JBL Live Buds 4 review: awesome-sounding earbuds with a feature-rich charging case to match | Tech Radar

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Ever wanted earbuds with a touchscreen case? Even if you haven’t, JBL's affordable Live Buds 4 are worth a look; think stellar sound and top features

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The JBL Live Buds 4 have a clear USP — their smart charging case, which has a responsive touchscreen, wide array of features, and a neat overhauled UI. But they also sound fantastic, and offer a secure, comfortable fit for all day listening. ANC and call quality could be better, but they’re still some of the best wireless earbuds available in their price range.

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Ever wondered what life would be like if your earbuds had a touchscreen case? OK, you probably haven’t, but stick with me here. The JBL Live Buds 4 are the new generation of the audio specialist’s in-ears that pair with a smart charging case, enabling you to adjust sound settings, adapt ANC, and more — all without having to download a companion app.

They’re a standout model in a congested market. The Live Buds 4 also sit within JBL's wider Live range, which is itself fairly congested in that it also includes the stemmed JBL Live Beam, plus the open-fit JBL Live Flex. This specific model, though — the Live Buds 4 — comes with a number of claimed upgrades over its predecessor, including enhanced ANC, new “fidelity drivers,” and boosted call quality. But are they worth the money and can they compete with options in our best earbuds roundup? Here’s what I think after three weeks of testing.

We’ve got to start with the smart charging case, which has a revamped UI for a smoother, more complete user experience. The touchscreen is undoubtedly small, but it's highly responsive, and there are clear menus to access EQ tweaking, ANC modes, appearance options, and even tools like a flashlight and timer. I sometimes preferred using the JBL Headphones app for the ease of a larger screen, and the ability to set a custom wallpaper from my photo gallery, but for on-the-go tweaks, the charging case is a neat option — even if it is arguably a little bit gimmicky. But hey, I like a good gimmick now and then.

Beyond what I’ve already mentioned, the case features a lot of fun features, like a smart-talk option, which picks up voices if you want to have a conversation while keeping your buds in. There are also customizable touch controls for the buds themselves (which I found to be reactive and convenient), and settings for how your voice sounds on a call, including a bright, natural, and powerful option.

Speaking of calls, JBL has included 6 mics in these earbuds, as well as its new Perfect Calls 2.0 tech, which makes use of AI to keep your voice clear, even in noisier environments. As I mentioned in my JBL Live Beam 4 review (I know, it's easy to get confused with names), I did find my voice to be relatively clear on calls and when taking a recording, but unfortunately I didn’t get the premium clarity I was expecting. There was some noticeable sibilance in my recording, and I also found that some background noises remained more prominent than anticipated.

I also want to talk about active noise cancellation, which has been improved for the Live 4 series. Overall, ANC is decent, but it’s still not up to the standards offered by buds from Apple and Bose. When out and about or on public transport, I could still make out background chatter, and in the office, typing sounds and doors closing were still audible. Sounds are still dulled effectively, and ANC is by no means bad — but if you’re expecting a curtain of silence when using the Live Buds 4, you may be left wanting more.

One area that the Buds 4 totally excel in, though, is sound quality. For earbuds in this price-range, the Buds 4 are excellent, dishing out impactful bass, clean mids, and expressive highs, impressive handling of dynamics, and good attention to detail.

When tuning into Labor of Love by Ned Doheny, I was struck by the beautifully textured and weighted acoustic guitars, which were well separated from clear, tonally accurate vocals. Subtle percussive details also came through beautifully, and funky bass sounded impactful without drowning out other sounds across the frequency range. What’s more, by activating the higher-res Bluetooth codec, LDAC, I could make out some more intricacies in the mid-range, with almost life-like guitars taking the listening experience to the next level.

The Live Buds 4 proved to cope brilliantly with any genre, though. With a deeper, more energetic track, such as Don’t Compare Yourself by Kolter, the pumping deep bass hit phenomenally hard, and reached down to tremendous depths for this level. Bassy synths sounded textured and controlled, lively drums sounded articulate and precise, and emotive vocals, while impactful, never overwhelmed the mix.

I have very few complaints about the sound, and it’s super-simple to customize it to your liking with the EQ settings on the charging case or JBL headphones app. But one thing that could’ve been better was the spatial audio setting, which just lacked the clarity and openness of the standard tuning. I’d also argue that the soundstage is relatively broad on the Live Buds 4 anyway, so you should just keep this mode off if you ask me.

Let’s also talk design, as this is the main area where the Live Buds 4 differentiate themselves from the Beam and Flex. They take up a small, snug in-ear feel, which is ideal for those who prefer earbuds without the stems. I found the buds to be incredibly comfortable, and had no issue keeping them in for multiple hours at a time. They’re also highly secure, never feeling as if they’ll fall out of your ears.

The buds also have a good standard of build, the case has an attractive, textured finish, and the model can be purchased in a wide range of colors. The buds are also IP55-rated, making them splashproof. Some rivals offer superior IP57 protection, but IP55 is enough to keep your buds safe on a rainy day.

One more difference the Buds 4 have, is that they offer the least amount of battery life in the Live 4 lineup, with 8 hours of playtime with the buds when ANC is on, and up to 40 hours with the case. That’s still a good amount of playtime, and competes well with major rivals.

