Technologies

My Beats Studio Pro Headphones Are Worth Every Penny. Now They’re $150 Off for Labor Day

I replaced my AirPods with these over-ear headphones, and I’ve never looked back. Now, you can get them for 43% off in certain colors.

It all started when my beloved Apple AirPods suddenly died one day. No matter how much troubleshooting and finger-crossing, they wouldn’t turn on. I finally accepted they’d had a good run and it was time to put them to rest. RIP. You will never be forgotten.

That put me in a tricky predicament, though. Since I use headphones for at least 4 to 5 hours a day, I needed an immediate replacement. I knew I was due for an upgrade. The AirPods weren’t on sale at the time, but the Beats Studio Pro were.

I didn’t expect to fall in love with a pair of headphones so quickly, especially because I loved my Apple buds so much. I was just hoping for solid noise cancellation and good sound quality.

The Beats delivered so much more. Today, they’re an essential part of my daily routine, practically an extension of my ears, and I get a lot of mileage out of them. Whether I’m writing, commuting, doing chores or taking my pup for a walk, the Beats Studio Pro are there with me.

And now for Labor Day, several colors are on sale for $200 (down from their usual $350 sticker price) on Amazon.

Hey, did you know? CNET Deals texts are free, easy and save you money.

HEADPHONE DEALS OF THE WEEK

Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless Noise Cancelling Over-Ear Headphones (Navy):

$298 (save $50)
Soundcore Life Q20 Hybrid Active Noise Cancelling Headphones (Black):

$40 (save $20)
Beats Studio Pro Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones (Black):

$300 (save $51)
Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless ANC Over-Ear Headphones (Black):

$299 (save $151)
Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2e ANC Over-Ear Headphones (Black):

$220 (save $180)

Deals are selected by the CNET Group commerce team, and may be unrelated to this article.

Here’s how the Beats Studio Pro work

Let’s start with the specs. The Beats Studio Pro are premium over-ear headphones that bring serious upgrades to the iconic Beats design. Think of these as the grown-up, more refined cousin of the Beats Solo series. They’re still stylish, still punchy, but with significantly better sound quality and comfort. Here are some key features of the Beats Studio Pro:

Active Noise Cancellation and Transparency Mode: Two core features that let you tune out the world or stay aware, depending on your mood. The ANC is excellent, especially for this price, and it’s great for navigating travel, open offices or city streets.
USB-C Lossless Audio: A game-changer for audiophiles. With USB-C, you can listen to lossless audio directly from your device — no compression, just crystal-clear sound.
Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking: This creates an immersive, surround-sound-like experience.
Custom 40mm drivers: Deliver balanced sound, with punchy bass, crisp mids and smooth highs.
Battery: Up to 40 hours with ANC off or 24 hours with it turned on. That’s more than enough to get you through several workdays or even a full international flight without scrambling for a charger.
Built-in microphones and voice-targeting beamforming tech: Your voice will sound clear on calls, even in a noisy space.

They also pair effortlessly with both Apple and Android devices, thanks to support for Find My, Google Fast Pair and one-touch pairing.

CNET audio expert David Carnoy closely reviewed these earphones and found both the sound quality and voice-calling performance impressive.

«The noise canceling is quite effective,» Carnoy wrote in his review. «It’s the adaptive variety, so it’s not a fixed setting, and occasionally I’d hear it shift in strength as it adjusted to the ambient noise around me, whether I was on the subway or walking the streets of New York.»

Why I’m obsessed with my Beats

There are plenty of great headphones out there. So what sets these apart for me?

First and foremost, I love the comfort. I’ve worn lots of over-ear headphones that start to ache or feel heavy after an hour or so. I also have several ear piercings — five in my left ear and three in my right — and many over-ear headphones push the earring into my skin, digging in until it’s quite painful.

Not these. The earcups are plush, the clamping force is just right, and the memory foam actually makes a difference. I can wear them for hours without fatigue, which is saying something when you log multiple hours a day in them.

