The Danish brand had built a solid reputation on the consumer market. Unfortunately, the competition has become too tough.
It was GN, the parent company of Jabra, which announced it yesterday in a bitter-tasting press release. The present Jabra Elite 10 Gen 2 and Elite 8 Active Gen 2 will therefore be the very latest models in this series that the brand will market.
In stock
Buy on Fnac.com
The Jabra Elite 10 Gen 2 and Elite 8 Active Gen 2 close the brand’s consumer chapter
As their name suggests, the new models presented by the Dane iterate on the excellent foundations of the Jabra Elite 10 and 8 Active headphones, launched last year. A generally unchanged design, but in-ear headphones which adopt spatial audio (Dolby Atmos) for the very first time.
Active noise cancellation improves in depth, and both pairs of earbuds are the first to feature an LE Audio-compatible charging case – a technology that allows the case to be connected to an audio source in order to make acts as a relay by broadcasting, without latency, the sound to the headphones.
Designed for sportsmen and women, the Jabra Elite 8 Gen 2 are distinguished by their IP68 certification and their sweat-resistant coating.
The Jabra Elite 10 Gen 2 and Jabra Elite 8 Gen 2 will be released soon for €279.99 and €249.99.
Why is Jabra abandoning the consumer market?
Of course, the announcement of the new products is overshadowed by another: that of the announced withdrawal of GN from the general public market. The Elite and Talk ranges (Bluetooth headsets aimed at professionals) are presented as being in decline, too expensive to maintain while the market is more competitive than ever.
It is true that Jabra had far fewer rivals in the 2010s, the decade during which it launched its Elite range. It then positioned itself as a particularly innovative brand by offering active noise reduction (ANC) at very competitive prices. Today, there is no longer a single smartphone brand, in particular, that does not offer a pair of headphones which, often, offer additional features when paired with a device of the same brand.
But Jabra is not disappearing yet. GN announces that it sees new, more interesting growth prospects in the Hearing (hearing aids), Business and Gaming divisions. The end of a beautiful story.
