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Jabra will add ANC to its Elite 75t earbuds in October

The free update comes with some caveats though.

Billy Steele/Engadget

Jabra’s Elite 75t may be the best true wireless earbuds you can buy right now, but they don’t have active noise cancellation (ANC). The buds do offer a host of attractive features — from a comfy fit to ambient sound and customizable audio and controls — but they’re lacking what has become standard on many new models. Today, the company is addressing the omission alongside its announcement of the new Elite 85t that comes with Advanced ANC. In October, Jabra will release an update for the Elite 75t and Elite Active 75t that adds ANC to those earbuds. The company says it’s the first to add ANC to an existing true wireless product line.

First, Jabra explains the ANC coming to the Elite 75t is nowhere near as good as what will be available on the Elite 85t. The company is calling this version “standard ANC” as opposed to the Advanced ANC on the Elite 85t. While the 75t is equipped for noise cancellation thanks to its microphones for HearThrough or its ambient sound mode, the older model doesn’t have a dedicated ANC chip. Because of this, Jabra must rely on the processing power available from the existing Qualcomm audio components. The Elite 75t will apply noise cancellation to music and media playback, but you won’t be able to adjust it. It’s either on or off — there’s nothing in between.

As you might expect, the addition of active noise cancellation will impact battery life. With ANC on, Jabra says you can expect up to 5.5 hours on the earbuds (24 hours total including the case) versus the current 7.5 hours (28 hours total) with the feature deactivated. That’s a pretty significant hit to battery performance.

Jabra says the update for current Elite 75t and Elite Active 75t owners will be available in a firmware update through the Sound+ app in mid-October. Future units will ship with the update already onboard and there won’t be a price increase due to the new functionality. The Elite 75t will remain $180 (currently on sale for $150), while the Elite Active 75t will still be $200.

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