Jabra Evolve 65 Vs Evolve2 65 Review - 2023

EDITORS NOTE:  This blog was updated on 03/02/2023 to add updated content, and images to provide the reader with better, more current information.

The Evolve 65 and Evolve2 65 are both excellent headsets. The Jabra Evolve 65 being the first generation, and the Jabra Evolve2 65 is the next generation 65 model. This blog will compare them side-by-side so you can see how they compare, starting with our video review.

Jabra Evolve2 65 Vs. Evolve 65 Review Video

Differences at a glance

Specs	Jabra Evolve 65	Jabra Evolve2 65
Weight	4oz	6oz
Connectivity	Mobile + Computer	Mobile + Computer
Bluetooth	4.0	5.0
Battery	14 hours	35 hours
Microphone	Noise canceling	Noise canceling
ANC	No	No
Best Deal	View at Headset Advisor	View at Headset Advisor
Coupon Code	BLOG	BLOG
Best Alternative	View at Headset Advisor	View at Headset Advisor

 

RISKS of purchasing Jabra headsets from non-authorized resellers.

Many resellers on third party platforms like Amazon are not authorized resellers, and if you purchase through them, you may face the following:

• The product could be counterfeit.
• The product may be listed as “unused” – which is not a new product
• The product may include software that is no longer supported by Jabra & requires updates to prevent network vulnerability.
• The product is missing key accessories or components required for your region to ensure the product will work as needed.
• If product does not work properly, you will not be able to get support or a replacement under warranty which leaves you vulnerable.
• You may discover that setup,or technical help is not available.

The point here is to make sure that you buy from an authorized source so you can avoid the many pitfalls  associated with products offered by non-authorized  companies.

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This blog compares the Evolve 65, and Evolve2 65, with the Evolve2 65 being the newest version. Below are some of the reasons to consider this newer headset.

Reasons to buy the Evolve2 65

1. The Evolve2 65 has a newer, more modern look
2.  The Evolve2 65 comes with the ability to connect via USB-A, and USB-C 
3.  Bluetooth 5.0 on the Evolve2 65, vs. 4.0 on the Evolve 65
4. Significantly more battery life, and faster recharge time.
5. Shorter microphone boom arm that mutes when raised
6. The Evolve2 65 has better passive noise reduction
7. The busy light is viewable from more angles
8. You can choose between black, and beige.

 

Let's get more details

Appearance

The Jabra Evolve 65 is a very fine looking headset. It's been a popular selling headset worldwide for a lot of good reasons. Still, when you place it side-by-side to the updated Evolve2 65, it's easy to see how the design, and overall look has been improved. Gone are the red accents and straight edges that have given way to a blacked out, more modern stealthy look.

The Jabra Evolve 65 appearance looks a bit dated with the red striping and steel accents. Today’s designs have steered more towards a uniform appearance with black being the color of choice which is seen on the Evolve2 65 model, and countless other headset makes and models.

Persoally, I like the look of the Evolve2 65 much better than the Evolve 65. It has a far more contemporary look and being all blacked out makes it look pretty cool overall. 

Headset weight comparison

The Jabra Evolve 65 mono weighs 2.8 ounces (79 grams).

The Evolve 65 stereo model weighs 3.9 ounces (111 grams) 

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The Jabra Evolve2 65 mono weighs 3.5 ounces (99 grams).

The stereo model weighs 6.2 ounces (176 grams). 

Given that these are both worn over the head, covering two ears, the weight of both models seems well distributed across the top of the head. I personally couldn’t really tell much difference in weight by wearing them both even though the specifications show the Evolve2 65 weighing 33% more.This might have more to do with product design than the weight of the device, with the Evolve2 65 being of a newer generation,with a design that may have benefited from better design tools, and of course the natural evolution of products overall.

Overall though, when wearing both, they felt pretty much the same to me. Comfort, just like sound quality, is subjective though. Your opinion might be different from mine, but that's how they compared to me.

Connectivity

The Jabra Evolve 65 and the Evolve2 65 both connect to desktop computers,laptops and mobile devices. This is done wirelessly via the included Jabra Link 380 USB Adapter or through Bluetooth connectivity.

If connecting to a computer and having the ability to connect to mobile devices is important to you, then either the Evolve 65, or Evolve2 65 wireless headsets will work fine for you.