The sound quality is also great. Beats used to have a reputation for overly bass-heavy tuning, but the Studio Pro strikes a beautiful balance. There’s still that satisfying low-end thump when I’m listening to pop, hip hop or K-pop, but it doesn’t overpower the vocals or mids. Whether I’m streaming Hozier for the umpteenth hour, catching up on podcasts or listening to a new audiobook, everything sounds great.

Finally, the ANC and Transparency Mode are shockingly good. I’ve used my Beats in loud coffeeshops, on airplanes and while vacuuming, and they efficiently block out noise like a champ. But when I need to hear what’s going on (like when I run into one of my neighbors while I’m walking my dog), a quick button press switches me into Transparency Mode, and I can hear them clearly. It’s seamless.

I would also be remiss if I didn’t mention their style. Frankly, they just look cool. I know that’s not the most important thing, but the sleek matte finish, the minimalist design and the range of colors make these headphones feel like a fashion accessory as much as a tech device. I have the «Earth» color headphones, and they look gorgeous with any outfit. My one request (Beats execs, I’m sure you’re reading this!) would be to make these in a sage green color. Pretty please?

They’d make a great gift for any audiophile

Buying tech for someone else can be tricky, but the Beats Studio Pro are a pretty safe bet.

For one, they work across platforms, so it doesn’t matter if your gift recipient is team iPhone or Android. The intuitive pairing process, native device integration and wide compatibility make these user-friendly for just about anyone.

They’re also great for all types of use cases. Daily commuters? Check. Frequent flyers? Definitely. College students pulling all-nighters, or music lovers who want to hear every nuance of a track? Absolutely. These can suit really any type of person, day in and day out.

The Beats just feel premium, too. This is the kind of tech someone might not splurge on for themselves, but they would certainly be grateful to receive as a gift, no matter the occasion. If you’re shopping for a summer birthday or anniversary, these are a hit waiting to happen.

Why this Beats deal matters

Let’s get down to numbers. The Beats Studio Pro normally sell for $350 or $450, depending on the color you select. That’s pretty pricey. But right now, several colors are down to about $200.

I keep a pretty close eye on tech deals, and huge discounts don’t come around often, especially on newer, high-demand models. I don’t expect a much bigger sale on this product anytime soon. Considering the quality, durability and features packed into these headphones, you’re getting a lot for your investment, including flagship-level ANC, excellent sound and cross-platform support for less than the cost of most premium earbuds.

My final thoughts on my Beats Studio Pro headphones

In a world full of flashy gadgets and fleeting trends, the Beats Studio Pro are the real deal. They’ve become an essential part of my everyday life, not because they’re trendy or hyped, but because they work. They’re reliable, comfortable and sound fantastic. If this discount puts them in your price range, it’s a great time to buy them.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections Hints, Answers and Help for Jan. 29, #963

Here are some hints and the answers for the NYT Connections puzzle for Jan. 29 #963.

Looking for the most recent Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.

What a fun NYT Connections puzzle today! There’s a favorite children’s story in one group, and four classic author surnames that, naturally, don’t show up in an «author surname» category. Read on for clues and all of today’s Connections answers.

The Times has a Connections Bot, like the one for Wordle. Go there after you play to receive a numeric score and to have the program analyze your answers. Players who are registered with the Times Games section can now nerd out by following their progress, including the number of puzzles completed, win rate, number of times they nabbed a perfect score and their win streak.

Read more: Hints, Tips and Strategies to Help You Win at NYT Connections Every Time

Hints for today’s Connections groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Maybe it’s Maybelline.

Green group hint: Too hot, too cold, just right.

Blue group hint: Raise a cup.

Purple group hint: They all sound like words with a similar meaning.

Answers for today’s Connections groups

Yellow group: Makeup.

Green group: Featured in Goldilocks and the Three Bears.

Blue group: Ending with drinking vessels.

Purple group: Homophones of words meaning «brutal.»

