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  1. Table of Contents
  2. Top
  3. Main Differences
  4. Design
    1. Style
    2. Comfort
    3. Controls
    4. Breathability
    5. Portability
    6. Case
    7. Build Quality
    8. Stability
    9. Headshots 1
    10. Headshots 2
    11. Top
    12. In The Box
  5. Sound
    1. Sound Profile
    2. Frequency Response Consistency
    3. Raw Frequency Response
    4. Bass Accuracy
    5. Mid Accuracy
    6. Treble Accuracy
    7. Peaks/Dips
    8. Imaging
    9. Passive Soundstage
    10. Virtual Soundstage
    11. Weighted Harmonic Distortion
    12. Test Settings
  6. Isolation
    1. Noise Isolation
    2. Leakage
  7. Microphone
    1. Microphone Style
    2. Recording Quality
    3. Noise Handling
  8. Active Features
    1. Battery
    2. App Support
  9. Connectivity
    1. Bluetooth
    2. Non-Bluetooth Wireless
    3. Wired
    4. PC / PS4 Compatibility
    5. Xbox One Compatibility
    6. Base/Dock
  10. Comments

Beats Powerbeats3 Wireless vs Jabra Elite Active 45e Wireless

Side-by-Side Comparison

Products

Beats Powerbeats3 Wireless
Jabra Elite Active 45e Wireless

Tested using Methodology v1.3.1

Updated Jan 15, 2024 03:11 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com

Tested using Methodology v1.4

Updated Sep 24, 2021 02:15 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Beats Powerbeats3 Wireless Picture
Jabra Elite Active 45e Wireless Picture

Variants

  • Powerbeats3 Wireless (Asphalt Grey)
  • Powerbeats3 Wireless (Break Blue)
  • Powerbeats3 Wireless (Brick Red)
  • Powerbeats3 Wireless (Defiant Black-Red)
  • Powerbeats3 Wireless (White)
  • Elite Active 45e (Black)
  • Elite Active 45e (Mint Green)
  • Elite Active 45e (Navy Blue)

Our Verdict

Beats Powerbeats3 Wireless

Jabra Elite Active 45e Wireless

The Beats Powerbeats 3 Wireless are better headphones than the Jabra Elite Active 45e Wireless. They're more comfortable, and their audio quality is superior. They also have slightly better isolation performance, and they offer about twice the battery life of the Jabra. On the other hand, you can’t EQ them, which you can do on the Jabra. You can also connect the Jabra to two devices, and they have a mic-mute function for calls. The Beats will also be a better option if you want headphones to run outside while being aware of your surroundings.

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Asphalt Grey
Powerbeats3 Wireless
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Black
Elite Active 45e
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Break Blue
Powerbeats3 Wireless
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Mint Green
Elite Active 45e
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Brick Red
Powerbeats3 Wireless
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Navy Blue
Elite Active 45e
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Defiant Black-Red
Powerbeats3 Wireless
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White
Powerbeats3 Wireless
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Main Differences for
Mixed Usage

Threshold 

0.10

Mixed Usage 

7.0
6.0

Noise Isolation 
 

5.1
1.4

Bass Accuracy 
 

8.4
1.0

Full Comparison

Design

Style  

Design Picture 2  

Beats Powerbeats3 Wireless Design Picture 2
Jabra Elite Active 45e Wireless Design Picture 2

Type  

In-ear
Earbuds

Enclosure  

Closed-Back
Semi-Open

Wireless  

Yes
Yes

Transducer  

Dynamic
Dynamic
Show Text 

Comfort 
 

7.0
6.5

Comfort Picture  

Beats Powerbeats3 Wireless Comfort Picture
Jabra Elite Active 45e Wireless Comfort Picture

Weight  

0.06 lbs
0.06 lbs

Clamping Force 
 

0 lbs
0 lbs
Show Text 

Controls 
 

7.4
6.8

Controls Picture  

Beats Powerbeats3 Wireless Controls Picture
Jabra Elite Active 45e Wireless Controls Picture

