First 30 days with the new Jabra Evolve 75e headset (with SfB, Teams and iPhone)

One of the fun perks in my current role is testing out the latest devices (headsets, handsets and meeting rooms) for Skype for Business & Microsoft Teams. It seems like every month there is a new device being launched by one of our partners (including Logitech, Plantronics, Jabra, Polycom, Audiocodes, Yealink to name a few) which means plenty of new devices to test on a regular basis.

At Enterprise Connect last month I was introduced to the new Jabra Evolve 75e headset and so far it’s awesome! The 75e is a wireless, Bluetooth device with nouse cancelling technology that is optimized for Microsoft SfB/Teams and also works great with mobile devices (I’m testing on my iPhone). Over the last 30 days I’ve run it through the paces in all the different use cases a road warrior would use this type of headset and it’s exceeded my expectations in almost every test.

Use cases tested so far:

• In the office
• Walking on a busy street downtown Toronto
• On the treadmill/in the gym
• In a noisy coffee shop
• On the plane

Findings:

In the office (4.5 out of 5)

Pros: great sound quality, comfortable and light weight, great range from my desk which is nice when it’s time to make lunch in the kitchen and I’m on a Conf call that won’t end and the noise cancelling is sweet (especially with all the background noise in our toronto office).

Cons: took a little while to find the ideal ear piece size for my ear. First world problem and once I figured it out, it was aces.

Walking on a busy street (5 out of 5):

Pros: Toronto is a bustling, noisy city between 7–8am with a ton of people walking from the train to the downtown core and a ton of ambient street noise (cars honking, streetcars screeching, people yelling and random gusts of wind hitting you in the face at every corner). I’ve taken multiple calls and joined SfB/Teams meetings using this headset so far and no one has complained about the noise around me which has been pretty surprising. Sound quality is great when walking outside and the noise cancelling comes in huge to help stay focused.

“Cons”: the headset is so slim that people think you’re taking to your self sometimes because it’s hard to see the headset with a big winter coat on.

In the Gym (3.5 out of 5):

Pros: It’s a tall ask to get a headset that is both built for business and can deliver in the gym. The Evolve75e did better then I expected. It’s light which makes it easy to run with. The earpieces have a solid amount of slack on them as well which provides a good range of motion. Sound quality is fantastic and the in-ear design helps the head breathe when working up a sweat. I can confirm this device is definitely water resistant after a long run, a good sweat and no sweat related damage to report.

Cons: the design of the band that sits on the back of your neck is great for around the office or waking. It’s not the best for running. It bounces as you run and it’s not the most comfortable feeling. It’s again a first world problem and overall not a huge deal but important to call out that it’s not a purpose-built workout device.

Noisy Coffee Shop (4 out of 5):

Pros: unreal for a wireless headset to do that good a job blocking out background noise when listening to music or on a SfB/Teams meeting or call. Battery life is another big plus. It lasts for a long time (I used it for 9 hours of talking/music and no issues at all with battery life).

Cons: the evolve 75e is an earbud style device which is great for a lot of reasons (as listed above). One challenge is in a noisy coffee shop (or noisy office) it doesn’t completely block out the background noise. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing because you need to be aware of your surroundings however sometimes it’s nice to just immerse yourself in your reading/work/surfing. The evolve 75e does a great job for an earbud device, but it’s definitely not an over-ear noise cancelling device (both Jabra and Plantronics now offer this type of complete noise canceling headset).

On the Plane:

I’m excited to test these out later this week on a flight to Dallas. More to come here.

Overall:

The Jabra evolve 75e is a solid choice for all the road warriors/active users within your organization that want one device to use all day long in every situation. If you have the budget for this device ($200+) it’s a no brainer and worth the investment to ensure a high-quality voice experience.