Jabra Evolve2 65 Flex Review (2024)

The $329 Jabra Evolve2 65 Flex improves upon the Evolve2 65 by adding noise cancellation, a retractable boom mic, and hinges above the earcups that allow them to fold down flat for storage. Most of what made the previous model a success carries over as well, including plush earpads and reliable mic quality. However, the Evolve2 65 Flex falls a little short of its predecessor's strengths since its mic doesn't reach all the way to your mouth, and its active noise cancellation (ANC) isn't on par with competitors. If you don't need noise cancellation, the Evolve2 65 is still available and costs less at $301. If you want superior ANC, Jabra’s $403 Evolve 2 75 is our Editor’s Choice for noise-cancelling Bluetooth headsets.

Design: On-Ear Comfort

The Jabra Evolve2 65 Flex is available only in black and has a nondescript appearance. Soft, leather-like material covers the plush foam earpads, and the headband has a similar level of padding. I found the on-ear fit a little too loose for my small head, though people with larger noggins are likely to have a better experience. For comparison, the Evolve2 75's headband has thicker padding all the way around and comes in either Black or Gold Beige.

(Credit: Sarah Lord)

Internally, 28mm drivers deliver a frequency range of 20Hz to 20kHz for music.The headset supports Bluetooth 5.2, the AAC and SBC codecs, and Google Fast Pair. You can connect up to two devices simultaneously, though this requires plugging the included USB adapter into your computer. The latter remembers up to eight devices for easy pairing. You can use the headset with any VoIP service, but it comes in versions made specifically for Microsoft Teams or Unified Communications (UC) if needed.

Hinges above the earcups allow you to swivel and collapse the headphonesinward for more compact storage. The right earcup houses a small, retractable boom mic that protrudes slightly to make it easier to grab and lower for calls. Two analog and four digital mics cover a frequency range of 20Hz to 10kHz in both analog and digital modes. You can mute calls by raising the boom mic up or unmute them by lowering it back to your mouth. A button on the upper part of the right earcup also mutes calls, as well as invokes your device's voice assistant when you’re not on a call. You can answer or end calls by pressing the flat round button on the outside of the right earcup. This button also activates Microsoft Teams controls if you have that version of the headset.

(Credit: Sarah Lord)

The volume buttons on the right earcup flank the music playback button. If you hold them down (down for back, up for forward), they also handle track navigation. I prefer headsets that separate these controls since I often accidentally trigger the incorrect function by holding buttons for too long.

(Credit: Sarah Lord )

A button at the top of the left earcup cycles between the ANC, HearThrough (transparency), and Off settings, while the power/Bluetooth pairing button is at the bottom. A USB-C port is included for charging. The outside of the left earcup also supports wireless charging via an optional charging stand (which brings the cost to $389). Place the back of the left earcup on the pad to start charging. The headset lacks a 3.5mm headphone jack but does have a red busy light on each earcup that you can set to turn on when you’re on a call so that people know you're busy.

The package includes a rectangular felt pouch, the aforementioned Bluetooth dongle, and a USB-A-to-USB-C cable. (Jabra sent me the USB-A model to test but sells a USB-C version). The pouch provides some structure and secures shut with an elastic band, though I would prefer if it was more protective and used a material that better resisted dust, dirt, and hair.

(Credit: Sarah Lord)

Jabra claims you can get up to 32 hours of music playback time with ANC off and up to 21 hours with it on. As for talk time, you get 15 hours with ANC and the busy light on or 20 hours with ANC active and the busy light off. It takes up to 2 hours to fully charge the headset, though you can get it up to 45% in just 30 minutes.For comparison, the Evolve2 75 provides up to 36 hours of music playback and 18 hours of talk time with ANC and the busy light on.

Software: Feature-Rich and Flexible

The Jabra Sound+ app (available for Android and iOS) is your hub for downloading the latest firmware updates, adjusting the audio with a five-band EQ, programming the busy light, and even listening to white noise soundscapes. There are also six music presets if you don't want to manually manage the EQ: Bass Boost, Energize, Neutral (the default), Smooth, Speech, and Treble Boost. The app lets you adjust many aspects of the call experience, including the sidetone level, which regulates how loud you hear your voice on a call. I found this feature crucial when I took a call with the noise cancellation on high since I initially had a difficult time hearing myself talk. Unfortunately, I still didn’t sound natural to myself after setting the sidetone to its highest level.

