AS the current owner of a pair of Jabra Elite 5 earbuds, I was more than curious when I was offered an early chance to try out the newly-released Jabra Elite 4. As someone who carries my earbuds everywhere, I was very interested to see what it had to offer.
The Elite 4 is meant to sit in between the entry-level Elite 3, and the premium Elite 5. But after spending some time with it, I don’t believe that it is a downgrade in any way from the Elite 5.
In fact, there were some instances where I felt that the Elite 4 surpassed the Elite 5 in performance.
Setting up the Elite 4 is easy, especially if you already have downloaded Jabra’s Sound+ app, which launches a tutorial on how to calibrate the device’s audio levels to suit your preferences. The controls are also the same: press the right earbud to play or pause music, and to answer phone calls; press the left earbud to turn on ANC (active noise cancellation). Android users will also be able to use Spotify Tap playback.
In terms of sound quality, while I’m no audio expert, Jabra certainly did not compromise in this area. I could definitely sense that music and podcasts sounded equally good – if not better – on the Elite 4.
When taking phone calls with my Elite 4, my friends claimed that my voice sounded slightly clearer on that device, than when I was using the Elite 5. For my part, I noticed that the audio from received calls appeared to be slightly augmented on the Elite 4, but not to the level where it sounded tinny or ‘fake’.
Where the Elite 4 truly excels, in my opinion, is in its ANC. I found that I preferred it to the Hybrid ANC on the Elite 5. I tested out both devices in a crowded indoor hall, and found that I was able to block out more noises with the Elite 4.
Not only that, I noticed that the Elite 4’s ANC feels a lot more ‘comfortable’ to utilise for longer periods than the Elite 5’s, which makes it feel like my ear is being suctioned shut. If the ability to block outside noise is a major factor for you when choosing your earbuds, you should definitely consider the Elite 4.
One part where I found the Elite 4 fell short was in terms of battery life. According to Jabra, the Elite 4 can last up to 5.5 hours with the ANC on and 7 hours with the ANC off; about two hours less than the Elite 5. On long workdays, I found myself having to pop off the Elite 4 earbuds halfway through the day in order to charge them and make sure they would last to the end.
Currently, I alternate between the Elite 4 and Elite 5 earbuds in my daily life. If you’re looking for a pair of wireless earbuds at a medium price point, but without compromising on features or sound quality, you should definitely consider the Jabra Elite 4.
The device comes in a choice of four colours – Navy, Dark Grey, Lilac and Light Beige – and retails for RM529.
