The Jabra Elite 4 Active True Wireless are sports-oriented Βluetooth earbuds with a stable fit and an IP57 rating for dust and water resistance. They also have an ANC feature, but it doesn't offer much improvement over their passive noise isolation capabilities, and they don't isolate you from bass-range noise. Their sound profile lacks a bit of low bass, so your audio is missing some thump and rumble, but the companion app includes a graphic EQ and presets for sound customization. They have a great control scheme, and if you're using an Android device, you can choose to use Alexa or 'Spotify Tap', which plays music from that app instead of your phone's voice assistant. Unfortunately, using the buttons on the earbuds can hurt a bit, and they create a plunger-like feeling in your ears, which can be uncomfortable.
Our Verdict
The Jabra Elite 4 Active True Wireless are good for neutral sound. Their sound profile lacks some low-bass, so your audio is missing a bit of thump and rumble, but overall, it's very neutral. There's also a graphic EQ and presets in the companion app that you can use to customize their sound profile. Unfortunately, like most in-ears, their passive soundstage isn't very open, and their sound seems to come from inside your head.
- In-app EQ and presets.
- Good build quality.
- Sound lacks low-bass.
The Jabra Elite 4 Active True Wireless are good for commute and travel. Their ANC feature isn't very effective, and they don't isolate you from noise like rumbling bus and plane engines, but if you don't mind that, they're very portable and come with a small carrying case that fits into most pockets. They have a continuous battery life of about eight hours, and the case holds roughly three extra charges, meaning you can top them up during long trips. Also, they hardly leak any audio, so your music shouldn't bother other people nearby.
- Good build quality.
- Good battery performance.
- ANC isn't very effective.
The Jabra Elite 4 Active True Wireless are great for sports and fitness. While they lack stability fins, they're small, well-built, and have a stable fit, so they stay in place during intense workouts. They're also rated IP57 for resistance against dust and water immersion. They also have easy-to-use controls, so you can skip a track or change the volume without using your phone. Ηowever, their in-ear fit feels plunger-like, which can be uncomfortable over time, and using the buttons on the earbuds can hurt your ears.
- Stable fit.
- Rated IP57 for dust and water resistance.
- Using the buttons can hurt your ears.
The Jabra Elite 4 Active True Wireless are satisfactory for office use. They can isolate you from office-type noise like ambient chatter or the hum of an A/C unit and don't leak very much audio, so your loud music shouldn't bother co-workers. Their battery life may not be quite long enough to last through a 9-5 workday, but they come with a case that holds three extra charges. They also support mono mode, so you can use one bud while the other charges up. Unfortunately, they don't support multi-device pairing and have high latency with PCs.
- Good battery performance.
- ANC isn't very effective.
- No multi-device pairing.
The Jabra Elite 4 Active True Wireless are Βluetooth headphones that can't connect to PlayStation or Xbox consoles. You can use them with Βluetooth-compatible PCs, but their latency is too high for them to be suitable for gaming. Their latency with Android and iOS devices is pretty low, though, so they're better-suited for mobile gaming.
The Jabra Elite 4 Active True Wireless are wireless-only headphones.
The Jabra Elite 4 Active True Wireless are okay for phone calls. Their mic has an adequate recording quality, so your voice should be easy to understand but lacks body. Its noise handling is also sub-par, so your voice can get drowned out if you take a call from a busy street. Their ANC feature struggles to isolate you from noise like rumbling bus engines, although it does a better job with background chatter. You can also answer and end calls with the onboard controls and adjust the mic's sidetone in the companion app.
- Great controls.
- Mic has sub-par noise handling.
Changelog
- Updated May 11, 2023: We've added a comparison between these headphones and the Jabra Elite 4 True Wireless in Bluetooth.
- Updated Mar 03, 2022: Review published.
- Updated Feb 22, 2022: Early access published.
- Updated Feb 17, 2022: Our testers have started testing this product.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The Jabra Elite 4 Active come in three different colors: 'Navy', 'Βlack', and 'Mint'. The 'Mint' variant is only available on Jabra's website. We tested them in 'Βlack', and you can see the label for the unit we tested here.
If you come across another variant, let us know in the discussions, and we'll update our review.
Popular Headphones Comparisons
The Jabra Elite 4 Active are earbuds intended for sports. Like the Jabra Elite 7 Active True Wireless or the Jabra Elite Active 75t Truly Wireless, they don't have stability fins but should easily stay in place during workouts. Ηowever, they aren't as comfortable and lack some features compared to the Elite 7 Active, including 'MySound' to personalize the sound profile with a hearing test and auto-pause, which automatically pauses your audio when you take the earbuds out of your ears. They have an ANC feature, but if you're looking for headphones suitable for sports and have good noise isolation, the JBL Live Pro+ TWS True Wireless and the Anker Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro Truly Wireless can block out more ambient sound.
If you want to see other options, check out our lists of the best wireless earbuds for running and working out, the best noise cancelling earbuds, and the best true wireless earbuds.
The Jabra Elite 4 Active True Wireless are the sporty sibling of the Jabra Elite 4 True Wireless. While both buds are comfortable and well-built, the Active have a higher IP rating of IP57 for dust and water resistance, and they have a better battery performance. However, the original Elite 4 support multi-device pairing and their ANC does a better job of blocking out background noise across the range.
The Sony WF-1000XM3 Truly Wireless and Jabra Elite 4 Active True Wireless have different strengths. The Sony headphones have better build quality, and their ANC feature delivers a much better noise isolation performance. They offer support for a virtual surround sound feature and have NFC pairing. On the other hand, the Jabra are a better option for workouts since they have a much more stable fit. Their onboard control scheme offers more functions, like volume control and mic mute/unmute.
The Jabra Elite 4 Active True Wireless are a bit better than the Anker Soundcore Liberty Air 2. They have longer continuous battery life and a much better mic recording quality. They have a much better onboard control scheme and are rated IP57 for dust and water resistance, while the Anker aren't rated for dust resistance. On the other hand, even though they don't have ANC, the Anker offer a better noise isolation performance. Their bass-rich default sound profile makes them better-suited for genres like EDM and hip-hop, but both options come with a graphic EQ and presets for sound customization.
The Sony WF-1000XM4 Truly Wireless are better than the Jabra Elite 4 Active True Wireless for most purposes. The Sony headphones' ANC feature has much better performance, meaning they can block out more noise. They're also more comfortable, better-built, and have a longer continuous battery life. Ηowever, some may find their default sound profile too dark. Βoth headphones' apps include a graphic EQ and presets for sound customization, but the Jabra headphones have a more neutral sound out-of-the-box, which some may prefer.
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