction manuals.

Has Voice Prompts

Ultimate Ears Drops
Jabra Elite 5

Ultimate Ears Drops have voice prompts. Automatically receive information through audio messages, like if there is an issue with the connection.

Jabra Elite 5 too support voice prompts meaning the earbuds notifies you if the battery is running low, and you need to recharge them.

Travel Bag Is Included

Ultimate Ears Drops
Jabra Elite 5

Ultimate Ears Drops come with a special pouch. Carrying earphones openly, or putting them inside your pockets without a casing may easily damage them.

Jabra Elite 5 also have a travel bag included, which is useful for safe transportation.

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