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is makeup. The four answers are bronzer, foundation, liner and stain.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is featured in Goldilocks and the Three Bears. The four answers are bear, bed, Goldilocks and porridge.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is ending with drinking vessels. The four answers are fiberglass, Silverstein, smug and stumbler.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is homophones of words meaning «brutal.» The four answers are Gorey, Grimm, grizzly and Scarry.

Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for Jan. 29, #493

Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for Jan. 29, No. 493.

Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.

Today’s Connections: Sports Edition features some tricky terms. If you’re struggling with today’s puzzle but still want to solve it, read on for hints and the answers.

Connections: Sports Edition is published by The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by The Times. It doesn’t appear in the NYT Games app, but it does in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can play it for free online.

Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta

Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Checkmate!

Green group hint: Think Nadia Comăneci.

Blue group hint: Soccer stars.

Purple group hint: H2O.

Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Yellow group: Chess pieces.

Green group: Gymnastics terms.

Blue group: Premier League Golden Boot winners.

Purple group: Water ____.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is chess pieces. The four answers are bishop, pawn, queen and rook.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is gymnastics terms. The four answers are handspring, round-off, salto and twist.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is Premier League Golden Boot winners. The four answers are

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is water ____. The four answers are bottle, boy, hazard and polo.

Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source.

Technologies

Google Gives Chrome an AI Side Panel and Lets Gemini Browse for You

The update also includes Nano Banana image tools and deeper integrations with Google apps like Gmail, Calendar, Maps and Flights.

Google is turning Chrome into something closer to a digital copilot.

In the next wave of Gemini updates rolling out, Google on Wednesday revealed a set of new AI-powered features coming directly to its browser, aimed at reducing the frustrations of exploring the internet each day. Built on Gemini 3, the updates introduce an always-available side panel, deeper app integrations, creative image tools and a new browser agent called auto browse that can complete multistep tasks on your behalf.

Essentially, Google wants Chrome to be like an AI wingman that browses, compares and multitasks for you.

Now you can automate browsing

To me, the standout new addition is auto browse, a browser agent designed to handle tedious and time-consuming chores. Instead of hopping between tabs, filling out forms or manually comparing prices of things like products or flights, you can ask Chrome to do the legwork.

Auto browse can research flights and hotels across different dates, collect documents, schedule appointments, manage subscriptions and help with tasks like renewing a driver’s license or filing expense reports.

In a live demo I saw, Product Lead Charmaine D’Silva used the new tools to plan a family vacation. Gemini compared destinations and prices across multiple travel sites, checked school calendars to see when her kids were off and lined up schedules to find workable travel windows. When it came time to book, though, D’Silva emphasized that the final decision and purchase were still hers, underscoring Google’s plan to keep humans in control for key tasks like booking and purchases.

The feature is rolling out to AI Pro and Ultra subscribers in the US now, signaling Google’s broader push toward more agentic AI experiences.

Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source.

A new side panel experience

Another update rolling out now is a redesigned Gemini side panel in Chrome, available across MacOS, Windows and Chromebook Plus. Instead of opening a separate tab, Gemini now lives alongside whatever you’re working on, making it easier to multitask without breaking your flow. Testers have used it to summarize reviews across sites, compare shopping options and juggle packed calendars while keeping their main task front and center.

AI image editing with Nano Banana

Chrome is also trying to become more creative. Google is bringing Nano Banana, its AI image editing and generation tool, directly into the browser. You can now edit and reimagine images you find on the web without downloading files or switching apps — whether that’s mocking up a living room redesign or turning raw data into an infographic at work.

Chrome connects with other Google apps

Under the hood, Gemini in Chrome is becoming more connected to the rest of Google’s ecosystem. Integrations with Gmail, Calendar, Maps, YouTube, Google Flights and Shopping will allow the assistant to pull in relevant context and take action across apps. Planning a trip, for example, could involve referencing an old email, checking flight options and drafting a follow-up email to your travel companions. Now all in one place.

More to come

Looking ahead, Google says personal intelligence is coming to Chrome in the coming months. With user opt-in, Gemini will remember context from past interactions to deliver more tailored, proactive help across the web, while giving you control over what data is connected and when.