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Jabra's Elite 4 earbuds forgo a few niceties for a $20 price cut

You still get ANC and most other perks from the Active model.

Jabra

Jabra now has a more affordable set of mid-range wireless earbuds if you don't need all of the Elite 4 Active's workout-ready features. The company has unveiled base Elite 4 earbuds that include most of the core functionality at a lower $100 price. You'll still get active noise cancellation (ANC), multipoint connectivity and quick pairing for Android and Windows, just with a few slightly toned-down capabilities.

To start, the Elite 4 offers IP55 dust and water resistance. That's slightly less resilient than the Elite 4 Active's IP57 rating, but should still be good enough for rain or a little sweat. You can expect 5.5 hours of listening versus seven for the Active (22 hours with the case versus 28), and there's no mention of the higher-end model's transparency mode. You'll still find four microphones, though, and aptX support should wring more audio quality out of Bluetooth's limited bandwidth.

The Elite 4 is available now. The buds sit in an unusual middle ground between the Elite 4 Active and the truly budget-oriented Elite 3 (normally $80) — there's only $20 between each model. This is the brand's most affordable true wireless option with ANC, however, and it won't be surprising if sales make this new model more enticing.

The new entry is arguably a better value than some of the competition. You can't get ANC from Apple without spending much more on the (admittedly very capable) AirPods Pro, while Google's Pixel Buds Pro are still relatively expensive. Even Samsung's Galaxy Buds 2 are costlier. It's just a question of whether or not you're willing to forego the tight platform integration of those offerings in the name of saving money.

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