JBL has launched its new Live 4 series of headphones, with three new pairs available from May 12, 2026.
The new models include: JBL Live Buds 4, which are a set of compact in-ear headphones; the JBL Live Beam 4, a pair of stemmed in-ear headphones; and the JBL Live Flex 4, which are semi-open earbuds. Each of them arrived around two years after their Live 3 series predecessors.
JBL Live Earbuds are best known for one thing: their touchscreen-equipped charging cases. On previous models, this allowed users to quickly adjust ANC, EQ, volume, etc. And JBL has revamped its Smart Charging Case software and packed Live 4 models with more features, controls and customization options than ever before.
But will it be enough to help JBL compete with some of the best headphones from big hitters like Apple and Sony? Well, I’ve seen the new Live 4 series for myself and could see that some of the additions were a big hit – here’s what you can expect from JBL’s new headphones.
Building on success
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When we tested the JBL Live Beam 3 in 2024, they left quite an impression on us. Thanks to their impressive sound quality, great battery life, and fun, feature-rich case, we gave this model a high rating of 4.5 stars.
And it really seems like their successor, the Live Beam 4 – alongside the new Buds and Flex versions – builds on a lot of things we already loved.
First, back to the touchscreen case. While I haven’t tested the Live 4 series in depth yet, I was pleased to see that the Smart Charging Case comes with an all-new user interface (UI) as well as a larger screen on JBL’s latest earbuds.
Sure, some might say the screen is a bit gimmicky, but it offers instant access to customization tools, whereas you’d usually have to pull out your phone and search for the JBL earphone app. As someone with way too many audio apps on my phone, I can definitely see the appeal.
JBL has also updated the sound of its Live series, with the new earbuds featuring “new fidelity drivers” that the audio specialist claims are “carefully tuned for deeper bass and clearer sound.” Although JBL used new drivers, they are still 10mm dynamic on the Buds and Beam, and 12mm dynamic on the Flex.
Another area that has been improved is call quality. The Live 4 series models use six microphones with new “Perfect Call 2.0” technology, combining a windproof design with an AI algorithm for clear quality. Some microphones are also used for noise cancellation, which has also been improved according to JBL.
However, something that has remained largely the same: battery life. With the charging case, JBL claims the Buds 4 will offer up to 32 hours with ANC enabled and 40 hours without; that the Beam 4 can handle 40 hours with active noise cancellation and 48 hours without it; and that the Flex 4 will offer 35 hours with ANC activated and 50 hours without. That’s similar to what we saw on the previous generation, but it’s still impressive across the board, especially considering that competitors like Apple’s AirPods Pro 3 only offer 24 hours with the charging case.
The Live 4 series comes in a range of colors including black, blue, silver, champagne, green, purple and orange. They are priced at £179.99 / €199 (around $245 / AU$340). I’ll be reviewing each of the new models in the coming weeks to see if they’re really worth it, so keep your eyes peeled for all my thoughts.
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