Each year I get a lovely gift get sent from audio brand Jabra. That feels me with Joy from the Jabra Elite 75T to the more recent Jabra Elite 85T. So this year at CES 2022 Jabra launched the Jabra Elite 4 Active I wanted to see if I should replace my trusted Jabra Elite 65T’s with this new entry into the world of true wireless earbuds.
First Impressions
When they arrived I could not wait to see what all the fuss was about then when opening the box up that excitement was still very much there as they look very similar in design to previous models. The key features include ANC, 7 hours playback in the buds with up to 28 hours in the charging case. Other features include HearThrough mode, IP57 rated, Bluetooth 5.2 & Mono Mode.
As the name might suggest the earbuds are targeted to those who use these down the gym or while exercising and that is why the IP57 rating is so important. I also feel considering the rest of the range from Jabra the price point at £119 targets those who are a bit more budget-conscious.
Design
The Jabra Elite 4 Active are well built as you might expect and are available in 3 colours:
- Black
- Navy Blue
- Mint Green
The earbuds don’t come with any wingtips that might help with the fit especially when used in a gym. However, you do get a very good fit in your ears even when doing some high tempo exercise. If you do have fit issues Jabra does also provide a range of ear tips to get the perfect fit.
The buds have that ergonomic design meaning they are unintrusive in the ear and are also very comfortable for long periods of use. They are also very lightweight the buds weigh only 5g per bud and the charging case is only 37.5g all very lightweight from this pair of true wireless buds. As mentioned at the start of this review, the Elite 4 Active has an IP57 rating meaning they are dust and water resistance allowing for that high tempo exercise and the sweat generated won’t cause an issue.
Moving to the actual build on the bud you have a physical button instead of a touch control you might have expected. The controls on the buds do the following:
- Play/Pause
- Adjust The Volume
- Call Accept or Reject
- Voice Assistant or Spotify Tap.
- Track Controls
Now having physical buttons on a pair of earbuds can generally split the room in terms of the fact you don’t have to remember how many swipes do what but the other side of the room won’t like the sensation of pushing the bud further into the ear sometimes causing discomfort.
Also on the buds, you will notice a small LED on each bud that will give you a battery indication and also show when the buds go into pairing mode or if you are updating the firmware via the Jabra Sound+ app. The colours indicate the following:
- Green- High Battery
- Yellow- Medium Battery
- Red- Low Battery
- Fashing Red – Power off
- Flashing Blue- Pairing
- Flashing Purple- Firmware updating
The only negative I feel when it comes to the buds is the lack of auto-pause when you remove a bud auto pause stops the music. No such luck with the elite 4 active they just continue to play and it’s a missing feature like this that would prevent me from buying them.
What seems to have taken the place of auto-pause is Mono Mode this is a feature that allows you to simply use one bud when listening to music and even allows for the other bud to stay on charge. Is it worth removing auto-pause to listen to just one bud at a time am not so sure?
Moving to the charging case you might be a little disappointed the case does not allow for wireless charging but does offer fast charging more on that shortly. The case is made of plastic with a flip-top lid that survived the shake test. At the rear, the case comes with a USB-C port and you also get a USB-A to USB-C cable included in the box.
On the front of the case has a small LED which also indicates the battery life and shows you when they are on charge. They have three light indicators:
- Green- Full Battery
- Yellow – Medium Battery level
- Red- Low Battery Level
- Flashing Red – Critically low battery level
Battery Life
The Jabra Elite 4 Active comes with 7 hours of battery life in the buds and an additional 21 hours in the charging case giving you a total of 28 hours of battery life. Just consider the buds do come with ANC so that will have an impact on the battery life if kept on all the time.
When it’s time to charge them as mentioned they are not Qi-compatible but do offer fast charging meaning a quick 10 min charge will give you an hour of playback. When it’s time to give them a full charge they take 3 hours to get back to 100 % battery life using that USB-C charge cable.
