I review a lot of true wireless earbuds, so I’m always curious what the next trends will be when companies offer their annual refresh for new products. Over the last few years, smaller sizes, better battery life and hands-free features have become the norm, but there’s only so much you can do on such a tiny device.
In 2021, Jabra set the new standard for affordable wireless earbuds with the elite 3 is the best one. At $80, it covers most of the basics quite well.Now the company is improving its mid-range option with the elite 4 is active now. It’s a more workout-focused model, complete with active noise cancellation (ANC) and enough moisture protection for the sweatiest of sessions. Like it did last year, Jabra is seeking to not only make its true wireless lineup compelling in terms of features and performance, but to also make the price more competitive. This $120 model delivers a lot of options that we typically see on earbuds that go for $150-$180
Pros
- Affordably priced
- Comfy fit
- Solid sound quality
- Customizable ANC
Cons
- Noise cancellation is just okay
- Cumbersome controls
- No automatic pausing
- No wireless charging
Good Controls and Durability
The Elite 4 Active earphones are available in black, blue, or white. The earpieces are a little chunky, but the extra surface area helps them stay put in your ear without any additional fit aids, such as earfins. And despite their bulk, the earpieces don't feel heavy. Jabra includes three pairs of silicone eartips in small, medium, and large sizes.
Internally, 6mm drivers deliver a frequency range of 20Hz to 20kHz. The earphones are compatible with Bluetooth 5.2 and support the AptX and SBC Bluetooth codecs, but not AAC. That means that, on iOS devices, you're stuck with the SBC codec, which isn't ideal for high-fidelity listening.
The outer panels of each earpiece feature non-mirrored controls. Pressing the button on the left earpiece once switches between ANC and HearThrough modes, pressing it twice summons your voice assistant or enables Spotify Tap, and holding it down lowers the volume level. On the right, a single press handles playback, a double press skips forward a track, three presses navigates back a track, and holding it down raises the volume. One press on either ear also answers calls (or mutes your voice on a call), while two presses ends or rejects incoming calls. This control scheme may sound a bit complicated, but is intuitive in practice. You can also customize and adjust the controls via the companion app.
An IP57 rating here puts most competing noise-cancelling earphones to shame, including top-tier models from Bose and Sony. The first number means the earpieces are nearly dust-tight, while the second indicates that they are waterproof to a depth of one meter for up to 30 minutes. Sweaty workouts, heavy rain, and rinsing the earpieces off under the faucet are all fine. However, because the charging case isn’t waterproof, you need to fully dry the earpieces before you dock them for charging.
Jabra estimates the earpieces last roughly seven hours on battery and that the case can provide an extra 21 hours of charge. That said, your results will vary based on your volume levels and use of ANC.
App Experience and Noise Cancellation
The Jabra Sound+ app (available for Android and iOS) is one of the better-designed apps in the true wireless realm. It enables you to update the firmware as well as adjust certain functions and settings, such as how much of your voice you hear when on a call. The app also lets you adjust the level of the ambient mics in HearThrough mode, plus access Alexa and Spotify Tap integrations, though that last feature is available only for Android users (as is Google Fast Pair). Most notable is the app's adjustable, five-band EQ with presents, which is particularly useful because the default sound signature here benefits from a bit of tuning.
You can also personalize the ANC experience via the app. Be careful with these settings; if you set them up incorrectly, you may inadvertently minimize the ANC's effectiveness (though you can always reset the settings back to the default). Adjusting these parameters is a bit like sweeping through an EQ filter—it's not about how loud the surrounding noise is, but about dialing back certain frequency ranges. As a result, the settings that work well in one noisy spot might not work well in another that has different noise.
The earphones deliver solid noise cancellation for the price, but your experience will depend on how you set up your ANC preferences. The default ANC settings were the most effective in testing, dialing back powerful, low-frequency rumble (like what you hear on an airplane) with relative ease, and significantly tamping down the lows and mids from a recording of a busy restaurant with dishes clanging and boisterous conversation. However, the highs in this recording made it past the ANC circuitry more easily. Most ANC pairs struggle with higher-frequency noises, but more expensive models, such as the $280 Sony WF-1000XM4, fare better in all of the above scenarios.
Strong Audio Performance
On tracks with intense sub-bass content, like The Knife’s “Silent Shout,” the earphones deliver powerful low-frequency response that will appeal to bass lovers. At top, unwise volume levels, the audio doesn’t distort, and at more moderate listening levels, the lows still sound full and robust. The lows seem to match the highs moderately well, which points to some sculpting.
Bill Callahan’s “Drover,” a track with far less deep bass in the mix, better reveals the sound signature. The drums on this track can sound overly thunderous on bass-forward in-ears, but here, the lows simply sound full, without veering into unnaturally heavy territory. Callahan’s baritone vocals get some additional low-mid richness, but the boosting and sculpting in the high-mids and highs is prevalent. This bright, rich sound signature isn’t ideal for purists seeking accuracy, but there aren't many competitors that emphasize accuracy in this price range.
On Jay-Z and Kanye West’s “No Church in the Wild,” the kick drum loop receives enough high-mid presence for its attack to retain some of its punchiness, but we notice a bit more boosting in the highs, with the vinyl crackle and hiss taking a notable step forward in the mix. The sub-bass synth hits that punctuate the beat come across with solid depth, but don't sound overwhelming. Of course, you can dial up (or trim) the lows via the app to your preference. The vocals on this track sound clear and free of sibilance.
