The JBL Live Beam 4 are my favorite wireless earbuds of 2026 after weeks of testing — and I swear it’s not just because of their awesome touchscreen charging case

JBL Live Beam 4 review JBL is back with its new generation of touchscreen-equipped earbuds, and the JBL Live Beam 4 may just be my favorite of the bunch.

These in-ear wireless earbuds come with a number of improvements over their predecessors, including enhanced active noise cancelling capabilities, new “fidelity drivers” for more advanced audio, and better call quality to boot.

That’s not to mention an updated UI for the smart charging case, which is packed with more features than ever before.

But are these changes good enough to cement the JBL Live Beam 4 as some of the best wireless earbuds that money can buy? Here’s what I think after weeks of testing.

Let’s start by talking about the smart charging case, which is the Live series’ unique selling point.

Although it certainly borders on gimmicky, the revamped UI is actually pretty responsive, and is packed with plenty of functionality.

You can adjust the ANC mode, equalizer, spatial sound settings, and playback settings, for instance, and 'favorite' certain settings for speedier access.

But that’s not all.

You can also access tools such as a timer, flashlight, and a Find My Buds application, and also set a background — including a custom photo, which I loved doing.

Gaining access to these instruments without needing to remove your phone (or other source device) may be handy in certain situations — like when your device is in a bag or on charge.

As chic as the touchscreen case is, though, I still found myself gravitating towards the JBL Headphones app on my phone — the ease of a larger screen, and the full control available in the companion software made it a more natural choice for me.

The feature-set available is pretty comprehensive just on the case though, and marks a vast improvement on the suite of features to be found in JBL's past screen-toting buds.

On top of what I’ve already mentioned, you can activate a smart talk option — similar to Sony’s speak-to-chat feature.

You can also customize touch controls, and alter how your voice — and the person on the other side — sounds on phone calls (there’s a natural, powerful, or bright version).