The Evolve 65 comes with the Link 380 USB-A adapter, and the Evolve2 65 also comes with the same adapter plus a USB-C converter. This means that you can use the Evolve2 65 with computers that have USB-A or USB-C ports. The Evolve 65 is limited to USB-A only, unless you purchase separately a converter.

 Bluetooth Version 

The Jabra Evolve 65 uses Bluetooth 4.0 

The Jabra Evolve2 65 uses a new version, 5.0 

So what’s the difference? Version 5.0 is designed to give you longer wireless talk range. However, when you read the specifications on both products, each claim to provide up to 100 feet of wireless talk range. Yet a quick Google search about the difference between 4.0 and 5.0 says you should expect to receive longer wireless talk range on BT 5.0 devices. Many times wireles range hinges on the amount, and type of obstructions in your work environment. The more obstructions, and the denser they are, leads to less wireless range. 

Longer wireless range is beneficial in a variety of ways. You'll have the reach to grab that morning cup of coffee in the breakroom, talk to a coworker down the hall, or grab a document off the printer that's on the other side of the office, among other things. But, Bluetooth 5.0 provides more than just more range, because it consumes less power and will outperform version 4.0 devices. 

To learn more about the differences between Bluetooth version 4.0 and 5.0, check out an article by Dignited.

Battery comparison

Evolve 65

The Jabra Evolve 65 has a rechargeable battery rated at up to 14 hours of talk time, and recharges in 2 hours.

Evolve2 65

The Jabra Evolve2 65 battery is rated up to 35 hours of talk time, or 24 hours if using the busy light, and it takes 1.5 hours for a full recharge. After 30 minutes, you get 40% charge, and after 60 you get 80%.

Listening time on the Evolve2 65 gives you up to 37 hours.  

Takeaway

It's easy to see that the battery in the Evolve2 65 is superior because it provides dramatically more talk and listening time compared to the battery in the Evolve 65, and it recharges faster as well.

So if having a more robust battery that delivers longer talk and listening times is important to you, then the Evolve2 65 clearly is the one to pick.

Microphone 

That’s not to say that it gets in the way because it doesn’t. It does stay in the upward position, it just doesn’t stay magnetically attached to the headband very well as it was originally intended. No deal breaker by any stretch, but so long as this is a listed feature of the Evolve 65, I felt this was worth mentioning. 

While on the subject of microphone booms, the Evolve2 65 not only has a shorter one, but when you raise it up it automatically mutes the microphone. When you return it down, it turns the microphone back on. A very cool feature really, and practical. This is a feature that's appearing more frequently on headsets.

Ear speakers and cushions                  

I personally found the Jabra Evolve 65 ear cushions to be a little bit smaller than I’d like. I also found the ear cushions to lack padding. In fact, the longer I wore the headset the more I could feel the hard plastic speaker housing beneath the cushion. I’d imagine wearing this headset for extended periods of time wouldn't be the most comfortable experience based on this alone. But, comfort is subjective so what's uncomfortable to me might be fine for you. 

I also noticed that the angle of the ear speakers themselves are tilted inwards towards the bottom of the speaker itself. I found the angle of the speakers to be uncomfortable, as it had a tendency to press uncomfortably against my lower ear area.

Overall, not the most comfortable feeling headset I’ve ever worn. It wasn’t horrible, but it was far from great, and there are a lot of better options for comfort.

It's a well-known fact that the Evolve 65 has a history of breakage where the ear speaker attaches to the headband. We’ve seen this first hand in our office, and we've heard the same from a lot of customers about this as well.

Fortunately though, Jabra resolved this issue in the new Evolve2 version. They completely reengineered the ear speaker housing where the headband connects to it. And for that matter, pretty much everything else to provide a new, and truly improved version of the Evolve 65 headset.

Jabra redesigned the earcup so it's now angled which helps to refract sound away from the headset. This is particularly helpful for anyone who works in a call center, or noisy environment anbd finds it to be distracting.

The other thing that Jabra incorporated into the Evolve2 65 is a special foam material that's known to dampen sound. When combined with the redesigned ear cups, the wearer gets a very good passive noise reduction experience. 

As for the audio quality, this too was totally revamped in the Evolve2 65 as well. Jabra went from using 28 mm speakers in the Evolve 65 to 40 mm in the Evolve2 65. That alone is a difference you can hear, but they paired that up with their most advanced chipset to deliver impressive sound not commonly found on business grade headsets. I doubt the sound you get with this new headset will leave you disappointed.

Evolve 65 and Evolve2 65 Headbands

The headband on the Jabra Evolve 65 is adjustable, but not padded. 

