Sports and fitness enthusiasts will love the Jabra Elite 4 Active True Wireless. Although they lack stability fins, their compact size, solid construction, and stable fit ensure that they remain in place even during vigorous exercise. Moreover, they have an IP57 rating for protection to dust and submersion in water. You can skip a track or adjust the volume without touching your phone thanks to its simple controls. Unfortunately, its in-ear fit has a plunger-like sensation that with time may become uncomfortable, and pressing the earbuds’ buttons can harm your ears.
Design
The Jabra Elite 4 Active earphones, which come in black, navy, and a stylish mint green color, are as practical and well-made as any Jabra earbuds we’ve used before.
Although the Elite 4 Active don’t come with any wingtips to keep them in your ears when exercising, the smooth-feeling housings nonetheless feel incredibly secure. Also, they do come with a variety of ear tips in various sizes so you can find the right fit.
They lack the ShakeGrip coating that the Jabra Elite 7 Active has to keep them firmly in your ears. Yet, you should find that the Elite 4 Active stay in place while exercising as long as you’re using the proper tips for your ears.
The Elite 4 Active’s IP57 dust- and water-resistance rating is another workout-friendly design element, allowing you to use them while working out without worrying that sweat or a little bit of rain may cause them to break.
Each housing has a physical button that you can push to activate your device’s voice assistant, control music playback, change the volume, accept, reject, or end calls.
In-ear headphones with physical buttons are a bit controversial; you might love not having to memorize a number of swipe motions, or you might despise having to press the earbuds deeper into your ear canals to pause your music.
On-ear volume controls, which save you from having to take your phone out of your pocket and are a feature that is frequently missed by earbud manufacturers, are a nice addition that Jabra has added.
Battery life, features, and audio quality
The overall sound quality of these earphones absolutely wowed me. I didn’t expect excellent mids and thunderous bass from the Elite Active 4 headphones, which cost $120, yet they do. I discovered that these earbuds delivered a sound experience similar to other earbuds in the $200 price bracket, including the Jabra Elite 7 Pro, when listening to a variety of songs (anything from 2-Chainz to the Rolling Stones). You will adore the sound profile on these headphones for the price if you’re not the most discerning audiophile out there.
The Jabra Sound+ app is also quite helpful in adjusting that sound profile for a variety of listening situations and tastes.
Using aptX and SBC codecs, Bluetooth 5.2 is supported by the Jabra Elite 4 Active. It is a little surprising that AAC isn’t present because that would increase these’s appeal to Apple customers as well. I had a wonderful experience using these headphones with my Samsung S22 Ultra and Oppo Find X5 Pro despite the fact that aptX is more important for Android devices. LDAC or another high-bitrate codec would have been good to have, but considering the price, I wouldn’t expect that. Google Fast Pair also functions perfectly. Any Android phone I tried can be connected to these headphones almost immediately.
Also effective is the noise cancellation. The earbuds fit snugly in the ear canal and provide a respectable degree of passive noise cancellation, even if you don’t like utilizing ANC because it does have an impact on the sound quality of your music. The audio spectrum is noticeably attenuated when ANC is turned on. Even though they can’t match Sony’s top-tier ANC buds, these perform admirably at their significantly lower cost.
Audio production
The Elite 4 Active provide a pleasurable listening experience, just like previous Jabra earbuds and headphones, however they don’t offer class-leading audio quality.
The Jabra Elite 4 Active has 6mm drivers inside, and you can customize the equalizer via the Jabra Sound+ app to suit your preferences.
We Don’t Speak About Bruno from Disney’s Encanto has finely characterized percussion and voices that are crisp and resonant even as the harmonies become more intricate. Although they might sound a little harsh at higher volumes, the trebles have an excellent level of clarity and the bass sounds rich and well-controlled.
The electric guitars immediately take the lead in the mix of Pat Benatar’s Hit Me With Your Best Shot, showcasing a ton of vigor and power. Moreover, Benatar’s vocals are prominent, and the rhythm section is clean and tight.
The Sony WF-1000XM4 and Cambridge Audio Melomania 1 Plus have wider soundstages and greater dynamic range than the Jabra Elite 4 Active, as fantastic as they sound. Everything on Nelcy Sedibe’s Holotelani sounds good enough, but there is no sense of aural direction and the mingling guitar riffs, percussion, and vocals don’t have enough room to shine separately.
Conclusion
Unlike other running headphones, the Jabra Elite 4 Active earbuds provide a secure fit with their ergonomic frame as opposed to the customary silicone fins and ear hooks, which some people find obtrusive and uncomfortable. The end result is a pair of headphones that feel remarkably natural and comfortable and don’t fall out during vigorous workout. Also, they sound fantastic.
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