Hands (and ears) on with the Jabra Elite 4 true wireless earbuds

All-rounders ideal for active use, commuting, working, or just chilling, the Jabra Elite 4 earbuds fit snugly without the need for wings, feature IP55 splash- and dust-resistant durability, and a suite of personalisation options to easily tweak them to sound just right. Simply download the Jabra Sound+ app to get started and you’ll be listening in minutes.

Convenient tap controls on the buds make on-the-go operation a cinch. The Left bud gives you control of ANC/Hear Through modes with a single tap, and voice assistant access with a double tap. Press and hold to lower the volume.

The Right bud controls Play/Pause, skip to the next track and restart a track, with a single, double and triple tap respectively. Again, press and hold for volume up.

It’s that simple, and you’ll soon get a handle on which bud does which. And there is also Spotify Tap support to easily access your saved playlists.

The Elite 4 earbuds improve on their Elite 3 predecessors with the addition of Active Noise Cancellation. Blocking out pesky external sounds for more immersive listening can be set up and personalised in the Sound+ app using a handy slider to select the optimum level of noise cancelling.

When situational awareness is required, activate Hear Through mode to let in some external noise, with minimum compromise to the audio experience. Sound mode selection using the buttons can also be customised in the app.

Which brings us to the important bit – how do the Elite 4 earbuds sound? Following some tinkering with the in-app EQ and a shot of Bass Boost for good measure, a trial run with some AC/DC and Foo Fighters left us highly impressed and thoroughly rocked!

Audio is remarkably full-bodied from the 6mm speakers, with good stereo separation and depth. And podcasts and audiobooks can be given an extra boost using Speech mode.

With these buds plugged into your ears, calls can be taken with a minimum of fuss from either bud. Tap once on the left or right to answer/mute, and twice to reject. They are equipped with four microphones for excellent pickup, and calls come through loud and clear, even more so with noise cancellation activated.

Call settings are displayed at the top of the Jabra Sound+ home screen when you’re on a call, and there’s the option to mute your own voice in the buds while on a call to cancel that distracting echo effect.

Designed for work and play, the Elite 4 buds can be connected to two devices simultaneously for convenient switching, using Fast Pair for a smartphone running Android 6.0 and above, and Swift Pair for a Windows 10 and above laptop.

Battery life is generous for entry buds – you’ll get up to 5.5 hours of power in the buds themselves, up to 22 hours with ANC from the compact case, and 28 with ANC off. There is also Mono mode for either bud, to go solo and conserve charge.

Boasting a feature set and audio quality that’s usually reserved for higher-tier ear gear, the Elite 4 true wireless earbuds support the adage that good things do indeed come in small packages.