So, are the JBL Live Buds 4 worth their £179.99 / AU

269.95 (about

240) asking price? For me, it’s an emphatic yes. Of course, they’re not the cheapest buds on the market, but they’re also a fair bit cheaper than big-name rivals like the Air Pods Pro 3 and Bose Quiet Comfort Ultra Earbuds Gen 2. They also sound fantastic for the money, with the nifty charging case only adding more value. Sure, they could do better in the call quality and ANC department, but ultimately, they still offer decent enough quality in those areas.

The JBL Live Buds 4 were revealed in May 2026, alongside their siblings, the JBL Live Beam 4 and the JBL Live Flex 4. They released about two years after their predecessor, the JBL Live Buds 3.

They come in at £179.99 / AU

269.95 (about

240), which is the same as their predecessors cost at the point of launch (in the UK). We’re yet to catch wind of a release date and pricing for the US, but we’ll update this review accordingly if and when further details emerge.

These buds are available at a relatively affordable price for the quality on offer, coming in at a lower cost than rivals such as the Apple Air Pods Pro 3 and the Bose Quiet Comfort Ultra Earbuds Gen 2.

Our top pick for wireless earbuds whatever your budget is the Technics EAH-AZ100, at

299 / £259 (around AU

478). So at quite a bit less than those figures, the JBL Live Buds 4 can be yours for a shade under flagship money — and that's a very good thing in terms of value.

That said, the Huawei Freebuds Pro 5 are our current 'best mid-range' pick in that detailed guide, and those excellent buds retail for the same £179.99 fee as the JBL option. They don't have a smart charging case, but still, food for thought…

8 hours (buds, with ANC on); 10 hours (buds, with ANC off); 40 hours (with charging case)

Massive suite of features and neat smart case, but ANC and call quality could be better.

Detailed, impactful, and rich audio, but spatial sound option in need of improvement.

Small and secure fit, strong standard of build, IP55-rated.

You want a more discreet in-ear look and feel Unlike the stemmed JBL Live Beam 4 and Flex 4, the Buds 4 have a low-key, ultra-compact in-ear look and feel. They’re more akin to models like the Bowers & Wilkins Pi 8 in terms of build, and if you want compact and comfortable buds then they’re a top option.

You’re digging the smart case There’s no doubt in my mind that a lot of people buy the Live series of earbuds for one reason, and one reason only: the smart charging case. Can I blame them? No. Is it a bit gimmicky? Sure. But do I like it? Yes, I genuinely do. You get quick access to all of the important features on the smart case, as well as tools like a torch and stopwatch, and it adds a bit of a fun factor to these great-sounding in-ears.

You want silence-inducing ANC Although JBL has improved the ANC in its latest batch of Live earbuds, the quality is still a bit middling in my view. You can get much better noise-cancelling from rivals like the Air Pods Pro 3.

You’re looking for amazing spatial audio I didn’t find the spatial audio mode on the Live Buds 4 to be particularly effective, and preferred using them with this setting turned off. My go-to most days, the LG Tone Free T90S, have a great immersive listening mode, and even support Dolby Atmos.

8 hours (buds, with ANC on); 10 hours (buds, with ANC off); 40 hours (with charging case)

8 hours (buds, ANC on); 6.5 hours (buds, heart rate sensor on); 24 hours (case)

Apple Air Pods Pro 3 If you want earbuds that are stylish, sound fantastic, supply stellar ANC and an i Phone will be your source device, look no further than the Air Pods Pro 3 — if your budget will stretch to them We loved their comfortable, secure fit, new heart-rate monitor option, hearing health software and impressive waterproof rating, but they are still a little weak in the battery life department. Read our full Apple Air Pods Pro 3 review for more.

Huawei Freebuds Pro 5 Five-star svelte earbuds for the same money as the JBL set you came here to read about? Worth a look, surely — they're the model we recommend as the best mid-range buy in our dedicated earbuds buying guide. They might not be available if you happen to reside in the US, however, they're still worth shouting about to anyone else; the drivers are huge, the battery life is exceptional, the IP rating is a step up on most rivals, they're stuffed full of perks and the ANC is, as we said in our review, "excellent". Read all about them in our Huawei Freebuds Pro 5 review.

Used in the office, on walks, and on public transport

Mainly streamed tunes over Tidal, but tapped into Spotify too

I spent three weeks putting the JBL Live Buds 4 through their paces. During this time, I listened to countless hours of music, messed around with everything the smart charging case had to offer, and exhausted their various features.

As always, I made sure to use these buds in a range of environments — including at home or at the office, but also when out on walks near busy roads, and when on public transport like buses and trains. When listening to tunes, I predominantly streamed music over Tidal on my Xiaomi 17 phone, but I also jumped into Spotify now and then. I made sure to soft through the multi-genre Tech Radar reference playlist, but also bumped a bunch of tunes from my personal library.

More generally, I’ve spent years testing audio gear here at Tech Radar, where I serve as a Senior Reviews Writer. I’ve reviewed everything from premium wireless headphones like the Sony 1000X The Collexion to hulking party speakers like the Marshall Bromley 750. Of course, I’ve also tested many pairs of wireless earbuds, so I know exactly what it takes for a model to stand out in a highly competitive market.

Harry is a Senior Reviews Writer for Tech Radar. He reviews everything from party speakers to wall chargers and has a particular interest in the worlds of audio and gaming. Harry has a background in business tech journalism, particularly around the telecoms industry.

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News, deals, reviews, guides and more on the newest computing gadgets
Start exploring exclusive deals, expert advice and more
Unlock and manage exclusive Techradar member rewards
Ever wanted earbuds with a touchscreen case
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission