Jabra Elite 4 Active Vs Jabra Elite 3

The key difference between the Jabra Elite 4 Active Vs Jabra Elite 3 is basically comparing two entry-level earbuds, one is designed for sports while the other is for work and leisure.

The following table shows that the differences are limited to the following below, where the “blue” highlights could help steer your decision as to which is suitable for your needs. If you are planning to use the earbuds for work and sports, then the Jabra Elite 4 Active is the preferred option.

Buy Jabra Elite 4 Active
Buy Jabra Elite 3

Difference between IP rating

The following table differentiates the IP57 vs IP55, where IP55 is rainproof durability whereas IP57 is protected even when submerged in water up to 1-meter depth. Does that disqualify the Jabra Elite 3 from sports activity? We feel that as long as the earbud does not fall out of the ear easily, the Jabra Elite 3 could be suitable for some light sports such as jogging or brisk walking.

On the other hand, the Jabra Elite 4 Active will be suitable for water sports but beware that if the earbuds were to drop into the swimming pool or sea, it may be difficult to retrieve them (even if they can survive).

Both models are equally protected against dust ingress, which is a good design specification.

Read also: Jabra Evolve2 earbuds Vs Apple AirPods Pro 2

ANC Vs PNC

The Jabra Elite 4 Active has Active Noise Cancellation (ANC), meaning that the earbud generates a negative noise signal that cancels out the background noise signal captured from the microphones. As there are only 4 microphones on the Jabra Elite 4 Active it should only have either the feedforward or feedback ANC, and not both.

For the Jabra Elite 3, some would say that it has a “Passive Noise Cancellation” (PNC) which means that it has a noise isolation casing design that blocks out noise by using the seal around the ear as a physical barrier. So there is no such thing as “passive noise cancellation” since the noise is blocked out, rather than “cancelled” out.

Buy Jabra Elite 4 Active
Buy Jabra Elite 3

Wind Noise Protection

The Jabra Elite 4 Active is stated to include a “special mesh” covering the microphones that help to reduce the wind noise. However, the specification falls short of clearly saying if the mesh is the same SAATI Acoustex mesh used on the Jabra Elite 7 Active. This “wind noise reduction” mesh is only mentioned in the Jabra Active series for sports and is omitted on the Jabra Elite 7 Pro and Jabra Elite 3 earbuds.

Also read:
Differences Between Jabra Elite 7 Pro vs Jabra Elite Active 85t
Differences Between Jabra Elite 7 Active and Jabra Elite Active 75t
Compare Jabra Elite 4 Active Vs Jabra Elite 7 Active

Long Battery Standby Time

There is a huge difference in the standby time between the Jabra Elite 4 Active Vs Jabra Elite 3 earbuds, which is 275 days vs 75 days respectively. We are unsure if there is any typo in the specification but the information is extracted from their respective Technical Specifications. If the specification is correct, then the Jabra Elite 4 Active has a massive advantage over the Jabra Elite 3, even though we question if this (difference) is intentional.

Conclusion

Besides the above three differences in the design, we do not foresee any other specifications that may affect a buyers’ decision. Ofcourse, some buyers will make their decision based on colours, or the “button-less” look of the Jabra Elite 4 Active and Jabra Elite 7 Active earbuds. Then another group of buyers may decide based on the price point versus the trade-off in earbud features.

Buy Jabra Elite 4 Active
Buy Jabra Elite 3

So in this comparison of Jabra Elite 4 Active Vs Jabra Elite 3, which earbud would you prefer to buy, taking into consideration the difference in price versus design?

Full Comparison Table of Jabra Elite 4 Active Vs Jabra Elite 3