Design & Construction

In recent years, competition has been rather stiff amongst audio companies to put out their version of a budget-friendly sports true wireless earbuds due to the increased complexity of strong waterproofing and durability. But that is hardly any problem for Jabra. This year, we don't just have the premium version of the Elite 7 Active but also its wallet-friendly brother, the Elite 4 Active. The Elite 4 Active earbuds have a similar design aesthetic to the Elite 7 Active. However, the earbuds case is takes a previous generation design from the Elite Active 75t. Most importantly, the new case is a tad bit larger than the Elite Active 75t but it is still hardly noticeable when put in a tight jeans pocket. Comparably, it is still as small and compact as the Apple AirPods Pro, Sony WF-1000XM4 and the Marshall Mode II. Another difference I found was the lack of a matte coating on the new Elite 4 Active’s case that was used to be coated on the older generation Elite Active 75t. Like all true wireless earbuds, the earbuds dock in fairly easily and will not fall out when the case is flipped since there are magnets inside to keep them secure. There is a USB-C port at the back of the case with an LED indicator in the front to notify you of the case charge when closed. The Elite 4 Active have a matte waterproof coating that wraps around the entire earbud themselves. This silicone coating help keeps the earbuds securely in the ear without the need for ear wings. However, button presses are not as tactile as the most expensive Elite 7 Active. I often find myself using a little more effort to press the buttons and it often jams the earbuds deeper into my ear canal. Now for the controls, a single press on the right earbud will play/pause your music, a double press will skip forward and a triple press will skip backward; holding it down will increase the volume. Moving to the left earbud, a single press will cycle through Active Noise Cancellation, HearThrough or Passive Noise Isolation while a double press will bring up Google Assistant, Alexa, Siri or play music from Spotify instantly. It is important to note that the Spotify Tap Playback feature is only available on Android. Meanwhile, holding it down will decrease the volume. For calls, there is yet another set of control that does the same command on either earbud. A single press will pick up the call and a double press will end the call. When you are in a call, a single press will mute/unmute the microphone. Similarly, the volume can be increased by holding down the right earbud and decreased when holding down the left earbud. It takes about 3 hours to charge both the case and the earbuds from a dead battery. However, if you are in a rush, there is always quick charge which will allow for 1 hour of playback with a 10 minutes charge. Both earbuds bear the Jabra logo and have subtle LED indicators that will only light up when necessary such as in situations like recharging or pairing them. In normal usage of music playback or calls, they never light up to attract unwanted attention. In the box, there are extra sizes of silicone EarGels to ensure a tight seal and secure fit. Like all sports earbud, the Elite 4 Active boasts an IP57 dust and water resistance for those intense workouts or rainy days, giving users the ultimate peace of mind. The earbuds also do a great job at resisting fingerprints smudges with a matte finish.

​

Sound Quality

To start things off, the Elite 4 Active has a similar sound signature as the Elite 7 Active. Well-defined, balanced and energetic is how I would describe it. The bass response is deep, punchy, and tight. It never managed to distort at loud volume and never bleeds into the mids when it is at a low volume level. It doesn't hit as deep as the Jaybird Vista but it definitely as strong as the Sony WF-1000XM4. The highs sound decently bright and filled with plenty of details and the mids sound extremely crisp. The soundstage is decent with excellent instrument separation and distinct left and right channels could be heard. If you are not so much of an EDM or Hip-Hop fan, I am glad to report that the Elite 4 Active works perfectly with all other genres ranging from Pop to Jazz after you fiddle with the customisable sound settings in the Jabra Sound+ App available for download from the App & Play Store. In the app, you will first see Sound Modes which allow you to quickly change from Noise Cancelling, HearThrough or turn off all settings for passive noise isolation. The ANC cannot be adjusted for its intensity level but it can be personalised to your liking through a short test where the earbuds will let you increase or decrease the cabin pressure of the ANC so that you are comfortable as well as change the left and right balance. Overall, the noise-cancelling is stronger than competitors of the same price point and is not far from what you are getting with the more expensive options of the Elite 7 Active. HearThrough is Jabra's version of Transparency Mode to allow you to hear your ambient surrounding sounds so you can always hear the next train announcement or traffic noise to stay safe. There is a slider that allows the control of how much noise to let in. If you prefer the faster way of removing one earbud to hear someone, the earbuds does not have an automatic play/pause feature unfortunately. Next, you will find the Sound Equaliser which you can choose from the presets. There are presets like Neutral, Speech, Bass Boost, Treble Boost, Smooth, and Energise. Different presets do work well with different music genres and I personally prefer the energetic preset. There is a lack of a customisable sound equaliser though. Lastly, at the bottom, you can edit the position of your widgets to remove or re-arrange your most-used settings. Moving on, you can also update the earbuds firmware, change your voice assistant or register your earbuds for warranty. If you ever lose your earbuds, you can always use the Find My Jabra feature to trace it back. In other settings, you can also see your earbuds technical information or contact support straight from the app itself. Lastly, the most wow-ed feature of Jabra products is the call quality. In calls, the Elite 4 Active does not uses the MultiSensor Voice technology that is found on the Elite 7 but the call quality is slightly behind what can expect from the Apple AirPods Pro. This enables the Elite 4 Active to claim its 3rd spot behind the Elite 7 Pro and Elite 7 Active respectively as the strong contender. Notably, there are a respectable amount of 4 microphones, covered with a mesh for wind protection. You can also enable SideTone which basically feeds the earbuds with your own voice when you talk to another party over the call.

​

Connectivity & Portability

The earbuds support the AptX and SBC codecs together with Bluetooth Version 5.2. The earbuds also automatically power on/off when docked and taken out from the case. The battery life peaks at 7 hours per use and up to a maximum of 28 hours with the case. The package also comes with a USB-A to USB-C cable for charging and if you ever wished for wireless charging, the Elite 4 Active unfortunately doesn't have that. It is good to know that either earbuds allow for one-sided listening and the headphones' connectivity to the app is perfect as it is able to detect my headphones when its already connected via Bluetooth all the time. If you try to watch videos or movies with these, they do not have any latency.

​

PROS​​

• Durable Construction

• Ergonomic Fit

• Low Profile

• Customisable Sound Signature

• HearThrough

• SideTone

• Excellent Call Quality 

• Find My Jabra Tracking

• Bluetooth 5.2

• Quick USB-C Charging

• Qi Wireless Charging

• Long Battery Life

• IP57 Dust & Water-resistant

• A Range of Colours

​

CONS​​​​

• No Multi-Device Bluetooth Pairing

• No Wireless Charging

• Button Presses Not As Tactile

​

The Bottom Line

In all, the Jabra Elite Active 4 Active has a lot to offer on in terms of features and functions. As to why it is high in demand has got to be its sound quality, waterproof design, noise-cancelling as well as overall user experience. It is indeed a seamless and hassle-free experience that Jabra has nailed after going through so many iterations of earbuds. The Jabra Elite 4 Active is definitely the way to go if you need a sports-oriented earbud with noise-cancelling abilities.