JBL just refreshed its touchscreen-equipped earbud line with better sound, ANC, and call quality heres everything you need to know

Date:
Tue, 12 May 2026 15:47:48 +0000

Description:
JBL is refreshing its touchscreen-equipped earbuds with the new JBL Live 4 series.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter JBL has launched its new Live 4 series of earbuds, with three new pairs available from 12 May 2026.

The new models include: the JBL Live Buds 4, which are a set of compact in-ears; the JBL Live Beam 4, a pair of stemmed in-ears; and the JBL Live
Flex 4, which are stemmed semi-open earbuds. Each of these has arrived about two years after their predecessors from the Live 3 series. JBLs Live earbuds are known for one thing above all their touchscreen-equipped charging cases. On previous models, this has enabled users to swiftly adapt ANC, EQ, volume, and more. And JBL has revamped its Smart Charging Case software, and packed the Live 4 models with more features, controls, and customization options
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But will this be enough to help JBL rival some of the best earbuds from heavy-hitters like Apple and Sony? Well, Ive seen the new Live 4 series for myself, and I could see some of the additions being a big hit heres what you can expect from JBLs new buds. Building on success Image 1 of 3 JBL Live Buds 4 (Image credit: Future) JBL Live Beam 4 (Image credit: Future) JBL Live Flex 4 (Image credit: Future) When we tested out the JBL Live Beam 3 back in 2024, they left quite the impression on us. Thanks to their impressive sound quality, plentiful battery life, and fun feature-packed case, we awarded that model a high 4.5-star rating.

And it really seems that their successor, the Live Beam 4 alongside the new Buds and Flex versions are building on a lot of the things we already loved.

First of all, lets go back to the touchscreen case. Although Im yet to test the Live 4 series in depth, I was pleased to see that the Smart Charging Case comes with a brand new user interface (UI) alongside a larger screen on JBLs newest earbuds. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign
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Sure, some would argue that the screen is a little gimmicky, but it provides instant access to customization tools, whereas usually youd have to withdraw your phone and root around for the JBL headphones app. As someone with way
too many audio apps on my phone, I can certainly see the appeal.

JBL has also updated the sound of its Live series, with the new earbuds equipped with new fidelity drivers that the audio specialist claims to be carefully tuned for deeper bass and clearer sound. Although JBL has employed new drivers, theyre still 10mm and dynamic on the Buds and Beam, and 12mm dynamic on the Flex.

Another area thats been improved is call quality. Live 4 series models
utilize six microphones with new Perfect Call 2.0 tech, combining a
wind-proof design with an AI algorithm for clear quality. Some of the microphones are also used for noise cancelling, which has also been improved according to JBL.

Something thats largely remained the same, though, is battery life. With the charging case, JBL claims the Buds 4 will provide up to 32 hours with ANC on and 40 hours with it off; that the Beam 4 can manage 40 hours with noise cancelling active and 48 hours without it; and that the Flex 4 will deliver
35 hours with ANC switched on and 50 hours without. Thats similar to what we saw on the previous generation, but remains impressive across the board, especially when you consider that rivals like Apple s AirPods Pro 3 only deliver 24 hours with the charging case.

The Live 4 series is available in a range of colors, including Black, Blue, Silver, Champagne, Green, Purple, and Orange. They are priced at 179.99 / 199 (about $245 / AU$340). Ill be reviewing each of the new models in the coming weeks to see if theyre truly worth the money, so keep your eyes peeled for my full thoughts. Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds.



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/audio/earbuds-airpods/jbl-live-4-series-reveal


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