Beats Studio Buds+ review: better than AirPods (but not AirPods Pro)

Best Prices Today: Beats Studio Buds+

$195.95

In our review of the original Beats Studio Buds, we found that they outperformed the AirPods Pro in several ways, but lacked some Apple-specific features. That, combined with poor noise cancellation, made them less desirable for Apple enthusiasts.

The revamped version, Beats Studio Buds+, improves on the original in several important ways. But Apple is also offering a new model, the second-generation AirPods Pro, that seriously up the stakes. Again, I liked the design and feel of these Beats headphones, but I find the latest AirPods Pro easier to recommend.

These are earphones designed for Apple and Android users and lack Apple’s H1 or H2 chip which enables certain features of the Apple ecosystem. I would take these over the AirPods any day, but they don’t quite match the AirPods Pro.

Playful design

You can get AirPods in any color you want, as long as they’re white. Boring! Apple’s Beats brand has always been unrestrained with its colorways, and the Studio Buds+ are no exception with its retro frosted clear plastic for the buds and case.

If that’s not your thing, they’re also available in black and ivory.

Foundry

The charging case is a bit larger than the AirPods or AirPods Pro but still easy to store. You’ll find a USB-C charging port at the bottom, but there’s no wireless charging capability.

The buds themselves are medium in size and fit… well… like most in-ear buds do. With the right ear tips (four sizes are included), it’s easy to get a good seal and they stay put even when pushed around. Although they don’t fall off, I lost the seal several times on almost every trip to the gym, while I didn’t have that issue with the Beats Fit Pro thanks to the little wingtips.

Still, they stay in my ears at least as well as the AirPods Pro, and the actual physical buttons on the side of each earbud are far more usable than Apple’s insane “squeeze the stem” control scheme for the AirPods.

Improved audio all around

Sound quality is improved over the original Beats Studio Buds, thanks to almost completely reworked internals. There are new microphones, redesigned ventilation, new transducers and larger batteries. You can notice the difference immediately.

Although the sound quality is better, I notice a bit more detail when listening to music with the second-generation AirPods Pro.

Foundry

Beats claims 1.6x better noise cancellation and 2x better transparency than before, and I immediately noticed a big improvement over the previous version. But none of these features live up to the fantastic AirPods Pro in this regard. The transparency feature isn’t adaptive either; it can’t suddenly increase to dull extra-loud sound like the AirPods Pro can. Yet their price is closer to the 3rd generation AirPods, which have no ANC/transparency at all.

Battery life is rated at 6 hours with ANC on or 9 with it off and the case will recharge the buds three times. In my experience, that estimate seems about right.

Anyone would be happy with the sound per formance of these headphones under $200. They sound better than the 3rd Gen AirPods, but the 2nd Gen AirPods Pro deliver a superior overall audio experience all around.

Not quite AirPods

Some Beats products use Apple’s own headphone chips, but the Beats Studio Buds+ do not. This means you get some Apple ecosystem features, but not all the AirPods give you. Hands-free “Hey Siri” is here, as is instant pairing with your iPhone and support for the Find My app.

But you don’t get instant switching between Apple devices, spatial audio support with video (any earbuds can use Spatial Audio in Apple Music), custom spatial audio, Conversation Boost, or in-ear detection that automatically pauses playback when you remove an earbud.

Foundry

On the other hand, moving away from the Apple-designed H1 or H2 chips means these headphones can support a bunch of useful Android features. They support Google Fast Pair, Audio Switch, and Find My Device, and there’s a Beats app for Android that lets you do things like name your device, see battery levels, or toggle noise canceling and music settings. transparency. You definitely won’t get anything This with AirPods!

Ideal for the non-Apple-only crowd

If you need headphones to use with Apple and non-Apple devices, this is a great choice. If you’re going to use them only with an iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple Watch, you’re better off using the latest AirPods Pro despite the slightly superior design of these buds.

Priced roughly the same as the third-gen AirPods, you’ll get overall superior sound quality and the addition of active noise cancellation with Beats Studio Buds+. These are easy to recommend over regular AirPods.

However, if you want to use the best in-ear headphones in the Apple ecosystem, you’ll find that the second-generation AirPods Pro offer more features and better sound for a little more money.