The Jabra Elite 8 Active True Wireless are high-end sports earbuds. They're an updated version of the Jabra Elite 7 Active True Wireless and have a similar soft silicone coating that helps keep them in place. They have a durable design and are rated IP68, making them dust-tight and resistant to water submersion, so they're a solid choice for running or working out. Like the Elite 7, they have an ANC feature and a companion app that lets you customize the sound and controls. This newer generation also adds a virtual surround sound feature.
Our Verdict
The Jabra Elite 8 Active are good for neutral sound. They have a well-balanced sound profile with a bit of extra bass that adds rumble and punch to your audio. It's suitable for a variety of genres and types of content, and can also be customized with a graphic EQ and presets in the companion app. However, like most in-ear headphones, they have a small passive soundstage and sound seems to come from inside your head.
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Well-built and comfortable.
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In-app graphic EQ and presets.
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Poor passive soundstage.
The Jabra Elite 8 Active are good for commuting and traveling. They're comfortable, well-built, and rated IP68 for dust and water resistance, so they can withstand drops and spills. They last over eight hours of continuous use with ANC on, so they can get you through a long flight or ride without recharging. However, the ANC doesn't do a good job of blocking out rumbling bus and plane engines.
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Well-built and comfortable.
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8.75-hour continuous battery life.
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Mediocre noise isolation.
The Jabra Elite 8 Active are great for sports and fitness. They're intended for exercise and have a comfortable, stable fit, so they won't fall out when you're moving around. They're rated IP68, meaning they can withstand dusty trails or heavy rain when you're out on a run. Their controls are easy to use and allow you to change the track or adjust the volume without pulling out your phone. They don't have the best noise isolation performance, but their 'Hear-Through' mode lets you hear ambient sound when you want to stay aware of your surroundings.
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Very stable fit.
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IP68 rating for dust and water resistance.
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Well-built and comfortable.
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Mediocre noise isolation.
The Jabra Elite 8 Active are decent for office use. They have a comfortable fit for long days at the office and last for more than eight hours off of a single charge, so you won't need to recharge halfway through the day. They also support multi-device pairing, so you can stay connected with your phone and computer simultaneously. However, their ANC feature doesn't have the best performance. They do a good job with noise like ambient chatter but don't block out as much bass-range noise like traffic outside your window.
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Well-built and comfortable.
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8.75-hour continuous battery life.
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Mediocre noise isolation.
The Jabra Elite 8 Active are Bluetooth earbuds and can't connect with PlayStation or Xbox consoles. Their latency is on the high side for PC or mobile gaming, so you'll notice a delay between your game audio and video.
The Jabra Elite 8 Active are wireless-only headphones; you can't use them for wired gaming.
The Jabra Elite 8 Active are decent earbuds for phone calls. The mic doesn't make your voice sound particularly natural but records it clearly, so you're easy to understand over the phone. It has great noise handling, so your voice won't be drowned out by loud noises like a bus going by. However, the earbuds have a mediocre noise isolation performance, so you might have difficulty hearing calls in noisy environments.
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Good overall mic performance.
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Well-built and comfortable.
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Mediocre noise isolation.
- 7.5 Neutral Sound
- 7.6 Commute/Travel
- 8.4 Sports/Fitness
- 7.4 Office
- 6.0 Wireless Gaming
- 5.8 Wired Gaming
- 7.2 Phone Calls
- Updated Oct 27, 2023: Compared their virtual soundstage features with the newly-reviewed Jabra Elite 10 True Wireless'.
- Updated Oct 20, 2023: Review published.
- Updated Oct 17, 2023: Early access published.
- Updated Oct 12, 2023: Our testers have started testing this product.
- Updated Sep 19, 2023: The product has arrived in our lab, and our testers will start evaluating it soon.
- Updated Sep 06, 2023: We've purchased the product and are waiting for it to arrive in our lab.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The Jabra Elite 8 Active come in five different colors: 'Black', 'Mint', 'Navy', 'Dark Gray', and 'Caramel'. We tested them in 'Navy'; you can see the label for the unit we tested here. We expect our results to be also valid for the other color variants.
If you encounter another variant, let us know in the forums, and we'll update our review.
Compared To Other Headphones
The Jabra Elite 8 Active are higher-end earbuds meant for sports and workouts. They're very well-built and have a high IP68 rating for dust and water resistance, like the Jaybird Vista 2 Truly Wireless, which is good if you need a pair of rugged earbuds for your trail runs or bike rides. They have a very stable fit despite not having any stability fins or ear hooks, which gives them a more casual look than sports buds like the Beats Powerbeats Pro Truly Wireless. However, their ANC feature doesn't perform very well, so if you want to block out distractions at the gym, the previous model of these earbuds, the Jabra Elite 7 Active True Wireless, still offer a better performance.
If you're still looking for earbuds, check out our recommendations for the best wireless earbuds for running and working out, the best Jabra earbuds and headphones, and the best earbuds and in-ear headphones.
