Headphone reviews are a lot of fun. But they are also considerably difficult to write. After all, sound quality is a very subjective thing for people. Not everyone likes the same type of sound as I might, and that makes it harder to write with conclusive evidence about why I like (or don’t) a pair of headphones. The Jabra Elite 45h (Rs.9,999) make this even more difficult because they do quite a lot of things well, and they are, in fact, a really good pair of headphones. However, there are a considerable number of things here that I wish were better.

Inside the box of these headphones you get the following stuff:

Nothing out of the ordinary here, but as usual, I am glad there’s a USB-C port on these and not a microUSB. Good job there.

I’d be lying if I said the Jabra Elite 45h had a bad design. These headphones look amazing. Jabra has done a bang on job of designing these headphones and making them look considerably more premium than the price they come in at. There’s a nice matte black finish all over the headphones, and it gives them a very classy, yet eye-catching look.

Comfort and Fit

For all the praise I offered Jabra for the cushioned headband and everything else in the previous section, I didn’t mention anything about the comfort and fit. That’s because this is a complicated section for these headphones, at least in my mind. With a soft cushioned headband, and really soft earcups, these headphones should have been really comfortable and well fitting.

The sound quality from the Elite 45h is good. Is it the kind of sound you expect from a pair of headphones priced at Rs. 10,000? Well, almost, but it does fall slightly short. However, there are other things that sort of make the sound experience a little better.

Look, there’s nothing too wrong with the sound from the Elite 45h. It gets quite loud, there’s a good balance of highs and mids, and a decent-ish amount of bass. It’s good enough for listening to most types of music, but if you love bass heavy tracks, the Elite 45h are probably not the best bang for your buck.

As I mentioned above, the Elite 45h does fall slightly short on sound. However, to somewhat ensure that the sound is tailored to your ears, the headphones are compatible with the Jabra Sound+ app. This app is the best way to ensure your headphones sound the way you want them to.

You also get an equaliser here, which makes it quite easy to adjust the headphones music output to your preference. Plus, I like the fact that there are a bunch of easy-tap settings here to adjust the equaliser based on the music you’re listening to.

In terms of connectivity, the Jabra Elite 45h offer Bluetooth 5.0 which is nice, and they can be connected to two devices simultaneously. I barely used this particular feature since I mostly keep the headphones connected to my iPhone for music and calls while working. However, it’s definitely nice to have multi-device support here.

Battery Life

This is one place where the Elite 45h headphones really excel. The headphones are rated for a whopping 50 hour battery life on a charge. I usually expect such stellar battery life from Sony headphones, so I was pleasantly surprised with the battery backup these headphones offer. The claims aren’t off either, listening to music at around 60-70% volume has been getting me through these last few days without a significant drop in battery percentage.

Pros:

Cons:

  • Fit could be better
  • Highs get too loud at max volume

Jabra Elite 45h: Should You Buy?

At the end of the day, the question that remains is whether the Jabra Elite 45h are worth the money at Rs. 9,999? The answer is slightly complicated. The headphones look great, sound decent, and have an amazing battery life. All of that at this price is a fairly solid deal. However, there are other options that are better in a lot of other places. Take the Sony MDR-XB650BT (Rs. 7,490). These are wireless headphones that offer considerably better sound quality at a lower price. However, you get a lower battery life here, with 30 hours of listening time on a charge, and they use microUSB. Plus, they come with Bluetooth 4.1 instead of Bluetooth 5.0.