Jabra Evolve 2 85 wireless headset review

REVIEW – For the past few months, I have been working from home and have been a part of conference calls that last for hours at a time. I also have 3 cell phones, two of which are for my personal and personal business use. I like to have dedicated headsets so that I do not have to switch the connection back and forth and also to ensure that I have a backup headset. Now I am testing the Jabe Evolve2 85 headset.

What is it?

The Jabra Evolve 2 85 Headset is a professional headset digital hybrid Active Noise Cancellation (ANC), and it is powered by Jabra’s most advanced digital chipset ever and designed for incredible noise isolation.

What’s in the box

1 x Jabra Evolve2 85 Headset
1 x Jabra Link 380 BT adapter
1 x 1.2m/3.9ft USB-C to USB-A cable
1 x 3.5mm jack audio cable 1.2m/3.9ft
1 x Flight Adapter
1 x Carry Case
1 x Warranty and Warning (safety leaflets)

Design and features

Specifications

Active Noise Cancellation: 4-microphone digital hybrid ANC
Speaker size: 40mm Ø
Speaker sensitivity: 117dB @1mW-1kHz
Speaker max input power: 50 mW
Speaker frequency range: 20Hz-20.000Hz
Speaker bandwidth – Music mode: 20Hz-20.000Hz
Speaker bandwidth Speak mode: 100Hz-8.000Hz
Microphone type: 4 Analog MEMS / 6 Digital MEMS
Microphone sensitivity: -35 dBv/Pa (analog microphone)/-26 dBFS/Pa (digital microphone)
Microphone frequency range: 5-20.000Hz for analog microphone/100Hz – 8000Hz for digital microphone
Audio codecs supported: SBC, AAC
User hearing protection: Jabra SafeToneTM
Certifications: Leading UC vendors; meets Microsoft Teams Open Office requirements*
Headset form factor: Over-the-ear headband
Talk time: Up to 30hrs (with ANC/busy light off)/Up to 20hrs (with ANC on/busy light on)
Music time: Up to 37hrs (with ANC off)/Up to 32hrs (with ANC on)
Charging time: Up to 140min
Power consumption: 5V/500mA
Connection (computer and mobile devices): USB-A/USB-C Bluetooth adapter, 3.5mm jack (corded), Bluetooth
Bluetooth® device: Yes
Bluetooth version: Bluetooth 5.0
Bluetooth profiles: HSP v1.2 , HFP v1.7, A2DP v1.3, AVRCP v1.6, PBAP v1.1, SPP v1.2
Operating range: Up to 30m/100ft
Bluetooth pairing list: Up to 8 devices
Simultaneous Bluetooth connections: 2
Main unit dimension: 198.6×160.0x77.3mm/7.82×6.30×3.05in
Weight incl main wearing style: 286g/10.08oz
The material used: Headband ultra-soft foam covered in color-matched leatherette, ear cushion soft audio foam covered in color-matched leatherette
Battery type: Rechargeable lithium-ion battery
Warranty: 2 years
Jabra Direct/Jabra Express: Yes
Jabra Sound+: Yes
LED features and functions: Microsoft Teams notifications**, busy light, incoming call

Features

On the outer surface of the headset earcups, there are the charging pins on one side and the answer/end call button on the other side. The inside of each earcup is well padded and has a foam membrane cover over the speaker.

There are controls on each earcup as well as on the mic boom arm. The diagram below illustrates all of the functions.

The mic boom arm fits into the right earcup and is pulled down for use.

Performance

The first thing that I did was to charge the headset fully. There is a red LED when charging and it turns green when fully charged. When you power on the headset it goes into pairing mode. You can also activate pairing mode at any time by holding the power button on for a few seconds.

The following diagram explains the LED indicators:

The following are screenshots from the Jabra+ Sound app:

The following video shows the operation of the mic boom arm:

This headset works well. The audio for phone calls and even for music is crystal clear. For music, it is surprisingly good for daily casual listening with a nice representation of the lows, mids, and highs. It even works well on various types of movies. The battery life is decent and will have a charge for hours, but surprisingly, I find the battery life of the Evolve2 65 model to be much better.
I also tested the simultaneous 2-phone connection and this works well. The Bluetooth connection remains solid.

This headset is very comfortable to wear all day long.

The red LED light is automatically activated when you’re on a call or in a meeting, or you can activate it yourself at the touch of a button.

Jabra also provides a Bluetooth Dongle for connection to a computer should that computer not have Bluetooth capability:

What I like

• The build quality
• The fit and comfort when wearing this headset
• The features including the supporting app
• The built-in mic arm that can be tucked away
• The audio quality
• Bluetooth connects easily
• Control buttons are well laid out
• Calls and music are extremely clear and the all-around sound quality is good. This includes decent sound for watching videos/movies
• The Mute/Unmute/Voice Assistant button on the mic

What I’d change

• Better battery life to match some of their other models

Final thoughts

The Jabra Evolve2 85 headset is a quality product that is well designed and constructed, and that adequately represents the Jabra quality that I have come to expect. It functions well in every way and I have found it to be a valuable communication tool not just for these crazy times during the COVID-19 pandemic that has many working from home, but for daily use beyond. When not at work, it does a great job of allowing you to enjoy relaxing entertainment. Despite my wish for a battery life that matches the Jabra Evolve2 65 model, I give this headset a well done and two thumbs up!!

Price: $499
Where to buy: Jabra website and Amazon
Source: The sample for this review was provided by Jabra.