Jabra Evolve2 75 headset review: Optimized for hybrid work with ANC and 24 hour talk time | ZDNet

At the end of 2020, I spent a few weeks with the Jabra Evolve2 85 and enjoyed the experience. However, the over ear design and large headset was a bit too much for my ears after an extended period of time. For the past couple of weeks I’ve been wearing the
Jabra Evolve2 75

at my home office, on my train commute, and in my business office.

The Jabra Evolve2 75 is almost 100 grams lighter than the
Evolve2 85

with much of the same functionality at a cost about $50 less. Its on-ear design is very comfortable for wearing all day long, during work, commuting, and when relaxing after work.

Also: Best noise-canceling headphones 2021: Top headsets

Jabra offers two versions of the Evolve2 75 headphones; one for Unified Communications (UC) and the other focused on Microsoft Teams. The Gold Beige color model works with Microsoft Teams and UC platforms while the Black model supports Teams. I tested the black Teams model with a USB-A BT dongle, but without a charging stand.

Specifications

• Speaker size: 40 mm
• Microphones: 4 analog MEMS and 4 digital MEMS
• Wireless connectivity: Bluetooth 5.2
• Operating range: 30 meters/100 feet
• BT profiles: A2DP, AVRCP, HFP, HSP, PBAP, SPP
• Battery life: Up to 33 hours of ANC play and 36 hours with ANC off. 18 hours of talk time with ANC and 24 hours without ANC. 160 minutes to achieve full charge via USB-C. 35 minutes will achieve 30% and 70 minutes will charge up to 60%.
• Headphone weight: 197 grams
• Box contents: Headset, Jabra Link 380 BT adapter, 1.2 meter USB-C to USB-A cable, and soft carrying case.

Hardware

One major reason I like the Evolve2 75 better than the 85 is the lighter weight with on-ear design. The ear cushions use a new dual-foam technology that make them comfortable to wear for many hours straight. The ear cushion design also impacts the noise isolation and ANC performance.

The band over the top of your head is nearly completely covered in soft material over foam to rest comfortably on your head. The earcups rotate about 135 degrees so they can lie flat in the carrying case and then match the shape of your head for an optimal audio experience.

The outside of the earcups are matte black. Indicator lights, called busylight in the applications, on the front and back of the earcups light up when you are on a call so someone entering the room or your work area can see that you are actively engaged on a call and avoid bothering you while you are busy. They light up in purple color when on a Microsoft Teams call.

On the lower part of the outside left ear cup are two gold connection pins. These support the optional charging stand, a $50 option when you purchase the headphones.

On the bottom of the left earcup we see the USB-C charging port, charging indicator light, power/BT toggle switch. Up above halfway on the back side of the left earcup we have another button that is used to switch between different sound modes; ANC, HearThrough, and off.

Also: Jabra Elite 7 Pro review: Buy for outstanding phone calls, not for ANC

The outside of the right earcup on the Evolve2 75 has a Microsoft Teams logo at the center. There are three buttons just to the back of the lower part of the right earcup. These buttons are used to control volume, next/previous track, and play/pause functions.

A distinguishing feature on the front of the right earcup is the retractable boom arm that positions the microphone down near your mouth. Moving the arm back up into the groove also mutes the microphones as lowering it unmutes calls.

The soft carrying case offers basic protection for your headphones when packing them along on your daily commute, flight, or other means of transportation.

You can purchase the Evolve2 75 with either USB-A or USB-C support. This designation indicates which type of Jabra Link adapter is included in the package. Given that I use a
Surface Pro 6

as my primary work computer, I tested the USB-A version. At first I didn’t think it was included in the case, but found it hidden in the carrying case in a small compartment. You need this adapter to enjoy the full functionality of the Jabra Direct computer software. You could connect to your PC directly through Bluetooth without the adapter, but your experience would be limited and not as reliable.

Also: Jabra Elite 3 review: Forget AirPods, these $80 earbuds offer more for less

Computer (PC/Mac) software

In order to experience the full enterprise support of the Jabra Evolve2 75 headphones, download the Windows or macOS version of Jabra Direct. After installation, launch the software to see tabs for device, Bluetooth, updates, settings, feedback, and help.

The device tab shows you the connection status of your headset to various supported apps. For my computer, Microsoft Skype for Business, Mitel, Microsoft Teams, and Zoom are all supported by the Jabra Evolve2 75 headphones. The status will show up as ready or not ready. Tap the information icon to set up any service that is not shown as ready. You can also tap the equalizer icon on the device tab and quickly setup your equalizer to match your music preferences.

The other main tab is device settings. This tab has an extensive number of settings available to optimize your experience (check out the screenshot in the image gallery). Settings include toggles for answer the call by rotating the boom arm, on-ear detection, sleep mode, and more.

Smartphone software

The Jabra Sound Plus app is available for iOS and Android devices. The smartphone app has many similar settings as the Jabra Direct app with a few other options, including using the earcup microphone for calls rather than the boom arm mic.

Google Fast Pair is supported so it was very quick and easy to connect to my various Android smartphones with the headset. With your phone you can walk through a hearing test process to optimize the MySound profile for your current level of hearing capacity. Amazon Alexa is supported, as well as the default for your smartphone. I prefer Google Assistant for my voice assistant.

While you can use the left ear cup button to toggle between sound modes, you can also do this in the Moments section of the smartphone app. Battery percentage is also shown in the smartphone app.

Daily usage experiences and conclusion

Most of my clients call my cellphone, rather than my desk phone, and my engineering consulting firm now supports a hybrid work model. This allows me to power up my Microsoft Surface Pro 6 at home and connect the Evolve2 75, then connect it to my smartphone during my commute, and then back to my computer while at the office. You can connect up to two devices at once with support for connecting up to eight devices with the headset.

The ANC has been great at blocking out train and office background noise while the eight mics on the headset have provided fantastic voice and video calling audio quality on both ends of the conversation. The on-ear design has been working much better for me with no ear discomfort after hours of use. The headset is also lightweight and the design keeps the earpads from pressing in on your outer ear.

I have found the headset so comfortable and long lasting that I now use it to enjoy music streaming from my phone while working and love that I can then easily switch over to a Teams work call without missing a beat.

Battery life has been rock solid with the Evolve2 75 and my experiences have closely matched the advertised battery life. I plug in a USB-C cable after a full day of use just to make sure I’m good to go for the next day, but the headset has proven to provide enough charge for a couple of days of work between charges.

The
Jabra Evolve2 75 headphones

are available now for $406.26. This is a significant cost, but Jabra has proven to provide a high quality audio experience that supports stellar phone and video calls.