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Elite 4
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Live Buds 3
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What we think

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The PerfectRec Earbuds or Headphones team Learn more
Updated April 10, 2024·

For a more budget-friendly option, the Jabra Elite 4 provides strong value, especially for calls and meetings, use during exercise, and for air travel due to its sweatproof and dustproof features with active noise cancelling. If you're after longer battery life and a smart charging case with LED touch control, the JBL Live Buds 3 might be preferable. However, the JBLs carry a higher price. Note that both earbuds have a good overall sound but neither is suited for gaming or watching TV due to their low performance in that area. The JBLs also offer wireless charging and virtual surround, which the Jabras lack. Give Feedback

this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the Jabra Elite 4
  • Very good for phone calls
  • Very good for podcasts and audiobooks
Advantages of the JBL Live Buds 3
  • Good for music
  • Very good for exercise

Key differences

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Music

6.6
Elite 4
Live Buds 3
7.8
The JBL Live Buds 3 is good for music, while the Jabra Elite 4 is only fair.

Phone Calls

8.8
Elite 4
Live Buds 3
5.2
The Jabra Elite 4 is very good for phone calls, while the JBL Live Buds 3 is poor.

Podcasts and Audiobooks

8.6
Elite 4
Live Buds 3
5.9
The Jabra Elite 4 is very good for podcasts and audiobooks, while the JBL Live Buds 3 is poor.

Noise Reduction

7.0
Elite 4
Live Buds 3
8.3
The JBL Live Buds 3 is very good for noise reduction, while the Jabra Elite 4 is good.

Battery

5.5 Hours
Elite 4
Live Buds 3
10.0 Hours
The Jabra Elite 4 has 5.5 hours of battery life. The JBL Live Buds 3 has 10 hours of battery life.

Cost

$100
Elite 4
Live Buds 3
$216
Product image
Product image

$50

$100

$150

$200

$250

$300

The Jabra Elite 4 has a price of $100 and the JBL Live Buds 3 costs $216.

Build Quality

9.0
Elite 4
Live Buds 3
8.5
The Jabra Elite 4 has excellent build quality, while the JBL Live Buds 3 has very good build quality.
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Key similarities

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Gaming

5.4
Elite 4
Live Buds 3
5.4
The JBL Live Buds 3 and Jabra Elite 4 are both poor for gaming.

TV and Video

6.0
Elite 4
Live Buds 3
5.6
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Jabra Elite 4 to be only fair for TV and video, while the JBL Live Buds 3 is poor.

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How the Jabra Elite 4 and the JBL Live Buds 3 compare to other earbuds and headphones

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Spec Comparison

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Jabra Elite 4JBL Live Buds 3
Jabra Elite 4JBL Live Buds 3

GENERAL

Price
$100
$216
Brand
JabraJBL
Release Date
April 1, 2023June 1, 2024
Form Factor
EarbudsEarbuds
Connectivity
WirelessWireless

SOUND

Music Score
6.6/107.9/10
Phone Calls Score
8.8/105.3/10
Gaming Score
5.4/105.4/10
TV and Video Score
6/105.7/10
Exercise Score
7.7/108.4/10

PERFORMANCE

Battery life
5.5 Hours10 Hours
Wireless charging
NoYes
Charging time
3.5 Hours2 Hours
Bluetooth version
5.25.3
Case Battery Life
2130

FEATURES

Active Noise Cancelling
YesYes
Noise Reduction Score
7/108.4/10
Virtual Surround
NoYes
Android App
YesYes
iOS App
YesYes
Mic Quality
8.5/107/10

BUILD AND DESIGN

Build Quality
9/108.5/10
Comfort score
7/107/10
Size
MediumLarge
Weight (headset or single earbud)
4.6 Grams8.8 Grams
Microphone style
IntegratedIntegrated

Shopping

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Jabra Elite 4

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Dig into reviews and images

SoundGuys

Jasper Lastoria | September 2023
"The Jabra Elite 4 is a good midrange option with solid isolation and aptX codec for Android. It sounds consumer friendly from the box and the app has some EQ to adjust to taste. Some included luxuries include multipoint, sidetone, and Spotify Tap"

Get a great deal on the Jabra Elite 4 or the JBL Live Buds 3

About Jabra

Jabra is a subsidiary of GN Store Nord, a 150-year-old Danish company that specializes in the manufacturing of hearing aids, headsets and earphones. Jabra has a focus on fit and comfort and quality control over everything else. According to Peter Karstromer, Jabras CEO, they “design and engineer technology that frees people to work, live and communicate how and where they want to, equipping them with the tools to live their life to a new rhythm”.

About JBL

JBL is an American audio equipment manufacturer. Owned by Harman International which is, itself, owned by Samsung Electronics. JBL markets a wide array of monitoring speakers, professional headphones and consumer market headphones and earbuds. It was founded in 1946 by James Bullough Lansing (whose initials give the company its name) and has become one of the most prolific audio companies ever. Their products were responsible for audio during the 1969 Woodstock Festival.

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Why trust us

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This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec earbuds & headphones team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest earbuds or headphones information and makes it digestible for you.

By the numbers

108
Earbuds and headphones evaluated
11,340
Earbuds and headphones stats compiled
15
Proprietary Earbuds and headphones ratings developed
94,400
Recommendations made
14,160
Consumer hours saved

About the Earbuds or Headphones team

Joe Golden, Ph.D

CEO and Earbuds and Headphones Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.

Jason Lew

Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Jason is a staff expert and software engineer that has been making laptop recommendations for 7 years and moderates one of the largest laptop subreddits.

Chandradeep Chowdhury

Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.

Luis Torres

Earbuds and Headphones Expert
Luis is a Mexico-based headphones expert. He’s been making headphone recommendations for five years and has close to 100 pairs in his personal collection.

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