Yes, it is time to rethink what a premium business headset should cost. The Jabra Evolve2 85 set the benchmark for over-ear office headsets, and it is still S$635.00 at SourceIT (S$715.00 with charging stand). The Yealink BH78 MS offers the same formula, over-ear hybrid ANC with a hidden retractable boom, for S$318.60 with its charging base included, and Yealink rates it for more talk time. Even Jabra's own successor, the Evolve3 85, is now cheaper than the Evolve2 85 at S$450.00. Prices as listed on 24 Oct 2026.
Jabra Evolve2 85 vs Yealink BH78: flagship specs
| Spec | Jabra Evolve2 85 | Yealink BH78 |
|---|---|---|
| Wearing style | Over-ear stereo | Over-ear stereo |
| Weight | 286 g | 245 g |
| Microphones | 10 mics; hidden retractable boom | 6 mics; hidden retractable flexible boom; 4-mic AI uplink noise cancellation |
| ANC | Hybrid ANC (4-mic digital) | Adaptive Hybrid ANC, up to 35 dB; Medium, Adaptive and Ambient modes |
| Talk time (ANC off / on) | Up to 26 h / 21 h | Up to 38 h (ANC and busylight off) / 27 h (both on) |
| Music time (ANC off) | Up to 37 h | Up to 120 h |
| Full charge | 140 min | Up to 130 min |
| Bluetooth / range | 5.0, Jabra Link adapter, 30 m | 5.3, BT51-C dongle, 50 m |
| 3.5 mm wired option | Yes | Yes (USB-C to 3.5 mm cable) |
| Busylight / sensors | Busylight | Dual busylights, wearing detection |
| Charging dock | Stand bundles (S$715.00) | BHC78 charging base included |
| SourceIT price | S$635.00 / S$715.00 with stand | S$318.60 with base |
Figures from Jabra's Evolve2 85 product page and Yealink's BH78 tech specs.
Does the BH78 deliver enough for less?
On the features buyers usually ask about, yes. Both are closed over-ear designs with hybrid ANC and a boom that hides in the earcup. Yealink publishes an ANC figure of up to 35 dB and adds an Adaptive mode and an Ambient Sound mode; Jabra does not publish a dB figure for the Evolve2 85. Yealink rates the BH78 at up to 38 hours of talk time with ANC and busylight off and 27 hours with both on, against 26 and 21 hours for the Evolve2 85, and at up to 120 hours of music against 37. The BH78 is 41 g lighter, runs a newer Bluetooth version with longer rated range, adds wearing detection, and includes its charging base. Where the Evolve2 85 still leads on paper is microphone count: ten against six.
At S$318.60 with a charging base, the BH78 asks a simple question: what is the second half of the Evolve2 85's price buying you?
What does the Evolve2 85 still offer?
A long track record. The Evolve2 85 has been a reference over-ear headset in corporate fleets for years, it meets Microsoft's Teams Open Office requirements in its Teams variant, and IT teams know how to deploy and update it through Jabra Direct and Jabra Xpress. If your organisation has standardised on it, adding more of the same keeps spares, training and support simple. These are real reasons; they are just not reasons that need a S$316.40 gap per headset for most new buyers.
Why not the Jabra Evolve3 85 instead?
If you want Jabra, the Jabra Evolve3 85 MS at S$450.00 is the smarter Jabra buy today. Jabra says it is 35 per cent slimmer and 23 per cent lighter than the Evolve2 85 (220 g against 286 g), and it adds wireless charging, Bluetooth 5.3 with LE Audio, a user-exchangeable battery and up to 120 hours of music. The trade-off is that it has no boom: six microphones and Jabra ClearVoice processing do the work instead. Talk time is close, at up to 25 hours against 26. That comparison is in Jabra Evolve3 vs Evolve2, and the Evolve3 85 against the BH78 in Jabra Evolve3 85 vs Yealink BH78.
What does the gap look like for an executive team?
A labelled example for 15 executives, each with a charging dock, at listed prices on 24 Oct 2026:
- 15 x Jabra Evolve2 85 MS with stand at S$715.00 = S$10,725.00
- 15 x Jabra Evolve3 85 MS with pad at S$495.60 = S$7,434.00
- 15 x Yealink BH78 MS with base at S$318.60 = S$4,779.00
Volume pricing changes all three, so request a quote for your quantity.
Verdict: rethink, but do not throw out what works
For new premium deployments, the Yealink BH78 MS delivers the over-ear, hidden-boom, hybrid-ANC formula with more rated battery for about half the Evolve2 85's price. If your estate is Jabra, move new orders to the Evolve3 85 unless users insist on a boom. Keep buying the Jabra Evolve2 85 MS (or the stand version) only where matching an existing fleet matters more than cost. For the wider brand picture including Poly, read Jabra vs Yealink vs Poly, and for the business case behind premium headsets, Can a S$300 Headset Save Your Company Thousands in Lost Productivity?
Buying premium headsets in Singapore
SourceIT supplies Jabra and Yealink with local warranty and a GST invoice; the listings state 2 years local warranty for the Evolve2 85, Evolve3 85 and BH78, and all were in stock at the time of writing. Browse the Jabra Evolve2 85 collection, the Jabra Evolve3 series and the Yealink BH series. For a quotation, use Request for Quotation on the product page, call (65) 6978 3502, email Sales@sourceit.com.sg or use our contact page.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Yealink BH78 as good as the Jabra Evolve2 85? On the main features, closely comparable: both are over-ear with hybrid ANC and a hidden boom. The BH78 has longer rated talk and music time, a published ANC figure of up to 35 dB, newer Bluetooth and a lower price; the Evolve2 85 has more microphones (10 against 6) and a long fleet track record.
How much cheaper is the BH78 than the Evolve2 85? At SourceIT on 24 Oct 2026, the BH78 MS with base is S$318.60 and the Evolve2 85 MS is S$635.00, a difference of S$316.40.
What is the talk time of the Jabra Evolve2 85? Jabra rates it at up to 26 hours with ANC off and 21 hours with ANC on; its 37-hour figure is music time.
Is the Evolve3 85 cheaper than the Evolve2 85? At SourceIT on 24 Oct 2026, yes: S$450.00 against S$635.00 for the MS headset-only versions.
Can both be used with a 3.5 mm cable on flights? Yes. Both support a wired 3.5 mm connection.
SourceIT Approved
Researched and verified by the SourceIT team for Singapore buyers.
