Jabra Evolve2 Buds

The Jabra Evolve2 Buds are call-quality monsters with a killer wireless dongle, but they're pretty mediocre for music. Mic performance sits in the 97th percentile, making them a top pick for work calls. If you can find them near the $304 mark, they're a great buy for the office-anywhere crowd.

Call performance is where these buds absolutely shine. The six-mic setup, including those bone-conduction sensors, makes your voice sound crisp and clear even in a noisy open office. The ANC is strong, landing in the 83rd percentile, enough to hush background chatter without making you feel sealed in a vault. Music playback is the weak spot, though. The 6mm drivers are tuned for voices, not bass drops, so your playlists will sound flat and uninspired compared to buds built for music first. Battery life is solid at 8 hours in the buds and 33 total with the case, and the IP57 rating means sweat and rain are non-issues.

Stacked against the Sony WF-1000XM6 or Bose QuietComfort Ultra, the Jabras lose badly on music and overall sound quality. Those are lifestyle buds that happen to take calls well. The Evolve2 Buds flip that script, they're call-first devices that happen to play music. The Technics EAH-AZ100 also offers better all-around sound, and the EarFun Air Pro 4+ is a budget pick that beats the Jabras on music while costing way less. The Soundcore P31i is another cheap alternative if you just want decent calls without the premium price. None of them can match the raw wireless reliability of Jabra's dedicated dongle, though. If your priority is being heard perfectly on a Teams call, the Jabras beat all of them. If you want to enjoy your commute playlist, look at the Sony or Bose.

Pricing on these is a mess. We're seeing them listed anywhere from $304 to a baffling $7,073 across vendors. At the low end, they're a steal for a work-focused headset with a dongle and this level of mic performance. At the high end, you're getting absolutely fleeced. If you can snag them closer to that $304 mark, the value is excellent for the right person. Just shop around and don't pay a premium.

The Jabra Evolve2 Buds are built for work, plain and simple. They're Microsoft Teams certified, pack a USB-A dongle for a rock-solid connection up to 65 feet away, and the call quality is some of the best we've ever tested. If you spend your day jumping between Zoom calls and need something that just works, these are a serious contender.

Music lovers should absolutely skip these. If you want a single pair of earbuds for both work calls and enjoying high-quality audio on your commute, the flat, voice-tuned sound will leave you disappointed. Grab a pair of Sony WF-1000XM6 or Bose QuietComfort Ultra instead.

These are for the remote worker who lives on calls and needs zero-fuss connectivity. If you're a project manager, consultant, or anyone whose voice is their primary tool, the Evolve2 Buds are a fantastic choice. Just don't expect them to double as your weekend listening buds.