The headband on the Jabra Evolve2 65 is also adjustable, but it has a generous amount of silicone padding. This not only makes the headset comparatively more comfortable, but being it’s silicone it’s easy to keep clean. If you were given a choice between two headbands, one with a cushion, and one without, which would you choose? The Evolve2 65 would be my choice.

Busy Light 

Both models have a built in busy light to let others around you know when you’re on a call. However, there are differences between these two models in terms of the design of the busy light. 

The Jabra Evolve 65 has a circular ring on the side of the headset earpiece that lights up red when you get on a call. In order to see this red ring, you need to be within a certain field of view. If outside of the viewing area, you won’t be able to see if the person is on a call or not. 

The Jabra Evolve2 65, by contrast, has LED lights on the front portion of the headset earpiece,and also on the back.

This provides a wider field of view for those around you to see if you’re busy and on a call. Having a greater viewing area will help to minimize interruptions  when on calls.

There are reasons why Jabra changed the design to two position mounted LED lights. I think it was to give the new headset a more contemporary look in addition to the improved viewing.

Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) 

What is ANC? This is an electronic headset feature that helps to reduce the amount of noise you hear in your enironment. In other words, when you have a headset that has ANC, and the office noise gets distracting, you can press a button on the headset, and you’ll notice an immediate drop in the sound levels. 

To learn more about the difference between noise cancelation, and Active Noise Cancelation, here's a short video segment from one of our Podcasts where David, Dustin and Drew talk about this.

This feature is designed to allow you to stay focused on your work and not get distracted, because according to research,distractions are the leading cause of reduced worker productivity. Additionally, it suggests that it can take as long as 20 minutes to regain focus. To read more on this topic, here's a Q&A with Gloria Mark, Associate Professor at UC Irvine who did a study on this subject.

Neither of these two Jabra Evolve 65 models have ANC. They instead use  what’s referred to as “passive noise cancellation”.  Passive noise cancellation uses things like fully encircling ear cushions, angled ear cup design, sound absorbing foam materials to help prevent sound from entering the ear. No electronics, just design elements to help dampen sound.

Headsets with ANC benefit from electronics to help reduce noise, where headsets that don't have that feature must rely on the other things, such as those just mentioned, to help reduce noise passively.

The Evolve2 65 has an ear speaker housing that's better designed and constructed compared to that of the Evolve 65. Sound is refracted based on the design, and use of angles, and sound absorbing materials help to further dampen noise.

Warranty 

Both models come with a Jabra 2-year warranty. 

Final thoughts 

The Jabra Evolve 65 has been a solid performing headset in the Jabra product line for quite a while. But like with any product, replacements are inevitable. And though the emphasis of this blog is in favor of the newer model, that doesn't mean that the Evolve 65 is a bad headset by any stretch of the imagination. It's  been a popular headset, but as with most products, its not without issues, but those have been addressed in the updated model.

Jabra did a spectacular job of improving an already good headset in the Evolve 65.

• Shorter mic boom that auto mutes when raised 
• Padded headband for more comfort 
• Thicker and larger ear cushions for better comfort, and a totally redesigned ear speaker housing that refracts sound for passive noise reduction.
• Wider field of view on the busy light compared to the Evolve 65
• A battery that gives you over double the life of the original
• Updated Bluetooth technology that may provide longer wireless talk range, consume less power, and perform faster processing
• USB-A and USB-C adapter/dongle connectivity
•  A much better sounding microphone, and ear speakers.

Bottom  line, if I had to choose between these two models, hands down I’d be buying the Evolve2 65 based on the wide range of product improvements Jabra made on this new model. To me, the choice is easy.

Coupon Code for a discount

If the Evolve2 65 duo, or mono is a headset you're interested in, make sure to use coupon code BLOG at checkout to get a nice discount on your order.

Trade-in your old headsets

If you have old headsets, don't leave them in that box in your storeroom. Trade them in for cash or credit that you can use to help lower the price of a new headset. Better for you, and better for the environment. Click here to learn more.

Acquire your new headsets for a low monthly rate

If the budget is tight, and there's not enough for those new headsets you need, what do you do? Buy less? Buy a more economically priced model? Wait until next years budget? 

Headset Advisor has a unique program that gives you the option to acquire the headsets you need today, for one low, affordable monthly rate. You not only get the headsets you need, but the warranty never expires, and it even includes replacement accessories. It's simple, and it's affordable.

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