OS Compatibility 
 

N/A
Not OS specific

Ease Of Use  

Good
Decent

Feedback  

Decent
Okay

Call/Music Control  

Yes
Yes

Volume Control  

Yes
Yes

Microphone Control  

No
Mute/Unmute

Channel Mixing 
 

N/A
No

Noise Cancelling Control  

N/A
No

Talk-Through 
 

N/A
No

Additional Controls  

No
Voice Assistant
Show Text 

Breathability 
 

9.2
9.2

Breathability After Picture  

Beats Powerbeats3 Wireless Breathability After Picture
Jabra Elite Active 45e Wireless Breathability After Picture

Avg.Temp.Difference  

0.8 °C
0.8 °C
Show Text 

Portability 
 

9.0
8.8

Portability Picture  

Beats Powerbeats3 Wireless Portability Picture
Jabra Elite Active 45e Wireless Portability Picture

 

2"
2.5"

 

2"
2"

 

1"
1"

Volume  

4 in³
5 in³

Transmitter Required  

N/A
No
Show Text 

Case 
 

6.5
0.0

Case Picture  

Beats Powerbeats3 Wireless Case Picture
Jabra Elite Active 45e Wireless Case Picture

Type  

Pouch
No case

 

N/A
N/A

 

N/A
N/A

 

N/A
N/A

Volume  

N/A
N/A
Show Text 

Build Quality 
 

7.5
7.5

Build Quality Picture  

Beats Powerbeats3 Wireless Build Quality Picture
Jabra Elite Active 45e Wireless Build Quality Picture
Show Text 

Stability 
 

8.0
8.0

Stability Picture  

Beats Powerbeats3 Wireless Stability Picture
Jabra Elite Active 45e Wireless Stability Picture
Show Text 

Headshots 1  

Angled Picture  

Beats Powerbeats3 Wireless Angled Picture
Jabra Elite Active 45e Wireless Angled Picture

Side Picture  

Beats Powerbeats3 Wireless Side Picture
Jabra Elite Active 45e Wireless Side Picture

Headshots 2  

Front Picture  

Beats Powerbeats3 Wireless Front Picture
Jabra Elite Active 45e Wireless Front Picture

Rear Picture  

Beats Powerbeats3 Wireless Rear Picture
Jabra Elite Active 45e Wireless Rear Picture

Top  

Top Picture  

Beats Powerbeats3 Wireless Top Picture
Jabra Elite Active 45e Wireless Top Picture

In The Box  

In The Box Picture  

Beats Powerbeats3 Wireless In The Box Picture
Jabra Elite Active 45e Wireless In The Box Picture
Show Text 
Sound

Sound Profile 
 

Frequency Response  

See details on graph tool

Frequency Response  

See details on graph tool

Bass Amount 
 

1.75 dB
-13.26 dB

Treble Amount 
 

-3.41 dB
-0.2 dB

Frequency Response Consistency 
 

9.0
8.6

Consistency L  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Consistency R  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Avg. Std. Deviation 
 

0.21 dB
0.28 dB
Show Text 

Raw Frequency Response 
 

Raw FR L  

See details on graph tool

Raw FR L  

See details on graph tool

Raw FR R  

See details on graph tool

Raw FR R  

See details on graph tool

Bass Accuracy 
 

8.4
1.0

Bass  

See details on graph tool

Bass  

See details on graph tool

Std. Err. 
 

2.27 dB
12.46 dB

Low-Frequency Extension 
 

10.15 Hz
105.26 Hz

Low-Bass 
 

3.41 dB
-24.29 dB

Mid-Bass 
 

2.2 dB
-7.91 dB

High-Bass 
 

1.89 dB
2.6 dB
Show Text 

Mid Accuracy 
 

8.6
7.7

Mid  

See details on graph tool

Mid  

See details on graph tool

Std. Err. 
 