The Jabra Elite 8 Active True Wireless and the Jabra Elite 10 True Wireless perform similarly. The Elite 8 Active are better for sports, thanks to their higher IP68 rating for dust and water resistance. While both are very stable in-ear, the Elite 8 Active have a silicone-like coating that's more grippy. However, if you're not looking for dedicated sports buds, the Elite 10 are the better option since they have a stronger noise isolation performance and support Dolby Atmos for virtual surround sound.
Jabra Elite 8 Active True Wireless are better for sports than the Jabra Elite 7 Active True Wireless. The 8 are sturdier, have a higher IP69 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 8 Active True Wireless are better than the Jabra Elite Active 75t Truly Wireless. Both are meant for sports and workouts and have a similar design, but the 8 feature a more stable fit and a higher IP69 rating for dust and water resistance. Their battery life is longer, and you can customize the onboard controls. The Active 75t have a very bass-heavy default sound profile, which you might like for genres like EDM or hip-hop, but both models offer sound customization features in-app.
The Jabra Elite 8 Active True Wireless and Jaybird Vista 2 Truly Wireless perform pretty similarly, but the Jabra have a few advantages. Their continuous battery life is significantly longer, and they come with a case that holds more extra charges. Their controls are customizable. That said, you might like the Jaybird's stability fin design. Their parametric EQ also gives you more control over the sound than the Jabra's graphic EQ.
The Beats PowerBeats Pro Truly Wireless and the Jabra Elite 8 Active True Wireless are both great sports earbuds, and you might prefer either. The Beats have ear hooks to keep them in place, giving you an extra sense of security when you're running outside. They offer a longer continuous battery life. However, the Jabra have an equally stable fit and a higher IP69 rating for dust and water resistance, which is nice for dusty or rainy runs. They're more customizable since they have a companion app that lets you remap the controls and adjust the sound profile.
Test Results
The Jabra Elite 8 Active have a roundish bud shape with angled silicone tips, similar to other Jabra earbuds like the Jabra Elite 7 Active True Wireless. The buds have a somewhat rubbery covering and come in five solid colors: 'Black', 'Mint', 'Navy', 'Dark Gray', and 'Caramel'.
They have a comfortable fit for most people. They don't go far into your ear, which helps prevent the uncomfortable plunger-like feeling that some in-ears create. However, they aren't the sleekest buds and have a somewhat bulky, round body that might press against some people's ears.
The Jabra Elite 8 have simple, easy-to-use controls. There are physical buttons on both buds that provide clicky, tactile feedback, so you're less likely to accidentally register a command than with earbuds with touch-sensitive surfaces. You can remap most of the controls in the companion app. However, the button pushes can sound loud, and you might prefer the light tap controls that other earbuds have.
On the left earbud
- Single press: Cycles between ANC on, ANC off, Hear-Through mode (which lets you hear ambient sound). Also answers a call and mutes/unmutes the mic during a call.
- Double press: Activates voice assistant and ends or rejects a call.
- Triple press: No function by default, but can be mapped in the companion app.
- Hold: Decreases volume.
On the right earbud
- Single press: Plays and pauses audio. Also answers a call and mutes and unmutes the mic during a call.
- Double press: Skips to the next track and ends or rejects a call.
- Triple press: Restarts the track.
- Hold: Increases volume.
They're very portable, like most truly wireless earbuds. They're around the same size as the Jabra Elite 7 Active True Wireless and easily fit into bags and most pockets.
They come with a small, sturdy case. The lid closes with a magnet that prevents it from opening accidentally, and the inside of the case has magnets to keep the earbuds in place. The lid and hinges feel well-built. The case is rated IP54, so it's resistant to dust exposure and being splashed with water, but not totally dust-proof or waterproof.
The Jabra Elite 8 are well-built. The earbuds are rated IP68 for dust and water resistance, which means they're fully dust-tight and waterproof. Otherwise, the earbuds are about as well-built as the Jabra Elite 7 Active True Wireless. The buds are made of plastic and have a soft silicone coating called 'ShakeGrip' meant to help keep them from slipping around in your ears. The silicone ear tips feel strong, but like most silicone tips, they may tear if you're rough with them.
They have a very stable fit. They're covered in a non-slippery silicone coating that Jabra calls 'ShakeGrip', and despite not having stability fins, they can stay in place during workouts even if you move your head around a lot. The buds are slightly bigger than the Jabra Elite 7 Active True Wireless, which also helps keep them snug in your ears.
- Jabra Elite 8 Active headphones
- 3x ear tips
- Charging case
- USB-A to USB-C charging cable
- Manuals
The Jabra Elite 8 have a neutral sound profile. Instruments and vocals are clear and detailed, and there's some overemphasis across the bass range, which adds rumble, punch, and boom that you might appreciate for genres like EDM and hip-hop. The bass is a little more pronounced with ANC off, as you can see in a comparison here though. If you prefer a different sound, the companion app has a graphic EQ and presets.
