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Updated April 11, 2024·
If you're on a tight budget and primarily interested in wired listening with decent sound for music, the Sony MDR-ZX110 might suit you; however, they are not ideal for exercise, have no wireless capabilities, and lack noise isolation. On the other hand, Jabra Elite 4 earbuds are wireless, offer better build quality, are suitable for exercise and calls due to sweatproof certification and good mic quality, and also provide active noise cancellation for quieter environments. If portability, wireless convenience, and versatility for different scenarios like exercise and travel matter to you, the Jabra Elite 4 would be the better choice, despite the higher cost. 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
Good for exercise
Very good for air travel
Very good for podcasts and audiobooks
Advantages of the Sony MDR-ZX110
Good for music
Key differences
Music
6.6/10
7.6/10
The Sony MDR-ZX110 is good for music, while the Jabra Elite 4 is only fair.
Phone Calls
8.8/10
3.0/10
The Jabra Elite 4 is very good for phone calls, while the Sony MDR-ZX110 is poor.
Podcasts and Audiobooks
8.6/10
4.3/10
The Jabra Elite 4 is very good for podcasts and audiobooks, while the Sony MDR-ZX110 is poor.
TV and Video
6.0/10
6.9/10
The Sony MDR-ZX110 and Jabra Elite 4 are both only fair for TV and video, though the Sony MDR-ZX110 is somewhat better.
Noise Reduction
7.0/10
5.3/10
The Jabra Elite 4 is good for noise reduction, while the Sony MDR-ZX110 is poor.
Battery
5.5 Hours
N/A
The Jabra Elite 4 has 5.5 hours of battery life. The Sony MDR-ZX110 does not have a battery.
Cost
$100
$10
$0
$50
$100
$150
$200
The Jabra Elite 4 has a price of $100 and the Sony MDR-ZX110 costs $10.
Build Quality
9.0/10
6.0/10
The Jabra Elite 4 has excellent build quality, while the Sony MDR-ZX110 has only fair build quality.
"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"
"My opinion about Sony MDR ZX110 is they are the best budget headphones of Sony with top-class sound. Clear vocals, great bass, and balanced sound with low sound distortion. The treble could be sharper, but it's ok. 30 mm neodymium dynamic drivers give clear and precise audio, and an inline remote with a mic give decent call quality. Closed-Back Design also helps to improve sound performance."
Get a great deal on the Jabra Elite 4 or the Sony MDR-ZX110
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 Sony
Sony is a multinational corporation, based out of Japan, with over 75 years of experience in the consumer electronics industry. In the audio market, Sony has been a trendsetter several times throughout its history. In 1979 they released the first-ever portable music player, the Sony Walkman, followed by the Discman 20 years later. Today, Sony is one of the leaders in the wireless headphone and earbud market, especially in terms of Active Noise Cancellation technology.
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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.
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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.
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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.