1.86 dB
3.06 dB

Low-Mid 
 

-0.66 dB
3.13 dB

Mid-Mid 
 

-0.82 dB
0.19 dB

High-Mid 
 

2.71 dB
-3.08 dB
Show Text 

Treble Accuracy 
 

8.1
7.4

Treble  

See details on graph tool

Treble  

See details on graph tool

Std. Err. 
 

3.32 dB
3.42 dB

Low-Treble 
 

-0.87 dB
1.27 dB

Mid-Treble 
 

-2.31 dB
1.03 dB

High-Treble 
 

-7.4 dB
-0.36 dB
Show Text 

Peaks/Dips 
 

7.6
6.2

Peaks/Dips Graph  

See details on graph tool

Peaks/Dips Graph  

See details on graph tool

Peaks 
 

1.58 dB
2.64 dB

Dips 
 

1.16 dB
1.8 dB

Imaging 
 

9.3
4.1

Group Delay  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Phase Response  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Weighted Group Delay 
 

0.16
0.3

Weighted Amplitude Mismatch 
 

0.42
8.73

Weighted Frequency Mismatch 
 

0.96
9.45

Weighted Phase Mismatch 
 

1.17
3.92
Show Text 

Passive Soundstage 
 

1.4
2.6

PRTF  

Beats Powerbeats3 Wireless PRTF
Jabra Elite Active 45e Wireless PRTF

PRTF Accuracy (Std. Dev.) 
 

N/A
N/A

PRTF Size (Avg.) 
 

N/A
N/A

PRTF Distance 
 

N/A
N/A

Openness 
 

4.7
9.4

Acoustic Space Excitation 
 

2.2
2.5
Show Text 

Virtual Soundstage 
 

0.0

Virtual Soundstage  

Jabra Elite Active 45e Wireless Virtual Soundstage

Head Modeling 
 

No

Speaker Modeling 
 

No

Room Ambience 
 

No

Head Tracking 
 

No

Virtual Surround 
 

No

Weighted Harmonic Distortion 
 

7.8
7.3

Weighted Harmonic Distortion  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

WHD @ 90 
 

0.319
0.313

WHD @ 100 
 

0.106
0.246

Test Settings 
 

Firmware 
 

Unknown

Power 
 

On

Connection 
 

Bluetooth 4.0

Codec 
 

SBC, 16-bit, 48kHz

EQ 
 

Default

ANC 
 

No ANC

Tip/Pad 
 

Silicone (small)

Microphone 
 

Integrated
Isolation

Noise Isolation 
 

5.1
1.4

Noise Isolation  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Isolation Audio 
 

Overall Attenuation 
 

-11.9 dB
-2.91 dB

Noise Cancelling  

No
No

Bass 
 

-0.63 dB
0.05 dB

Mid 
 

-11.61 dB
1.95 dB

Treble 
 

-24.52 dB
-10.3 dB
Show Text 

Leakage 
 

8.2
7.8

Leakage  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Leakage Audio 
 

Overall Leakage @ 1ft 
 

32.11 dB
34.83 dB
Show Text 
Microphone

Microphone Style 
 

Integrated 
 

No
Yes

In-Line 
 

Yes
No

Boom 
 

No
No

Detachable Boom 
 

N/A
No

Mic  

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

Recording Quality 
 

6.5
6.2

Microphone Frequency Response  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Recorded Speech 
 

LFE 
 

276.97 Hz
348.96 Hz

FR Std. Dev. 
 