We had trouble getting the buds, which have shorter tips, to stay in place in our test rig's ears. The tips would slip out of place after a few minutes, so our results show that the sound varies based on the earbuds' fit and positioning. However, we didn't have the same issue subjectively, as they easily stayed in place in real ears. In reality, you'll get a consistent sound with each use as long as you can get a good, stable fit.
They have impressive bass accuracy. The entire range is slightly overemphasized, so if you like to exercise to music with a strong bassline like Don't Stop the Music by Rihanna, it has some extra rumble, punch, and body to keep you motivated.
They have fantastic mid accuracy. The response is neutral, so instruments and vocals sound clear, present, and intense. There's a bump in the low-mid, which slightly clutters mixes, but it's minor.
They have excellent treble accuracy. The low treble is slightly underemphasized, so instruments lack some detail, but overall sound well-articulated. Sibilants like S and T sounds are bright without being piercing.
The Jabra Elite 8 control their sound profile very well. There are some peaks and dips, but most are quite minor. There's a peak in the mid-mid to high-mid, mostly present in the right driver, which adds harshness to instruments. A dip between the low and mid-treble hurts the detail of instruments and vocals. There's also a peak in the mid-treble, so sibilants like cymbals are alternately dull and piercing.
They have fantastic imaging. Most Jabra products that we've tested have good imaging, which is an indication of the brand's quality control and ergonomics. The group delay falls below the audibility threshold across the entire range, resulting in tight bass and transparent treble reproduction. The left and right drivers are well-matched in frequency, amplitude, and phase response, ensuring sound objects are accurately placed in the stereo image. There's a slight mismatch in the phase response that makes sounds in the mid-mid range, like voices, shift inward on the right side. These sounds are more accurately placed on the left side. However, it's minor and isn't noticeable with real-life content unless you're looking for it.
They have a bad passive soundstage performance, like most in-ear headphones. Because their design means sound doesn't interact with your outer ear, audio seems to come from inside your head instead of the room around you. The soundstage also seems small and closed-off compared to open-back headphones.
These earbuds support Dolby Spatial Audio, a feature that makes audio sound more 3D and immersive. You can turn on the feature in the companion app, as you can see here. This isn't the same as Dolby Atmos, and the headphones can't play surround sound content, unlike the Jabra Elite 10 True Wireless. On the other hand, you don't need any particular streaming service or specially recorded content to use the feature.
They have a great weighted harmonic distortion performance. Frequencies fall within good limits across the range, resulting in clean and pure audio reproduction.
These are the settings used to test the Jabra Elite 8 Active. Our results are only valid when using these settings.
They have a mediocre noise isolation performance. Their ANC feature is 'Adaptive Hybrid ANC', which automatically adjusts itself to the noise around you. This results in an uneven noise isolation performance, where they seem to adjust and cancel more noise, then adjust again and cancel less. This is more noticeable during our tests than with real-life use, but still, in subjective tests, the earbuds did seem to amplify some higher-pitched sounds versus their performance with ANC off, as is reflected in the results. The results are the same with longer sweeps, although they did isolate against more bass-range noise in one longer test. You can see a comparison of longer sweeps (512K, 1M, and 2M) here.
The ANC doesn't do a good job of blocking out bass-range noise like rumbling engines. The buds do a pretty good job of blocking out mid-range and high-pitched noise like voices and humming A/C units, but this comes down to their passive noise isolation performance, since the buds manage to block out more of that type of noise with ANC off.
They leak very little audio. Even if you're blasting your music, people sitting nearby in an office or living room won't hear it.
The mic has an adequate recording quality. It makes your voice sound open and full-bodied, so it's easy to understand but also somewhat unnatural and distorted.
The mic has a great noise handling performance. Even in noisy places like a busy street or subway station, the mic manages to separate your voice from background sound. Your voice can sound a bit fuzzy, but ambient sound is mostly cut out, and people on the other end of the line will understand you clearly.
The Jabra Elite 8 have good battery performance. The manufacturer says they last up to eight hours with ANC on, and we measured just over that at 8.75 hours. However, battery life varies depending on use. The case also holds around three extra charges, and they have a fast charge feature that provides one hour of playback for five minutes of charging, according to the manufacturer. They have an auto-off timer to save power, and you can also use one earbud while the other charges in the case.
The Jabra Elite 8 Active have a great app. You can activate the ANC feature or 'Hear-Through' mode, which lets you hear your surroundings. There's a 5-band EQ and presets for sound customization, and you can also access the Dolby Spatial Sound feature. There are customization options for the controls, plus options for in-ear detection and activating 'Spotify Tap', which lets you access that app directly with the onboard controls.
They have great Bluetooth connectivity. They support multi-device pairing, so you can stay connected with a phone and computer simultaneously. However, they have somewhat high latency via Bluetooth, especially with PCs and iOS devices, so you may notice audio lag when watching videos on your computer or phone. They have lower latency with Android devices but still have more delay than the Jabra Elite 7 Active True Wireless. That said, some apps and devices compensate for latency.
These are Bluetooth-only earbuds; you can't use them wired.
They're fully compatible with Bluetooth-enabled PCs but can't connect any other way.