Compare Jabra Elite 4 Active Vs Elite 7 Active

This article compares the Jabra Elite 4 Active vs Elite 7 Active that are released this year in 2021. The Jabra Elite 7 Active was launched about 2 months ago while the Jabra Elite 4 Active was launched around 29 December 2021, just before the 2022 new year.

The Jabra Elite 4 Active, as the name implies, is a lower-tier version of the Jabra Elite 7 Active. It is also quite similar to Jabra Elite 3 but better in terms of IP rating and inclusion of ANC in the design. The launch price of the Jabra Elite 4 Active is estimated around USD 130 (SG$178).

Buy Jabra Elite 4 Active

Key Differences Between Jabra Elite 4 Active Vs Elite 7 Active

The above table shows quite a number of differences but what would affect a buying decision should be the omission of wireless charging for the charging case. This is a matter of preference as the wireless charging feature could be seen as a “white elephant”, and increased the cost unnecessarily for users who do not mind plugging the USB-C cable.

The size of Jabra Elite 4 Active is slightly bigger than the Jabra Elite 7 Active, but the most important design concern is that the earbud should ideally, not protrude from the side of the ears when worn. As we can see from the photo of the model below, the Jabra Elite 4 Active does sit well and flush (more or less) with the external of the ear.

The Jabra Elite 4 Active also has only two microphones per earbud as compared to three microphones on the Jabra Elite 7 Active. This has led us to believe that the Jabra Elite 4 Active has either feedback or feed-forward ANC, whereas Jabra Elite 7 Active has both types of ANC since it has 6 mics (3 per earbud).

In terms of battery life, it is not clear if the Jabra Elite 4 Actives’ 7 hours has the ANC on, but most designers would specify the “higher” specifications for marketing reasons. As such, we are quite sure that the battery life  is based on ANC off.

There is no mentioning of Multipoint connection capability for the Jabra Elite 4 Active in both the website as well as the downloaded specifications. For the Jabra Elite 7 Active, the product design includes multi-point support for 2 concurrent devices, but the feature is not available until Jabra update the firmware in January 2022.

That said, we feel that based on the design of the Jabra Elite 4 Active, it is a cost-effective alternative to the more expensive Jabra Elite 7 Active. The prices of sports earbuds are expected to fall in the near future with many new brands and options coming up, including designer earbuds that could also match fashion jewelry.

Below is the full table of specifications for both models for your convenience of reference.

Full Comparison Between Jabra Elite 4 Active Vs Elite 7 Active