Beats Bluetooth headphones compared: How the models differ

Bluetooth headphones, co-developed by the legendary top musician himself? That’s what the Beats company promised when the first product came onto the market in 2008. However, the company, which was founded by the US rapper Dr. Dre, was bought by Apple just six years later and has had a lesser presence in the industry since then.

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		Beats Studio Buds +	Beats Studio Buds	Beats Fit Pro	Beats Flex	Beats Studio Pro	Beats Solo 4	Beats Solo Buds
		to offer ❯	to offer ❯	to offer ❯	to offer ❯	to offer ❯	to offer ❯	to offer ❯
Dimensions	Dimensions	2,05 x 1,85 x 1,5 cm	k. A.	3,0 x 2,4 x 1,9 cm	k. A.	17,8 x 7,8 x 18,1 cm	k. A.	k. A.
Weight	Weight	5 g	5 g	5,6 g	18,6 g	260 g	217 g	5,7 g
ANC?	ANC?	✔ And	✔ And	✔ And	✘ No	✔ And	✘ No	✘ No
Bluetooth-Version	Bluetooth-Version	Bluetooth 5.2	Bluetooth 5.2	Bluetooth 5.2	Bluetooth 5.0	Bluetooth 5.3	Bluetooth 5.3	Bluetooth 5.3
Multipoint?	Multipoint?	✘ No	✘ No	✘ No	✘ No	✔ And	✘ No	✘ No
Construction	Construction	TWS In-Ear	TWS In-Ear	TWS In-Ear	TWS In-Ear	Over-Ear	On-Ear	TWS In-Ear
Battery life with case	Battery life with case	36 hours	24 hours	24 hours	12 hours	40 hours	50 hours	18 hours
IP certification	IP certification	IPX4	IPX4	IPX4	✘ No	✘ No	✘ No	✘ No
Apple-Chip	Apple-Chip	Apple H1	Apple H1	Apple H1	Apple W1 (older)	Beats’ own chip	Beats’ own chip	Beats’ own chip
Offer	Offer	to offer ❯ NETZWELT may receive a commission from the retailer for links on this page. More information.	to offer ❯ NETZWELT may receive a commission from the retailer for links on this page. More information.	to offer ❯ NETZWELT may receive a commission from the retailer for links on this page. More information.	to offer ❯ NETZWELT may receive a commission from the retailer for links on this page. More information.	to offer ❯ NETZWELT may receive a commission from the retailer for links on this page. More information.	to offer ❯ NETZWELT may receive a commission from the retailer for links on this page. More information.	to offer ❯ NETZWELT may receive a commission from the retailer for links on this page. More information.

The company primarily advertised its devices based on the sound aspect. And while initially on-ear headphones were the most recognizable brand at Beats, the company now focuses primarily on Bluetooth in-ear headphones. A new pair of over-ear headphones, the Beats Studio Pro, has only recently been launched. However, the manufacturer currently only offers two models, of which the Solo3 Wireless is already a good seven years old. The brand is not really all that present on Apple’s website – but we still looked at four different models.

1. Beats Studio Buds+

2. Beats Studio Buds

3. Beats Fit Pro

4. Beats Flex

5. Beats Studio Pro

6. Beats Solo 4

7. Beats Solo Buds

Beats Studio Buds+

The Beats Studio Buds+ are characterized by what you can immediately recognize: They are small, light, stylish and, with the exception of the unique, transparent version, rather inconspicuous. However, behind them is a powerful, balanced sound and active noise canceling. Compatibility has been improved on both Apple and Android compared to the previous model.

This model works with Bluetooth 5.2, a sufficiently modern standard, as well as Apple’s own H1 chip for processing the received data and controlling functions such as automatic pausing or detection during pairing. The headphones offer a battery life of up to 36 hours – that’s decent. Apple charges around 200 dollars for the Studio Buds+, while retail prices start at around 150 dollars.

Beats Studio Buds

The basic version of the Beats Studio Buds is only ten dollars cheaper than the manufacturer’s recommended price and is a bit older than the newer Studio Buds+. They are a bit larger, which means they protrude further from the ear and are more noticeable. The sound is said to be just as good, and the active noise cancelling that is on board has also impressed in various test reports. However, it is not comparable to the ANC from Sony and Co.

A significant deterioration compared to the newer model is the battery life, which is around a third shorter at 24 hours. There is no H1 or W1 chip from Apple, but that shouldn’t be a major disadvantage. The headphones, which are available from third-party suppliers for around 125 dollars, also have Bluetooth 5.0. Multipoint is not supported, nor are high-quality audio codecs.

