Jabra exiting consumer headphone market after new release

Jabra has announced that it will gradually exit the consumer earphones market after unveiling the second generation of Elite 8 Active and Elite 10 earphones.

GN, the Danish company that owns Jabra, says it has decided to gradually wind down its Elite and Talk product lines to further increase focus and resources on more attractive parts of its business.

According to the company, the investment required for future growth in "this very competitive space" is deemed unjustified in the long term, given the associated risks.

"The markets have changed over time, and it is today our assessment that we cannot generate a fair return on investment compared to the many other opportunities we have within our Hearing, Enterprise, and Gaming businesses,"

Peter Karlstromer, CEO of GN Store Nord, said in a statement.

The Talk product line, which consists of mono Bluetooth headsets, follows a similar logic.

Jabra says it plans to sell most of the inventory until the end of this year. However, support for these products will continue for several years.

The second generation of Elite headphones

Just before announcing its exit from the consumer earphones market, the company introduced the second generation of its wireless earphones, Elite 8 Active and Elite 10, which were released less than a year ago.

Elite 8 Active and Elite 10 will come with what the company calls the world's first LE Audio smart case, allowing wireless streaming from any device with a USB-C or 3.5mm port.

The built-in chip enables users to connect and stream audio from various devices, such as flight entertainment systems or workout machines, using a cable provided in a setup.

The second-gen earbuds offer improved call performance with six-microphone call technology and enhanced AI call algorithms. The company claims that noise-reduction algorithms are automatically switched on to provide a clear call performance depending on activity or location to ensure high speech clarity.

The Elite 8 Active and the Elite 10 also come with improved Active Noise Cancellation (ANC), which can block up to twice as much noise as previous generations.

The second generation of Elite 8 Active will cost $229, and Elite 10 will cost $279. Both models will be available in mid-June.