3.31 dB
3.52 dB

HFE 
 

3,368.2 Hz
3,319.91 Hz

Weighted THD 
 

12.189
22.618

Gain 
 

36.29 dB
43.36 dB
Show Text 

Noise Handling 
 

4.8
6.0

SpNR  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Speech + Pink Noise  

Speech + Subway Noise  

SpNR 
 

5.68 dB
11.21 dB
Show Text 
Active Features

Battery 
 

6.3
5.9

Battery Type 
 

Rechargable
Rechargable

Continuous Battery Life 
 

11.7 hrs
6 hrs

Additional Charges 
 

0
0.0

Total Battery Life 
 

11.7 hrs
6 hrs

Charge Time 
 

1.2 hrs
2.3 hrs

Power-Saving Feature 
 

No
Auto-Off Timer

Audio While Charging 
 

No
No

Passive Playback 
 

No
No

Charging Port  

micro-USB
micro-USB
Show Text 

App Support 
 

5.0
7.0

App Picture  

Beats Powerbeats3 Wireless App Picture
Jabra Elite Active 45e Wireless App Picture

App Name  

N/A
Jabra Sound+

iOS  

Yes
Yes

Android  

N/A
Yes

macOS  

N/A
No

Windows  

N/A
No

Equalizer 
 

N/A
Graphic + Presets

ANC Control 
 

N/A
No

Mic Control  

N/A
No

Room Effects 
 

N/A
No

Playback Control 
 

N/A
No

Button Mapping  

N/A
No

Surround Sound  

N/A

Surround Support 
 

No
Show Text 
Connectivity

Bluetooth 
 

7.3
8.2

Bluetooth Version 
 

4.2 + W1 chip
5.0

Multi-Device Pairing 
 

No
2 Devices

NFC Pairing 
 

No
No

Line Of Sight Range 
 

226 ft
135 ft

PC Latency (SBC) 
 

182 ms
218 ms

PC Latency (aptX) 
 

N/A
N/A

PC Latency (aptX HD) 
 

N/A

PC Latency (aptX-LL) 
 

N/A
N/A

iOS Latency 
 

14 ms

Android Latency 
 

67 ms
Show Text 

Non-Bluetooth Wireless 
 

0.0
0.0

Non-BT Line Of Sight Range 
 

N/A
N/A

Non-BT Latency 
 

N/A
N/A

Wired 
 

0.0
0.0

Cable Picture  

Beats Powerbeats3 Wireless Cable Picture
Jabra Elite Active 45e Wireless Cable Picture

Analog Audio 
 

N/A
No

USB Audio 
 

N/A
No

Detachable  

N/A
No

Length  

N/A
N/A

Connection  

N/A
No Wired Option

Wired Latency 
 

N/A

Analog/USB Audio Latency 
 

N/A
Show Text 

PC / PS4 Compatibility 
 

PC/PS4 Analog 
 

No
No

PC/PS4 Wired USB 
 

No
No

PC/PS4 Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No

Xbox One Compatibility 
 

Xbox One Analog 
 

No
No

Xbox One Wired USB 
 

No
No

Xbox One Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No

Base/Dock 
 

0.0
0.0

Type 
 

N/A
No Base/Dock

USB Input 
 

N/A
No

Line In 
 

N/A
No

Line Out 
 

N/A
No

Optical Input 
 

N/A
No

RCA Input 
 

N/A
No

Dock Charging 
 

N/A
No

Power Supply 
 

N/A
No Base/Dock
Show Text 

Check Price

Asphalt Grey
Powerbeats3 Wireless
Searching
Finding store
Black
Elite Active 45e
Searching
Finding store
Break Blue
Powerbeats3 Wireless
Searching
Finding store
Mint Green
Elite Active 45e
Searching
Finding store
Brick Red
Powerbeats3 Wireless
Searching
Finding store
Navy Blue
Elite Active 45e
Searching
Finding store
Defiant Black-Red
Powerbeats3 Wireless
Searching
Finding store
 
White
Powerbeats3 Wireless
Searching
Finding store
 

Beats Powerbeats3 Wireless

Jabra Elite Active 45e Wireless

Comments

  1. Comparison

Beats Powerbeats3 Wireless vs Jabra Elite Active 45e Wireless: Main Discussion

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