Connectivity
The elite 4 active are connected by the latest Bluetooth 5.2 making pairing them with your phone so easy. When you get them out of the box for the first time they go into pairing mode automatically. The Bluetooth 5.2 provides a range of 10 meters ideal if you don’t want to carry your phone all the time and still want to enjoy the music if you are in a different room in the house or in the garden.
Audio Quality
The Jabra elite 4 active provides a nice listening experience and come with aptX and SBC codecs for improved listening experience. However, they are not the best I have tested but that is expected when you consider the positioning in the market.
In these buds, you have 6mm drivers and an equalizer that can be adjusted via the Jabra Sound+ app. I have been listening to a wide range of music and overall the sound was nice and detailed and the vocals were clear. The bass is rich and well-controlled and offer a strong level of clarity in the trebles but not always some tracks they sounded a little harsh especially with the volume increased
When listening to more rock tracks the electric guitar sound screams at the front of the soundstage. It offers so much energy and was a joy to listen to but they are not perfect. They don’t offer the widest soundstage compared to rival devices but it won’t affect your listening that much as they are still nice to listen to but percussion and vocals could do with a little more space to provide a better listening experience.
The Jabra Elite 4 active also allow for you to make calls and come with 4 built in-microphones that are protected by a special mesh covering this not only looks after the mics but actually aids with blocking out some of that unwanted wind noise and allows you to be heard clearly regardless of your surroundings.
Jabra Sound + App
The Elite 4 active come with an adjustable EQ and that is where the app comes in handy it allows you to customise the sound. There are a number of presets available including:
- Neutral
- Speech
- Bass Boost
- Treble boost
- Smooth
- Energise
When going hard at the gym you might prefer the bass boost to give your music that extra power especially when listening to my favourite gym track “Endor- Pump It Up” If you’re just listening to music on the train the neutral preset will be fine.
Also available via the Jabra Sound + app is Spotify Tap what this does is with a double-tap of the left bud it will restart the last song you were listening to its a cool feature but in order to have the Spotify tap feature, you will have to sacrifice the voice assistant. Also, note your phone needs to be at least Andriod 6.0 for the Spotify tap feature to work.
Active Noise Cancellation
The Elite 4 Active come with ANC which is pretty good but not the best of the market. They do block out a decent level of unwanted sound and you are allowed to adjust the ANC via the app but it did not make too much difference to the noise cancellation levels in general.
HearThrough Mode
You also get HearThrough mode overwise known as ambient mode. This basically allows more outside noise in so you get can hear more of your surroundings ideal when out cycling or when your using these on your commute to work and want to be aware of traffic around you. The Jabra Sound+ app also allows you to adjust the amount of ambient sound that travels through.
Verdict
The Jabra Elite 4 Active are for those who want more premium sounding earbuds with a few handy features but are still on a budget. The IP57 rating is perfect for those who are buying with the intent of using them in the gym as they are water/sweat resistant.
They are also a good purchase if you like to personalise your audio quality and the Jabra Sound+ app allows just that with a number of EQ presets as well as allowing you to customize the sound quality.
Unfortunately, they are not perfect the audio quality is enjoyable but if you like a wide soundstage I advise you to look elsewhere. I also found the lack of auto-pause feature really annoying and as a result, will stick with my 75t’s as I prefer when you take the buds out of your ears the music stops unfortunately the elite 4 active do not come with that feature and continue to play.
However, if you can look past the auto-pause they are budget-friendly and will do you a service in the gym just don’t forget to stop your music otherwise they will just run out of battery life unless placed back in the charging case.
Product Rating:
Design: 4.0 out of 5.0 stars
Battery Life: 5.0 out of 5.0 stars5.0
Audio Quality: 4.0 out of 5.0 stars
Jabra Sound + app: 5.0 out of 5.0 stars5.0
Value for Money: 5.0 out of 5.0 stars5.0
Overall Rating: 4.6 out of 5.0 stars – 4.6 Stars
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