What We Like
- An attractive, minimalist design that looks good without being flashy.
- Audio that exceeds expectations on all fronts.
- Wireless and wired mode option is always nice.
What We Don't Like
- Battery life could be better, but it isn’t awful.
Jabra’s been in the business of sports audio for a number of years, and their popularity has primarily remained in this more specialist area. The Move model represents a transition towards a broader appeal, so how do they shape up?
Design
Available in three color variations (blue, black, and red), the Jabra Move is certainly a good looking device. The design is simple and effective, and the fit makes for a comfortable listening experience regardless of whether you’re stuck on a train or running like your life depended on it on a treadmill.
They don’t fold, but they do have the ability to reduce in size a little for transportation. It’s not the most dramatic change, but it does make something of a difference. The headband is dirt resistant to an extent, and that certainly helps if you’re planning to use the Moves when working out.
Features
The left side of the headphones houses a volume rocker and a central button which constitute the remote controls. The rocker is a nice way to reduce the amount of buttons on the device, but you may end up skipping a track when you mean to just turn the volume up as you get used to how long the button needs to be held for to perform each respective function.
The center button basically takes care of everything else you might need to make use of. You’ve got the classic play / pause functionality on a short press, a long press starts a chat with your voice assistant of choice, and a double tap lets you manage calls. The built in mic is of ample quality, and seems to pick up one’s voice relatively well even in noisy environments.
It’s also worth noting that an audio cable is provided which means you can switch from wireless to wired mode if the battery dies on you. This can be something of a lifesaver, and is a feature that’s hard to go without once you’ve used it.
Performance
So, Jabra has done well to create a minimalistic, good looking design, but how well does it perform? Let’s start with connectivity. Pairing is a simple and painless process, and the first time you turn them on the Moves guide you through the process with friendly voice prompts. It takes a couple of seconds after that to pair with a new device. Jabra advertises the maximum range as 33 feet, but this seems like a vast understatement: we could still get audio to work over 100 feet. Obviously this isn’t the most practical use case, but it’s worth keeping in mind nonetheless.
Battery life at this price point can be fairly variable, and with their advertised 8 hours, the Moves are about average for this bracket. Not great, not bad, but they’ll do the job. And, of course, you can switch into wired mode if the battery dies while you’re still listening.
As for the audio, it broadly outperforms expectations. It isn’t as accurate as some, but every element of the tracks we tested sounded good and nothing was lost in the mix. The bass, in particular, provides a great listening experience: it’s powerful, rich, and punchy without ever overwhelming the rest of the track. Mids and highs are well defined, crisp, and don’t feel drowned out by the slightly ramped up bass response.
The Rumble:
Starting with a striking, simple, and good looking design, the Moves manage to deliver a solid performance across the board. The listening experience is good; The battery life isn’t the best, but wired mode solves that to some extent.
