For many athletes and sports enthusiasts, working out in the gym or going for a run is a chore without their music. This is why top headphones brands like Plantronics and Jabra have designed earbuds specifically for people who lead active lifestyles.
Active noise-cancellation and passive noise-isolation
Transparency Mode
No
Yes, adjustable
Drivers
13.5mm
6mm
Water-Resistance
IP57 (waterproof up to 1m and limited dust ingress protection)
IP57 (waterproof up to 1m and limited dust ingress protection)
Battery Life
8
7.5 hours
Charging Case Battery Life
16 hours
20.5 hours
Fast Charging
Yes, 1.5 hours battery life with a 15-minute charge
Yes, 1 hour battery life with a 15-minute charge
Wireless Range
30 meters
10 meters
Release Date
Q4 2019
Q1 2020
Design
The Plantronics BackBeat FIT 3200 comes with an ear hook for a more secure fit while the Jabra Elite Active 75t has the more concealed design
Plantronics BackBeat FIT 3200 (left) and Jabra Elite Active 75t (right)
Both the Plantronics BackBeat FIT 3200 and the Jabra Elite Active 75t are sports earbuds designed to be used during heavy workouts. They both have a snug fit that will keep them in your ears even when your workout gets intense. They’re also both water-resistant to keep your sweat (or light rain when you’re outdoors) from damaging the electronics.
The Jabra Elite Active 75t has a more concealed look. They’re semi-open earbuds with the ear tip resting on the opening of your ear canal. The rest of the body sits snugly on the contours of your ears. Plantronics’ BackBeat FIT 3200, on the other hand, has similar ear tips but comes with an additional ear hook that goes around the back of your ears. The ear hook may not be the most comfortable if you wear eyeglasses or sunglasses, but they do make your earbuds feel more secure.
Both sets of earbuds have an IP57 rating which means they can be submerged in water up to 1 meter deep (Bluetooth doesn’t transmit underwater) and are protected from limited dust ingress. This makes them the perfect set of earbuds to take on outdoor adventures and intense workouts.
Audio
The Jabra Elite Active 75t takes the lead in terms of audio with active noise-cancellation and an adjustable transparency mode
The Plantronics BackBeat FIT 3200 (left) and Jabra Elite Active 75t (right) shown in use.
The Plantronics BackBeat FIT 3200 has larger 13.5mm drivers than the Jabra Elite Active 75t’s 6mm drivers. As you may know, larger drivers are more capable of delivering cleaner bass and higher volumes. However, this doesn’t mean that the larger the drivers are the better the sound quality will be. Sound quality will have a lot more to do with the quality of the drivers being used. Both the Plantronics BackBeat FIT 3200 and Jabra Elite Active 75t come with premium-quality drivers that produce rich, crisp audio with punchy bass and clear mids and highs, so it is difficult to pick a winner between the two in terms of sound quality.
When it comes to noise-cancellation, however, the Jabra Elite Active 75t has the edge with “advanced” active noise-cancellation and an adjustable transparency mode they call HearThrough that lets you adjust the amount of ambient sound getting in your ears. The Plantronics BackBeat FIT 3200, on the other hand, only has passive noise-isolation and doesn’t have a transparency mode.
Miscellaneous
Both sets of truly wireless earbuds come packed with great connectivity, control, and battery features
Connectivity
Both the Plantronics BackBeat FIT 3200 and the Jabra Elite Active 75t use Bluetooth 5.0, the latest Bluetooth technology to date. Both sets of earbuds support HFP 1.7, HSP 1.2, A2DP 1.3, and AVRCP 1.6 Bluetooth profiles but the Jabra has an additional SPP 1.3 profile. When it comes to range, the Plantronics BackBeat FIT 3200 has the edge with a wireless range of up to 30 meters versus the Jabra Elite Active 75t’s 10-meter range. To even things out, however, the Jabra has Multi-connect which allows you to connect up to two devices at a time.
One thing we would have wanted to see on both sets of earbuds is single-point connection (both earbuds independently connect to your device) for a more stable wireless connection. Instead, they both use the old slave/master setup where the left earbud is the master on the Plantronics BackBeat FIT 3200 and the right earbud on the Jabra Elite Active 75t.
Controls
The Plantronics BackBeat FIT 3200 and the Jabra Elite Active 75t both have controls on each earbud that can be fully customized on their respective apps. You can control things like volume, pause/play, skip music, answer/drop calls, and more. On the Plantronics BackBeat FIT 3200, you get physical “click” buttons with swipe gesture input. On the Jabra Elite Active 75t, you get lighter touch buttons.
Battery Life
Battery life on the Plantronics BackBeat FIT 3200 and Jabra Elite Active 75t are quite similar. The Plantronics can give you up to 8 hours of listening time while the Jabra gives around 7.5 hours. The charging case of the Plantronics carries two full charges while the Jabra’s charging case can give you an additional 20.5 hours of listening time on your earbuds. Both sets of earbuds have fast charging capabilities with the Plantronics giving you 1.5 hours of listening time with a 15-minute charge and the Jabra giving you 1 hour with the same charging time.
Verdict
The Jabra Elite Active 75t takes a win with additional features like active noise-cancellation, transparency mode, and multi-connect
Both the Plantronics BackBeat FIT 3200 and Jabra Elite Active 75t are great truly wireless earbuds for sports enthusiasts. They pack everything you need from a set of sports earbuds such as water and dust resistance, snug and secure fit, good battery life, and a stable connection to your smartphone on top of their premium-quality sound.
If we have to choose between these two sets of earbuds, however, we will go with the Jabra Elite Active 75t. It comes with a few very important features that the Plantronics earbuds lack like active noise-cancellation, transparency mode, and multi-connect for connection up to two devices at a time. But if you prefer the more secure ear hook design and larger speaker drivers, then getting the Plantronics BackBeat FIT 3200 will be the better choice.
FAQs
📌 What is the main difference between the Plantronics BackBeat FIT 3200 and the Jabra Elite Active 75t?
The most obvious difference is in the design. Both sets of earbuds are semi-open earbuds but the Plantronics BackBeat FIT 3200 comes with ear hooks.
📌 Can the Plantronics BackBeat FIT 3200 be submerged in water?
Yes, the Plantronics BackBeat FIT 3200 has an IP57 rating which means it can be submerged in water up to 1 meter deep.
📌 What is the wireless range of the Jabra Elite Active 75t?
The Jabra Elite Active 75t has a wireless range of 10 meters.
📌 Can the Plantronics BackBeat FIT 3200 be used with iPhone?
Yes, the Plantronics BackBeat FIT 3200 can pair with most smartphones with Bluetooth capabilities.
Last update on 2020-10-24 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
