Jabra has introduced the Jabra Elite 85t, the company's first noise-canceling wireless earbuds with adjustable ANC, wireless charging, more powerful drivers and numerous color options.

The Elite 85t is the sibling of the Elite 75t and Elite Active 75t, which received a perfect five-star rating in Tom's Guide, and offers a notable upgrade from the acclaimed Elite 75t. From a distance, it is hard to tell the newest model from the design, but Jabra has built on the legacy of the Elite series, making changes both outside and inside.

This ANC-enabled model continues to support the Jabra Sound+ app with customizable EQ, adjustable ambient listening, and a host of other features developed to enhance the overall listening experience. It also comes with a two-year warranty.

It turns out that the Elite 85t is not the only major announcement Jabra has made, as the company shared plans to bring active noise cancellation to the Elite 75t series via an over-the-air update.

Here is everything else you need to know about the Jabra Elite 85t, including pricing, pre-order information, new features, and the latest news surrounding the Elite 75t series.

The Jabra Elite 85t starts at $229 and will be available at major online retailers such as Amazon and Best Buy, and directly from Jabra. Pre-orders will begin in October, with a November 2020 launch currently planned. Only Titanium/Black will be available at launch, with Gold/Beige, Copper/Black, Black, and Gray coming in January 2021.

Although it looks almost identical to the Elite 75t, Jabra has made some changes with the Elite 85t, opting for a semi-open design that is said to offer better comfort and bite. The buds retain the compact shape and glossy matte finish of the previous version. It is also 1 gram heavier and 2 mm longer than the Elite 75t. The Elite 85t has a slightly thicker housing to accommodate the high-power internals, but when fitted, it has a sleek, unobtrusive, streamlined design. This model is waterproof, but Jabra has lowered the IP rating (IPX4).

All of the major upgrades can be found inside the Elite 85t, where Jabra has doubled the drive size and included 12mm speakers in both buds for a bigger, bolder sound. We're already fans of Jabra's sound signature, so we're even more intrigued by the Elite 85t's sound prowess. It also adds a new six-microphone system with a windshield for improved clarity during calls.

The charging case has also received a minor change, with a design that looks like a hybrid of the Elite 75t and Elite 65t charging cases. The charging case is now flatter and the inner charging magnet is stronger, allowing the case to be held open upside down without the buds falling out.

As part of the last Sound+ software update, Jabra introduced two new features, MyControls, which defines button settings, and MySound, which performs hearing tests to create your own audio profile. The company knew there were problems getting MyControls to work with the Elite 75t series and stated that it could not be used independently with either earphone.

HearThrough mode will also return, allowing users to adjust the amount of ambient noise they want to hear, granting full clarity.Tom's Guide is a "great solution for outdoor runners who want to be more aware of their surroundings." He praises it as reliable for "close encounters." Other notable features of the Sound+ app, such as Soundscape, Call Experience, and Find My Buds, also seem obvious.

It took a while, but Jabra has finally included active noise cancellation in its wireless earbuds. The company announced that it will make ANC available for free on the Elite 75t and Elite Active 75t via a firmware update.

The Elite 85t features Jabra Advanced ANC technology, which Jabra says the company's goal is to achieve what it calls the ABCs of ANC: three features: adjustability, blocking, and comfort. Two microphones are placed on the outside of each bud and one on the inside, creating a feed-forward and feedback solution for optimal noise cancellation. Users can also control and personalize their ANC with the Jabra Sound+ app, which raises each ANC level by 3 decibels. Overall, the technology looks promising and we look forward to hearing how well it holds up against competing products.

The Elite 75t series already includes passive noise cancellation, but Jabra has managed to cancel ambient sound from different angles by repositioning the four microphone arrays. The end result was surprisingly good, minimizing a significant amount of ambient noise; according to Jabra, the chipsets in the Elite 75t and Elite Active 75t have the ability to perform ANC, but to make it work at a consistent level, engineers needed to fine-tune the algorithm.

Jabra says it works best with low frequencies (such as AC units and train engines); Jabra also says it is an on/off solution and cannot be tweaked like the Elite 85t. Nevertheless, this is a great software update.

The Elite 85t can be used for 7.5 hours on a single charge (5.5 hours with ANC ON) for a total of 28 hours with the charging case. This is essentially the same as the Elite 75t, minus the noise canceling feature. We would like to see longer battery life for both the buds and the charging case, as well as longer playback time with ANC on, just one hour longer than the AirPods Pro (4.5 hours).

The same goes for rapid charging, which allows for one hour of use on a 15-minute charge.

One of the Elite85t's big advantages is wireless charging, which can be done wirelessly with compatible Qi-certified chargers; Jabra made wireless charging an option with the Elite 75t series a few months after both models were released, but it comes at a premium ( 229 USD).

Jabra's announcement is great, but we still need to test the Elite 85t to determine if it can live up to the hype and surpass its predecessor as the best wireless earphone. We also need hands-on time with the new ANC updates for the Elite 75t and Elite Active 75t to compare their noise blocking abilities with class leaders like the AirPods Pro and Sony WF-1000xM3.

The active noise cancellation capability alone makes the Elite 85t one of the most sought-after audio products of the holiday season. At the same time, consumers may feel compelled to buy either model of the Elite 75t at a discount, even if the features are not as powerful as the Elite 85t, simply because they have ANC at their disposal in some form. They can also upgrade for free.

And let's not forget the latest developments surrounding the market-topping products: the AirPods Pro just introduced new features like spatial audio and auto-switching in iOS 14; rumors that the WF-1000xM3 will receive an aptX HD update with high-res audio support We also heard that the WF-1000xM3 will receive an aptX HD update for high-res audio. There is even a possibility that Sony will release the next generation of noise-canceling earphones, the WF-1000xM4, although no confirmation has been received from Sony.

Still, based on Jabra's track record, the Elite 85t could be Jabra's best yet.