Between the Elite 10 Gen 2 and Ear (a) 2, the Elite 10 Gen 2 comes out ahead in spatial audio and water resistance, while the Ear (a) 2 wins on battery — with case and battery — buds. Overall, the Elite 10 Gen 2 scores 66.1 and the Ear (a) 2 scores 74.5 on our Mars Score.
Which should you buy?
The Ear (a) 2 is the clear pick on raw spec strength, leading by 8.4 points on the Mars Score. The margin is wide enough that the underdog only makes sense if its individual strengths line up with what you specifically need.
Pick the Elite 10 Gen 2 if audio quality and feature breadth (ANC, codecs, multipoint) are the lead criteria for your purchase. The biggest gaps in its favor are spatial audio, water resistance.
Pick the Ear (a) 2 if your top frustration with your current device is running out of charge before the day ends — endurance is the lead spec here. Its strongest claims are battery — with case, battery — buds, driver size, among others.
Both ship with comparable active noise cancellation, multipoint, so those specs don't separate the two — focus on the differences below.
Bottom line: the Ear (a) 2 is the safer default. The other model is the right choice only when its specific advantages line up with your priorities.
Why Jabra - Elite 10 Gen 2 wins
- ▲Has Spatial audio.
- ▲Water resistance: IP57 (vs IP54).
Why Nothing - Ear (a) 2 wins
- ▲Battery — with case — 55.56% more. 42 h vs 27 h.
- ▲Battery — buds — 25.00% more. 10 h vs 8 h.
- ▲Driver size — 10.00% more. 11 mm vs 10 mm.
- ▲Weight per bud — 0.90 g less. 4.8 vs 5.7.
Spec comparison
Design
| Spec | Jabra - Elite 10 Gen 2 | Nothing - Ear (a) 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Form factor | in-ear | in-ear |
| Weight per bud | 5.7 g | 4.8 glead |
| Water resistanceⓘ | IP57lead | IP54 |
Audio
| Spec | Jabra - Elite 10 Gen 2 | Nothing - Ear (a) 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Driver sizeⓘ | 10 mm | 11 mmlead |
| Active noise cancellationⓘ | true | true |
| Transparency mode | true | true |
| Spatial audioⓘ | truelead | false |
Battery
| Spec | Jabra - Elite 10 Gen 2 | Nothing - Ear (a) 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Battery — buds | 8 h | 10 hlead |
| Battery — with case | 27 h | 42 hlead |
| Wireless case chargingⓘ | truelead | false |
Connectivity
| Spec | Jabra - Elite 10 Gen 2 | Nothing - Ear (a) 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Bluetoothⓘ | 5.3 | 5.3 |
| Codecs | LE Audio,AAC,SBC | LDAC,AAC,SBC |
| Multipointⓘ | true | true |
| In-ear detection | true | true |
Frequently asked
Which has longer battery, Elite 10 Gen 2 or Ear (a) 2?+
Ear (a) 2 lasts 10h per charge vs 8h.
Do Elite 10 Gen 2 or Ear (a) 2 support multipoint?+
Both support multipoint pairing.
Which has ANC, Elite 10 Gen 2 or Ear (a) 2?+
Both have active noise cancellation.
Spec-level deep dives
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