For a long time, I did not use wireless earbuds, and I think I was worried about losing one or having to charge them. Today I use them every day, and irrespective of that, most smartphones have dropped the headphone socket, so you have no choice. Jabra has a range of wireless earbuds, and we look at their latest offering, the Elite 4.
What is a Jabra Elite 4 wireless earbud?
The Jabra Elite 4 are Bluetooth noise-cancelling rechargeable headphones in an earbud format for audio playback and voice calls. The Elite 4 is the entry-level in a range of earbuds from the Danish audio giant.
WHY should you buy wireless earbuds?
Earbuds are a convenient way to listen to music or conversation without wearing traditional on or over-ear headphones. They are not bulky and will not mess up your hair.
Earbuds come with a case that, in most cases, also acts as an extra battery to charge your earbuds, allowing extended time away from a mains power source.
The compact size allows them to be discrete in your ear or easily carried in a pocket or handbag.
A big reason for wireless earbuds is that smartphone vendors no longer include wired earphones in the box, nor do most have a headphone socket. If you want to listen to audio without disturbing others, wireless headphones are your only option.
What is in the Box?
In the box, you will only find the charging case containing the two earbuds, a USB A to USB C cable and two extra sets of silicone ear gels. The ear gels are used to match different-sized ear canals to ensure you get the correct fit.
Each earbud weighs 5 grams, and the charging case is 33 grams. The charging case dimensions are 64x28x35 mm.
Charging the earbuds is done via the case, which itself needs to be charged via the USB cable to a mains charger (not included), a PC, a car USB etc. The charge time is up to 3.5 hours and will provide up to 28 hours of listening time by using the case. When fully charged, the earbuds themselves will provide up to 7 hours or 5 hours with noise cancelling switched on.
If you run out of power in the buds, 10 minutes in the case will give you one hour of listening.
Priced at $139, Jabra Elite 4 are available in 4 colours. The included warranty is 2 years.
Using the Elite 4 earbuds
A feature I like on the whole Jabra earbud range is the large physical button on each earbud which allows various operations like pause, skip, Siri/Google assistant etc. This button gives a reassuring click.
You can set these earbuds up with six devices, such as a PC or smartphone, and easily change between them. Android and Windows set-up is super easy, with your devices automatically seeing the earbuds and allowing you to connect them. Connection is done via Bluetooth 5.2 with a range of approx. 10m. Leaving my phone in the centre of my house, I could continue to listen in every room.
The earbuds can be used independently, just one not two earbuds. I find this useful when I ride my bike so I can still hear the traffic clearly with one ear and listen to podcasts in the other. Sound reproduction is excellent from a 6mm speaker.
To test the Elite 4, I used them for my normal routine for a few weeks and took them on an interstate flight.
Getting straight to the point, the Elite 4’s are a great earbud, but I found a lack of features compared to the Elite 5 and 7. Don’t get me wrong, if you want a great set of earbuds to listen to audio on a walk or around the house, these are great value for money.
The Elite 4 supports noise cancellation, but compared to the more expensive models, I found that the more costly models worked far better in noisy environments like a train station on a train or in an aircraft.
In fairness, I found phone calls to work just as well.
A feature I missed found on the more expensive models was automatic pausing when you remove a bud which is a very convenient way to talk to someone without audio continuing or you fumbling for buttons.
This model has less dust and rain resistance and no wireless charging support.
Our Take Jabra Elite 4 review
Suppose you are after great quality earbuds for occasional use. In that case, the Jabra Elite 4 provides good sound basic noise cancellation and long battery life in a neat package.
If you are a heavy user of earbuds on the go in noisy environments, I recommend you spend the extra money and buy the Elite 5 or Elite 7 pro’s