Jabra Elite 8 Active vs Jabra Elite 7 Active

In Jabra’s increasingly complex wireless earbud lineup, the Jabra Elite 8 Active are an incremental step up from the older Jabra Elite 7 Active. These newer earbuds bring enhanced durability and new features in the hopes of delivering the best all-around music companion for the fitness enthusiast. However, these feature upgrades come with some strings attached — namely, in the form of a price increase. We’re pitting the Jabra Elite 8 Active vs Jabra Elite 7 Active to see if the extra cost is worth it, or if you are better off saving your money with the cheaper model. 

Editor’s note: this article was published on October 23, 2023, and is the first version of the article. Updates will follow as the market changes.

What’s it like to use the Jabra Elite 8 Active compared to the Jabra Elite 7 Active?

The Jabra Elite 8 Active retains the same general shape and form of the Jabra Elite 7 Active, with a slightly taller charging case. The defining feature of the earbud design is the ShakeGrip coating that encompasses both sets of earbuds. The rubber coating makes the earbuds a bit grippier than standard plastic models, so most people will enjoy a snug fit during their workouts, despite the lack of hooks or wings. If you find either the Jabra Elite 7 Active or Elite 8 Active don’t fit you well, you can always look to the Jabra Elite 10 for more uniquely shaped earbuds.

How do you control the Jabra Elite 8 Active and Jabra Elite 7 Active?

The default controls for the Jabra Elite 8 Active are slightly different than those of the Jabra Elite 7 Active, but you can customize each to your liking. To utilize the controls on either set of earbuds requires pressing a physical button on the side of either earbud.

Jabra Elite 8 Active default controls:

Jabra Elite 7 Active default controls:

Should you use the Jabra Sound+ app for the Jabra Elite 8 Active or Jabra Elite 7 Active?

Whether you have the Jabra Elite 7 Active or the Jabra Elite 8 Active, the Jabra Sound+ app is an important part of the experience (albeit at the expense of some personal privacy). This companion app includes many customization options for your earbuds, including an equalizer to alter the sound, ANC strength control, and onboard control personalization. You can also use the app the download new firmware updates, or find your missing earbuds at the last location they were connected. There are no major differences in the app experience for the Jabra Elite 8 Active compared to the Elite 7 Active.

How do the Jabra Elite 8 Active and Jabra Elite 7 Active connect?

The easiest way to connect either pair of earbuds to your device for the first time is to follow the setup instructions inside the Jabra Sound+ app. Only the Jabra Elite 8 Active have Bluetooth 5.3 which supports Bluetooth LE for lower latency streaming. On the other hand, the Jabra Elite 7 Active only have Bluetooth 5.2. Both earbuds support the AAC and SBC Bluetooth codecs.

Is battery life better on the Jabra Elite 8 Active or Jabra Elite 7 Active?

In our battery testing of continuous playback at 75dB(SPL) with ANC set to maximum, the Jabra Elite 7 Active lasted 7 hours and 10 minutes, while the Jabra Elite 8 Active lasted 9 hours and 28 minutes on a single charge. Combined with the charging case, both sets of earbuds provide over 30 hours of battery life.

Do the Jabra Elite 8 Active or Jabra Elite 7 Active block noise better?

The Jabra Elite 8 Active uses what the company calls “Adaptive Hybrid ANC” whereas the Jabra Elite 7 Active uses “Adjustable ANC”. This means the Jabra Elite 8 Active will automatically adjust the amount of noise canceling applied based on the level of environmental noise around you.

As seen represented in our noise isolation charts above, the Jabra Elite 8 Active blocks out significantly more low-frequency noise around 100Hz. That said, it struggles to block out high-frequency noise. Since most high-frequency noise is automatically attenuated with passive isolation from the silicone ear tips, we still prefer the Jabra Elite 8 Active for blocking out environmental noise.

Do the Jabra Elite 8 Active sound better than the Jabra Elite 7 Active?

Out of the box, both of these earbuds have a sound that very closely matches our headphone preference curve. They come with a nearly identical default frequency response, characterized by a slight boost to bass frequencies below 100Hz and treble frequencies around 6kHz. The mid-range slightly differs, with the Jabra Elite 8 Active dipping by a couple of decibels around 250Hz, whereas the Jabra Elite 7 Active dips around 500Hz. However, you can fully customize the sound of either set of earbuds using the in-app equalizer.

The main difference with the sound quality of these earbuds is that only the Jabra Elite 8 Active supports Dolby Atmos for spatial audio. You can toggle this feature on or off in the Jabra Sound+ app. When enabled, it gives the illusion of sound playing all around you, which you may or may not enjoy compared to the regular listening mode.

Do the Jabra Elite 8 Active or Jabra Elite 7 Active have a better microphone?

The Jabra Elite 8 Active and Jabra Elite 7 Active utilize the same six-microphone configuration. The Elite 8 Active amplifies mid-high frequencies more than the Elite 7 Active, especially when dealing with background noise. In the demonstration below with background noise, the Elite 7 Active sounds more “muffled” as the higher frequencies in the voice are not differentiated from the background noise as well. Listen to the demonstrations below and let us know which sounds better to you.

Jabra Elite 7 Active Microphone demo (Ideal conditions):

Jabra Elite 8 Active microphone demo (Ideal conditions):

Jabra Elite 7 Active Microphone demo (Office conditions):

Jabra Elite 8 Active microphone demo (Office conditions):

Jabra Elite 8 Active vs Jabra Elite 7 Active: Price and availability

The original listing price for the Jabra Elite 8 Active is $199, and for the Jabra Elite 7 Active is $179. However, since the Jabra Elite 7 Active is two years older, you are much more likely to find these earbuds at a significant discount. As of writing, the Jabra Elite 7 Active is listed on Amazon for only $79. As time progresses and the Elite 7 Active slowly marches towards obsolescence, you’ll likely have a hard time finding it in stock at most retailers.

Should you get the Jabra Elite 7 Active or Jabra Elite 8 Active?

Considering you can now often find the Jabra Elite 7 Active for less than $100, it is clearly the better bang for your buck compared to the Jabra Elite 8 Active. If you don’t care about having the latest and greatest tech, save yourself some change and just get the Jabra Elite 7 Active.

Pricing aside, the Jabra Elite 8 Active is objectively the better set of earbuds. You get stronger noise canceling, Bluetooth LE support, better battery life, better microphone quality, and Dolby Atmos support. Whether or not those features justify spending twice as much money on earbuds is up to you.

What should you get instead of the Jabra Elite 7 Active or Jabra Elite 8 Active?

Depending on your preferences, there are many workout earbuds to consider. On the higher end of the market are the Beats Fit Pro, which have a consumer-friendly sound and offer great active noise canceling for $159 at Amazon. That said, you don’t need to spend a lot of money to get good workout earbuds. The JLab Epic Air Sport ANC feature active noise canceling and a secure wrap-around fit at a very affordable price of $89 at Amazon.

Even Jabra has more affordable workout earbuds such as the Jabra Elite 4 Active ($89.99 at Jabra), which with aptX codec support makes for a great option for Android users.

Frequently asked questions