The Jabra Elite 7 Active are the Jabra Elite 7 Pro True Wireless' sporty sibling. With an IP57 rating for dust and water resistance and an outer shell made of a proprietary material called 'ShakeGrip' that helps with stability, these earbuds suit most types of physical activity. They also feature an active noise cancelling (ANC) system to help cut out background noise at the gym or during a run.
Our Verdict
The Jabra Elite 7 Active are good for neutral sound. Their default sound profile is well-balanced and suitable for a variety of genres. A bit of overemphasis in the bass range adds extra rumble, punch, and warmth to your audio, but mixes don't sound muddy or cluttered. Their app also includes a graphic EQ and presets that you can use to customize the mix.
- In-app graphic EQ and presets.
- Fantastic frequency response consistency.
- Small passive soundstage.
The Jabra Elite 7 Active are great for commute and travel. They're comfortable and well-built and come with a portable case to protect them when you're on the go. They also provide nearly eight hours of continuous battery life, which is convenient for long flights, and the case holds about 2.8 additional charges. Unfortunately, while they do a good job of isolating you from mid-range ambient noise, like background conversations, their ANC struggles to block out bass-range noise like rumbling bus and plane engines.
- Good build quality.
- Good overall noise isolation performance.
- ANC struggles with bass-range noise.
The Jabra Elite 7 Active are great for sports and fitness. They're made with this purpose in mind, and once you find a good fit, they're stable enough to stay in place during intense workouts. They're also well-built and rated IP57 for dust and water resistance. While their control scheme isn't the most intuitive at first, you can remap most of the controls so you can change the track or turn up the volume without needing to take your phone out.
- IP57 rating for dust and water resistance.
- Good stability.
- ANC struggles with bass-range noise.
The Jabra Elite 7 Active are good for the office. They do a good job of blocking out office-type noise like background chatter and humming computer fans. While they're comfortable in-ear, using their control scheme can create a plunger-like feeling in your ear canal that gets annoying over time. Their just under eight hours of continuous battery life is a bit short for a 9-5 workday, but on the plus side, they come with a case that holds about 2.8 extra charges, so you can top them up when you need to. They also support multi-device pairing, meaning you can stay connected to your PC and smartphone simultaneously.
- Good overall noise isolation performance.
- Case holds 2.8 extra charges.
- ANC struggles with bass-range noise.
- Ηigh latency with PCs.
The Jabra Elite 7 Active aren't compatible with Xbox or PlayStation consoles. You can use them with Βluetooth-enabled PCs, but their latency is too high to be suitable for gaming. Although they have fairly low latency on iOS and Android devices, you'll still find the Android latency too high for mobile gaming.
The Jabra Elite 7 Active are truly wireless headphones, and you can't use them wired.
The Jabra Elite 7 Active are alright for phone calls. They have an integrated mic that makes your voice sound clear but not particularly full-bodied or natural. It also struggles to separate your voice from loud background noise, so you aren't heard clearly if you're calling from somewhere like a busy subway station. Their ANC feature also struggles to block out bass range noise, so it's hard to hear the other end of your call in a loud environment.
- Mic has a good recording quality.
- Mediocre noise handling.
Changelog
- Updated Oct 20, 2023: Compared their in-ear stability with the Jabra Elite 8 Active True Wireless'.
- Updated Aug 03, 2023: We've rewritten parts of this article to better align with current writing standards and methodologies.
- Updated Jul 28, 2023: Due to user reports of Bluetooth connectivity issues, we've retested Bluetooth. However, our results haven't changed.
- Updated Dec 01, 2022: We've added a comparison to the Jabra Elite 5 True Wireless in the Noise Isolation box.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The Jabra Elite 7 Active come in three color variants: 'Βlack', 'Navy Blue', and 'Mint'. We tested them in black, but expect our results to be also valid for the other colors. You can see the label for the unit we tested here.
If you encounter another variant, please let us know in the forums, and we'll update our review.
Popular Headphones Comparisons
The Jabra Elite 7 Active True Wireless are earbuds intended for sports and have a similar design to the Jabra Elite 7 Pro True Wireless and the Jabra Elite Active 75t Truly Wireless. They're very customizable and have a good noise isolation performance. However, earbuds like the Anker Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro Truly Wireless or Apple AirPods Pro Truly Wireless have better-performing ANC features. They're stable enough for most workouts but don't have stability fins, unlike other sports earbuds like the Jaybird Vista 2 Truly Wireless.
If you're looking for other options, check out our lists of the best wireless earbuds for running and working out, the best headphones for running, and the best earbuds and in-ear headphones.
The Jabra Elite 7 Active True Wireless are better overall headphones than the Beats Fit Pro True Wireless. The Jabra are more comfortable and have longer continuous battery life. Their companion app also offers a graphic EQ and presets to help you customize their otherwise neutral default sound profile. However, the Beats have a more stable in-ear fit and an H1 chip for seamless pairing with your Apple devices. They also have a better noise isolation performance.
The Jabra Elite 7 Pro True Wireless and the Jabra Elite 7 Active are similar headphones, and you may prefer either, depending on what you're looking for. The Pro are more casual and have a much better mic recording quality. They have quite a few features for phone calls, including bone conduction sensors to help with noise handling. They also have a more neutral sound profile, which some may prefer. The Active are intended for sports use and have a significantly better noise isolation performance.
Jabra Elite 8 Active are better for sports than the Jabra Elite 7 Active True Wireless. The 8 are sturdier, have a higher IP68 rating for dust and water resistance, and have a slightly bigger bud design that makes them more stable. However, the 7 have a better noise isolation performance, especially with bass-range noise like rumbling engines.
The Jabra Elite 7 Active True Wireless are better than the Jabra Elite 85t Truly Wireless for most purposes. They have much better noise isolation, mic performance, and longer continuous battery life. They're also rated IP57 for dust and water resistance, while the 85t are rated IPX4 for water resistance only.
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You can also discover how we produce recommendations like this one so that you can find the best headphones (or earbuds!) for your needs.
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