Headset Gazette

Jabra JX20 Pura

Headset manufacturer Jabra has finally made the JX20 Pura, the follow-up to its well received JX10 Bluetooth headset, available for purchase. Using stylish designs and a compact form factor, the new JX20 Pura offers Bluetooth users another option when looking for a sleek and powerful headset. But can the JX20 live up to its predecessor?

Looking similar in design to its JX10 sibling on the outside, the JX20 headset offers a very angular shaped design and is quite small in size, measuring just 40mm x 20mm x 20mm (1.6″ x 0.8″ x 0.8″). The lightweight JX20, at 10.8g (0.38oz), features an anodized titanium cover, which gives the headset a very sleek and industrialized look. The overall design is quite simple with just 3 buttons. It has one multi-function button on the front edge and two volume buttons located on the back edge of the headset. All of the buttons on the JX20 are quite small and narrow. The thinness of them make the headset more difficult to use, in my opinion, and caused me to remove the headset to even adjust the volume properly. The main button for send/end calls also has a matching ‘guide’ button opposite it, which helps when you need press the narrow button for calling functions. Jabra has thrown in an innovative twist with its mechanical power on/off switch, which is located inside the headset’s earpiece. A simple twist of the earpiece 90 degrees instantly turns the headset on and off. We really liked this and found this to be incredibly convenient when on the go.

The Jabra JX20 Pura headset is designed for in-ear use and even with its light weight just felt plain awkward and off balance during use. Thankfully the JX20 ships with two ear hooks for extra stability and security, which I found necessary. The headset ships with an assortment of charging options, including a handy desktop charger that will connect directly via USB to a computer. We tested the JX20 Pura on multiple devices, including a Samsung BlackJack II, a Sony Ericsson TM506, and a BlackBerry Curve. During our testing we had trouble getting the JX20 paired up and working with the BlackJack II. It required multiple pairing attempts before call audio would transfer properly furing a call. Even though it always seemed connected and would answer calls with a button press, you’d get nothing but dead air.

One of the biggest hopes we had for the JX20, based on the JX10, was audio quality. This was definitely an area where the JX10 shined. Unfortunately, in a market full of Bluetooth headsets that offer superb audio and noise suppression nowadays, the JX20 manages just passable, average audio. Gone is the stellar audio and voice technology used on the JX10 and now replaced with sound that can be found on most any $30 headset. Except with the JX20, you get to pay six times that much.

The Jabra JX20 Pura Bluetooth headset is rated for up to 6 hours of talk time or 8.25 days of standby, which seemed accurate by our tests.

Overall it seems that Jabra has dropped the ball with the JX20, with its poor fit, narrow buttons, and sub-par audio quality. However, the headset does deserve some kudos for its innovative and attractive style, convenient desktop charger, A2DP mono music support, and most importantly, its very cool on/off power switch located in the ear piece. The headset’s hefty price tag, MSRP US$179, weighs heavily in the buying decision for consumers and with many other Bluetooth headsets that offer more for less, we think you should pass on Jabra’s JX20 Pura titanium headset.

Jump over to MobileBurn for a full in-depth review of the Jabra JX20 Pura Bluetooth headset.

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