I was never a big fan of wired gizmos. From my PlayStation 2 controller to the dangling in-ear headphones of yesterday, they all had their fair share of sorrows.
Since the wireless era has kicked in, things have started looking brighter for gadget users, especially in the audio accessory department.
The Apple AirPods, priced at Rs 13,000, brought with it a lot of freshness in the audio accessory segment and ever since then there have been multiple brands venturing into this space of wireless earbuds, especially for Android users.
So here we have two earbuds at two different ends of the spectrum. The Jabra Evolve 65t comes in at Rs 39,440 while the Samsung Galaxy Buds has been priced at Rs 9,999. We check out what’s on offer and which one you should go for.
Design
The Jabra Evolve 65t carries forward a similar design to its predecessor the Jabra Elite 65t. Jabra has been very specific in saying that these earbuds have been made to cater to the corporate and business class. However, the design doesn’t say that at all.
It’s bulky and the design might not be comfortable for all ears. The texture and body material does help with the extra grip, but I would not recommend keeping it on for long hours.
The Samsung Galaxy Buds do carry a very posh design philosophy and the all-white colour tone does add that extra spark. It’s compact and fits snugly. No complaints here.
Ergonomics
The Jabra Evolve is a versatile gizmo and can be used for fitness activities as well besides the daily regular usage. It is IP55 water-dust resistant and does come with a physical button on it to help toggle controls.
For better communications, it has been bundled with a quad microphone array which helps improve telephonic conversations over the earbuds. It’s a very important addition for people working in the corporate sector and have to attend regular phone calls.
It also comes with a dual-audio feature where you can connect it to a PC and a phone at the same time thanks to a Bluetooth adapter that comes in the box.
The Evolve 65t comes with a charging cradle that supports USB 2.0 charging and deliver 15-hours of standby time easily.
The Samsung Galaxy Buds might not be the best option when it comes to fitness-oriented headphones, but it is also water-resistant. The charging cradle is more compact and also supports wireless charging!
It comes with touch controls on it which to be fair is very difficult to use and navigate. I struggled a lot.
Sound Quality
The Jabra Evolve 65t offers decent bass, but it struggles with the mid levels a bit. I recommend you use the headphones with its native app that offers a 5-band equaliser where you can alter the default sound settings according to your preference.
Despite these not being noise cancelling headphones, it still does a good job killing external sounds.
The real deal maker is the sound quality during phone conversations, which I feel is stellar and one of the prime reasons one should invest in such headphones.
The Samsung Galaxy Buds have a bit of a flaw. Although they support all Android and iOS devices, the Buds are more intuitive with the latest Samsung Galaxy smartphones and even comes with an in-app equaliser.
The sound quality on the Buds is good, but not good enough for someone who is a die hard audiophile. There is minimal bass, though the treble seems to compensate for it. Noise cancellation is not really the Samsung Galaxy bud’s forte.
Battery Life
The Jabra Evolve offers up to 5 hours of playtime on a single charge with an extra 15 hours from the cradle. It gave me ample standby time as there were days when I would leave the cradle uncharged and the earbuds would still give me plenty of music time.
The Samsung Galaxy Earbuds offer up to 6 hours of playtime on a single charge adding 13-hours more to the same thanks to the battery juice in the cradle.
The advantage that the Samsung Buds have over Jabra is that it supports wireless charging and also USB Type-C support.
The Best ‘Bud’ for You?
The Jabra Evolve 65t has been priced at Rs 39,440 which I feel is a bit exorbitant. It does offer a feature set that most earbuds in the market don’t, but that doesn’t really justify such a high price tag especially when it has been designed similar to an earbud that costs half the price ( The Jabra Elite 65t).
The Evolve is meant to cater to a very specific category of user, primarily the business class. However, I really don’t know whether they’ll welcome a bulky design with open arms.
The Samsung Galaxy Buds is a good gizmo for college going folks and the daily office commuters who want to upgrade to wireless headphones.
It might not be the best companion for non-Galaxy smartphones, but if you have the patience to figure your way around that, then the Galaxy Buds are something you can consider.
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