(Credit: Jabra/PCMag)

You must plug the included Bluetooth adapter into your computer to access the Jabra Direct app (available for macOS and Windows). It's almost identical to the Jabra Sound+ app, and a recent redesign improved its layout. If you’re not interested in making any audio adjustments or seamlessly switching between source devices, you can just pair the headset with your computer directly via Bluetooth.

Usability: Some Fumbling Required

I didn't have any issues pairing the USB dongle with my computer and then with my headset, though I initially had a little trouble switching to my phone and back to the computer. I fixed this by going into my computer’s sound settings and choosing the headset as the target for sound output. The headphones are better at switching between devices when a phone call comes in compared with alternating between playing music or videos. In testing, the headset seamlessly swapped between the audio from a Netflix show on my computer to an incoming call on my iPhone 14 Pro and then back again.

Like other Jabra headsets, connecting two devices at once can occasionally be finicky since one device might not register initially. I found that pairing the headset with your phone first rather than your computer makes for a more reliable experience.

(Credit: Sarah Lord)

I don't like the extra step of plugging in a dongle, so I stuck with connecting the headset directly to my computer via Bluetooth. I didn’t notice any difference in audio quality between the two types of connections when watching movies, listening to music, or taking calls. As mentioned, the biggest downsides of using a direct Bluetooth connection are that you lose the ability to connect to two devices at once and access the Jabra Direct desktop app for sidetone adjustments. I never felt like I needed to adjust the general audio performance, though I wished that I could better adapt the sidetone on calls with the ANC set to high.

Noise Cancellation: Not Competitive

The headset offers a decent level of passive noise cancellation, but its active noise cancellation is merely serviceable. When I tested it with a window open in a bedroom, the circuitry did a good job of blocking out most of the noise of my neighbor's child talking out in her yard, but I could still hear cars pass on the busy road near my house. I could also still hear the clicking of my keyboard and the whirring of a fan.

The Jabra Evolve2 65 Flex also features an ANC pass-through mode (transparency) that does a good job of letting in the sound around you. However, it introduces a bit of an ambient hum.

If ANC is important to you and a boom mic isn't a must-have, you’re better off with the $429 Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones, which are the best noise-cancelling headphones we've tested. Within the Bluetooth headset segment, the older Evolve2 75 performs better than the Evolve2 65 Flex in similar scenarios.

Sound and Mic Quality: Decent and Tweakable

The headset does an average job for music playback. You can hear all the deep bass in our test track, The Knife’s “Silent Shout,” but the song sounds a little flat and lacking in power overall. Digital signal processing (DSP) is on boardto prevent distortion and hearing loss.

(Credit: Sarah Lord)

The acoustic notes sound pure and bright on Yes’ “Roundabout,”but I was unable to make out any of the string’s texture.The bass lacks any kind of depth, while the vocals are difficult to understand with the default settings. You can certainly use the in-app EQ to emphasize different aspects of the music, though I found the results to be uneven and dependent on the track.

That said, the default settings work well for Joy Woods’ powerhouse vocals in “My Days” from "The Notebook The Musical.” I hear the nuances in her belt, which never cedes space to the orchestra.

The mic did a good job of capturing the audio I recorded on the Voice Memos app on my iPhone. My words sound clear, though the mics did pick up some distortion from when I adjusted the headset.

(Credit: Sarah Lord)

Voice calls that I made on my phone sounded just as good.I didn't have any problems hearing people on the other end of the call, and people thought I sounded normal, though not exceptionally clear. Generally, I prefer longer boom mics that get closer to my mouth since those tend to provide even better audio capture.

The mic quality was equally clear for FaceTime, Google Meet, and Zoom video calls on my computer and phone, and I didn't have a problem hearing anyone else on the call.

Verdict: Comfortable and Capable, But Noise Cancellation Isn't the Focus

The Jabra Evolve2 65 Flex headset looks a bit plain, but its supremely comfortable earpads and crisp, retractable boom mic make it a versatile option for office work and more. We wish the boom mic extended further, however, and that its noise cancellation was stronger. If noise cancellation isn't a major factor for you, we recommend you save some money and pick up the older Evolve2 65 instead. If you want noise cancellation, you're better off spending more for the Evolve2 75, which offers greater sound quality and longer battery life in addition to superior ANC.