Orchestral tracks, like the opening scene from John Adams’ The Gospel According to the Other Mary, sound crisp. We note additional anchoring in the lows, but nothing that throws off the balance of the mix—the higher-register instrumentation still takes the spotlight.
We tested the four-MEMS mic array with the Voice Memos app on an iPhone. The mics sound fine, but we noticed some typical Bluetooth audio artifacts in the mix. Call quality shouldn't be an issue on a reliable signal.
Affordable Noise Cancellation in an Exercise-Friendly Build
Jabra's Elite 4 Active earphones deliver quality audio performance and ANC, plus an app that allows you to tweak both of those aspects somewhat. We also like their durable build quality and secure fit, though we would have liked to see support for the AAC Bluetooth codec. As mentioned, Anker's Soundcore Liberty Air 2 Pro earphones deliver more adjustable noise cancellation and slightly better sound quality by default, earning them our Editors' Choice in this price range, though it's a very close call. Jabra's Elite 7 Pro earphones offer better performance all around, but cost nearly twice as much at $199.99. If you're looking to spend less, we also like Anker's $79.99 sound core p3 earphones, but they aren’t quite as waterproof or effective at cancelling out noise.
And The Elite 4 Active carries Jabra’s new design that debuted on the Elite 3, Elite 7 Active and Elite 7 Pro last year. Instead of a mostly circular earbud with an elbow that holds the microphones, the company switched to a rounded triangle shape that offers a cleaner look. Most importantly, all of Jabra’s latest earbuds are significantly smaller than their predecessors and the Elite 4 Active continues that trend. The smaller size not only means these buds don’t stick out from your ears as much, but they’re also lighter and more comfy.
I wouldn’t blame you for mistaking the Elite 4 Active for the Elite 3. Aesthetically, the main difference is the outer panel on the 3 is one big button, while that area on the 4 Active is seamless. The button is there, but it’s sealed off. Jabra increased the water resistance to IP57 for this model, and the onboard controls are one area where it had to increase protection. Of course, Jabra has always designed its earbuds with the Active label for workouts. Better sweat protection is usually part of that formula.
The lack of a defined panel or button proved to be an issue for me when accessing the controls. I had to train myself to remember to press in the middle of the earbud as getting too far to the top or bottom wouldn’t register my actions. The outer surface of the Elite 4 Active is completely smooth, without so much as a raised dot to indicate you’re in the right place. Over time I might get used to this, but after a couple weeks of testing, I’m still not nailing it consistently.
Like every other Jabra model, you can tailor the Elite 4 Active to your needs via the company’s Sound+ app. Since this set is Jabra’s mid-range option, you get more features than the entry-level Elite 3, but not quite as much as the Elite 7 Pro or Elite 7 Active. First, there’s ANC and it’s customizable. Notice I didn’t say adjustable. Specifically, the app lets you set a level of noise cancellation during initial setup. You can also tweak the balance if you need more on one side than the other. Jabra will allow you to repeat this process if you need to, but there’s no easily accessible slider like the Elite 7 models.
The company’s transparency mode, HearThrough, can be controlled in the app via a slider. In fact, you can even set what the on-board control for sound mode does (single press on the left side). You can have it cycle through HearThrough and ANC, HearThrough and off or HearThrough, ANC and off. The app also allows you to turn on and off Sidetone, which lets you hear your voice when you’re on a call. Unlike some Jabra models, it isn’t adjustable – just all or nothing. Still, being able to hear yourself so you’re a bit less shouty over Zoom is better for everyone. The company’s own Find My feature returns as well, helping you locate a misplaced earbud if you’re willing to give it the proper permissions. And on Android, you can opt for one-touch access to Spotify if that’s your preferred streaming service.
For a $120 set of earbuds, I wouldn’t blame you for not expecting too much in the sound department. However, Jabra has a track record of solid audio across its true wireless lineup. With the Elite 4 Active, the company maintains its reputation for buds that sound good, but not great. There’s decent clarity and nice detail, but they lack the wider soundstage and depth pricier models from the likes of Sony and Sennheiser offer.
The Elite 4 Active has pretty good sonic range, but big bombastic tracks like Run The Jewels “Mean Demeanor” and Gojira’s “Another World” sound overly compressed. The bass is solid and not muddy, so keeping the energy up during workouts with hip hop, EDM, or isn’t a problem. It’s just that on the whole, songs lack the dimensional punch you can find with a bigger investment. For $120 though, the Elite 4 Active gets the job done in most cases.
If you find yourself yearning to tweak the EQ, you can do that in the Sound+ app via a set of sliders. If one-tap audio changes are more your style, Jabra also offers a collection of presets for quick customization. It’s not the most robust set of options for dialing in the sound, but it’s more than you get on the ultra affordable Elite 3.
One advantage the Elite 4 Active has over the Elite 3 is active noise cancellation. As I mentioned, you can customize the feature to a degree, but it’s not as powerful as what’s on Jabra’s pricer earbuds. Still, the ANC here will help block out some distractions, just don’t expect it to do a lot of heavy lifting.
The Elite 4 Active has four microphones for calls. Jabra says they’re covered with a “special mesh” to reduce wind noise when you’re outdoors. Typically, mileage varies greatly on call quality with true wireless earbuds. Most of the time you just end up sounding like you’re on speakerphone. With the Elite 4 Active, the call quality is slightly better, but still not as good as if you had a microphone closer to your mouth – or even pointed more towards your face. Background noise is reduced when you’re talking, but any environmental roar is distracting when you’re not.
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