If you’ve been keeping track, you know Jabra releases quite a few new earphones a year, even though it needed something new as an entry-level option, and that’s exactly where the Elite 4 sits.
Sticking to a familiar composition underscores what these earphones are all about, focusing on comfort as much as performance. It’s a hard-fought position designed to provide real value, but whether it’s the right choice depends on what you’re willing to give up.
Jabra Elite 4: Price and availability
Jabra Elite 4 launched in March 2023 and is readily available in retail and online stores. They’ve started at $100 and will probably see weird price drops along the way to make them even cheaper. They come in grey, navy blue, light beige, and purple.
Jabra Elite 4: what’s good
The familiarity here makes a lot of sense, assuming you have prior experience with Jabra earbuds over the past couple of years. The Elite 4 is formed in the same way as the others, like the Elite 5 and Elite 4 Active, for example. These earbuds are a direct successor to the Elite 3, making them the latest budget earbuds in Jabra’s lineup.
That means they basically fit and feel just as comfortable as these earbuds, though the Elite 4 is a bit slimmer compared to the pricier Elite 5 and 4 Active. The size is more in line with the Elite 3, which makes sense since they eventually replace those buds. They don’t get the same rubberized coating as the Active model, but the IP55 rating is at least good enough to handle some drills and splashes of rain.
As in these cases, you get three sets of ear tips, all of the exact same design and size as the Elite 3. Even the casing looks like an exact replica. If it weren’t for the color differences, it would be hard for you to tell the difference.
The ear tips and general fit are important because Jabra brought a premium feature in the form of dedicated Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) — a big change considering the Elite 3 didn’t have ANC at all. You’ll take the test in the Jabra Sound+ app in a noisier environment to determine what level is right for you, and that’s it. The noise cancellation is very useful for earbuds at this price, and I was surprised by the balance, meaning that they seemed to muffle mid- and high frequencies a little more than the standard low frequencies.
HearThrough does a good job of bringing in ambient noise to hear your surroundings. Onboard controls retain physical buttons, allowing you to easily switch between ANC and HearThrough with a single tap on the left earcup. It’s also the way to answer an incoming call or mute yourself during a call. The right earbud button does the same things, except it plays/pauses instead of cycling through hearing modes. Double tap on the left to launch the voice assistant, end a call, or activate the Spotify Tap. Do it to the right to skip a track, or tap three times to repeat one. Hold down the left volume, while the right will raise it. There is no way to customize these controls.
Jabra certainly cut other things out of the way to bring down the Elite 4’s price, but you’re getting a decent amount for your money. For example, phone calls take advantage of sidetones to let you hear your own voice during calls, which helps with clarity. You can also use Spotify Tap to directly access the music on the platform without launching the app. You can’t choose between voice assistants here as you can with other Jabra earbuds, so the Elite 4 will just use whatever default you use on your phone.
The EQ is definitely one of the most customizable things here, and it’s worth playing around to get the sound you want. You can choose from the same set of presets that Jabra offers in its other pairs, including the option to create and save your own settings.
Out of the box, the Elite 4 has crowd-pleasing sound in that it will boost bass and treble enough for a lively soundstage, only at the expense of hearty mids. This subdues the vocals a bit more, which is why I recommend using the EQ to find a more acceptable bass profile if you feel like the mix isn’t working. The good news is that the foundation you’re working with is solid, so odds are good you’ll find something that works for you.
It’s also worth noting that these earphones support both SBC and aptX Bluetooth codecs — but not AAC. This makes the Elite 4 more customized for Android users since iOS devices do better with AAC and don’t support aptX. This is an unusual move for Jabra, which usually does the opposite, so it will be interesting to see if aptX support will be a regular part of future Jabra headphones.
Battery life isn’t bad for earphones at this price, and it’s actually better than I thought based on Jabra’s specs. I rated the Elite 4 at 5.5 hours with ANC turned on at default volume, except I easily got through six hours with 60% volume. This is a welcome sight, given the conservative estimate. The case holds three more charges, and without wireless charging available, you can connect via USB-C. A quick 10-minute charge should give you up to an hour of playback.
Jabra Elite 4: What’s Not So Good
There’s not much to complain about when you measure your expectations. Jabra makes some of the best earbuds on the market, and the Elite 4 are among the best you’ll find for their cost. Having said that, you should be fine with the compromises involved. They’re not the most solid, and while they’ll fit comfortably, there’s a slight chance that the included ear tips won’t fit your ears.
Admittedly, these are risks for many pairs of earphones, so I’m not singling out the Elite 4, I’m just pointing out that they’ll perform above their paycheck, but not just an order of magnitude better. For one, there’s no multipoint support, so if you want your earbuds to connect to two devices at once, this isn’t it. If you want Alexa in your earbuds, you can opt for other Jabra pairs that let you do that.
Jabra Elite 4: The competition
The Elite 4 also faces a lot of good competition options that don’t necessarily make it a great choice. Jabra’s Elite 5 is worth considering if your budget allows because they’ll do everything better. But in the same price range, the Anker Space A40 offers a lot more for the same price, including support for AAC, LDAC, multipoint, and a deeper equalizer in the Soundcore app.
The best cheap wireless earbuds are a worthy group, even if some are longer than the Elite 4. The Earfun Air 3 Pro is an excellent example of cheaper earphones that punch above their weight.
Jabra Elite 4: Should you buy it?
You should buy this if…
- You want good sound with ANC support.
- You want a comfortable fit with physical buttons.
- You want an equalizer to work with.
- You’re on a tight budget and you want a good value.
You shouldn’t buy this if…
- Your budget has room for something more expansive.
- Want more encoding support?
- Prefer something more rugged.
The Elite 4 is a solid step up from its predecessors and is a much better value when comparing the two. Even if you’re tempted by the Elite 3’s low price, skip those and use these instead. It’s not just ANC, but the broader performance and app support that creates a bigger gap between them.
They’re priced to suit the budget-conscious, but they also play within a very competitive price range, which is why you should shop around and see if this pair is the right fit for your ears.
The Elite 4 are Jabra’s flagship earbuds, giving you a lot for less, including good sound, noise cancellation, solid battery life, and a very comfortable fit.