Beats Fit Pro

Beats Fit Pro

• Dimensions: 3,0 x 2,4 x 1,9 cm
• Weight: 5,6 g
• ANC?: ✔ And
• Bluetooth-Version: Bluetooth 5.2
• Multipoint?: ✘ No

to offer

With their small bracket that ensures they stay in the ear, the Beats Fit Pro are specially designed for use by athletes. The headphones come with active noise cancelling, support for 3D audio and dynamic head tracking, which, together with a suitable Apple device, ensures even better sound and a wider sound stage.

The driving force behind the Beats Fit Pro is the Apple H1 chip, which is also installed in the AirPods Pro. It enables functions such as automatically switching between devices and pausing playback when an earbud is not in the ear. Thanks to Class 1 Bluetooth 5.2, the latency is also particularly low and the range particularly long. The battery life of 18 hours is not outstanding, but sufficiently long. Apple charges around 250 dollars for the Beats Fit Pro, elsewhere it is available in seven different colors starting at around 180 dollars.

Beats Flex

Beats Flex

• Dimensions: k. A.
• Weight: 18,6 g
• ANC?: ✘ No
• Bluetooth-Version: Bluetooth 5.0
• Multipoint?: ✘ No

to offer

The Beats Flex are Apple’s cheapest Bluetooth headphones: With a recommended retail price of just 90 dollars, the headphones fit into most budgets. They are equipped with a connecting cable between the two earphones, which are also equipped with magnets. They are operated using a control element in the middle. The music is automatically paused when you take one of the earphones out of your ear.

This is made possible by the older Apple W1 chip, which was installed in the first generation of AirPods, for example. The battery life of the Beats Flex is around 12 hours. Thanks to quick charging, you can use the headphones for around 90 minutes after just ten minutes of charging. Bluetooth 4.0 is also used (an older standard that is, however, compatible with Bluetooth 5.0 devices). You can get the headphones from various third-party retailers for as little as 40 dollars – a bargain.

Beats Studio Pro

The Beats Studio Pro are a new edition of the well-known Studio series from Beats, which previously remained untouched for a good six years. The new model has been completely redesigned and uses a Beats-specific chipset instead of one from Apple.

Beats Studio Pro

• Dimensions: 17,8 x 7,8 x 18,1 cm
• Weight: 260 g
• ANC?: ✔ And
• Bluetooth-Version: Bluetooth 5.3
• Multipoint?: ✔ And

to offer

This makes them equally compatible with Apple and Android devices. The headphones support Fast Pair and Fast Switch, can be located and offer a battery life of up to 40 hours. What’s special: You can use the over-ears via Bluetooth, audio or USB cable. The latter also enables playback of Hi-Res audio on the iPhone, among other devices, thanks to the integrated DAC.

The Beats Studio Pro use a newly developed driver that delivers really good sound quality with a nice bass foundation, but is also impressive in the mid and high range. ANC and transparency mode are not at the top level, but work effectively and reliably. Dolby Atmos and head tracking are also on board.

The controls via the large buttons on the ear cup work excellently, and the headphones can also be folded up to save space. The recommended retail price is just under 400 dollars. This means that the Beats Studio Pro are not a bargain, but they do offer very good features.

Beats Solo 4

With the Beats Solo 4, Beats is selling the successor to the Solo3 Wireless from 2016 in its online shop. The on-ear headphones are connected via Bluetooth 5.3 and offer a battery life of up to 50 hours.

Beats Solo 4

• Dimensions: k. A.
• Weight: 217 g
• ANC?: ✘ No
• Bluetooth-Version: Bluetooth 5.3
• Multipoint?: ✘ No

to offer

A Beats-specific chip is installed, which means the headphones can be used flexibly with Android and Apple devices. There are multifunctional buttons on the ear cup that allow for easy operation.

At 217 grams, the headphones are very light. They can also be folded up so you can easily take them with you. There is no ANC, but there is 3D sound with head tracking. The Solo 4 costs 230 dollars from Beats itself, and you can get it from other retailers for around 200 dollars.

Beats Solo Buds

With the Solo Buds for just under 90 dollars, Beats offers inexpensive in-ear headphones with a particularly small charging case. The battery life is up to 18 hours and the earbuds are compatible with both Apple and Android devices.

According to the manufacturer, special laser-cut ventilation openings are designed to improve audio performance and ensure particularly good bass. At the same time, they are designed to reduce air pressure in the ears and thus ensure ideal wearing comfort.

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