Love ’em or hate ’em, Beats Studio headphones are among the most popular headphones of all time, launching as wired headphones back in 2008. This is the fourth generation of them, and they carry the same list price as their predecessor and look very similar on the outside but have some big changes on the inside that make them significantly better headphones. I’m tempted to describe them as more affordable plastic versions of the AirPods Max. However, that’s not quite accurate due to a choice in chipsets and one notable missing feature. But read our full review to find out what makes these very good headphones, albeit with some caveats.

Why I like them

The original Powerbeats Pro were released in May 2019, so Beats has had a lot of time to plot how to improve the second generation of its popular ear-hook style true-wireless sport earbuds. And improve they have — by quite a bit. Not only do they feature a new, more refined design with better ergonomics, but new drivers, a more powerful Apple H2 chip, a new built-in heart-rate sensor and, yes, active noise canceling for the first time in a pair of Powerbeats. And that noise canceling is quite good, as is the sound quality and voice-calling performance — so long as you get a tight seal from one of the five different included eartips. Read my Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 review.

These new Powerbeats Pro 2 fit my ears better thanks to Beats improving the overall ergonomic shape of the earbud and completely redesigning the ear hook — it’s 50% smaller and incorporates nickel-titanium alloy, so it’s both flexible and durable. The buds themselves are 20% lighter.

Reasons to buy

Fitness enthusiasts prefer earbuds with ear hooks to prevent their buds from falling out of their ears during intense workouts. Typically, such earbuds don’t offer the greatest performance, but the Powerbeats Pro 2 share many of the same qualities and features as the AirPods Pro 2, featuring very good sound quality, along with strong noise cancellation and voice-calling performance. In short, they’re versatile, also performing well as everyday earbuds. It’s also worth noting that while the Powerbeats Pro 2 have some Apple-exclusive features, Beats does have an app for Android users that makes these more Android-friendly than AirPods.

Reasons to skip/keep looking

While Beats has improved the Powerbeats Pro 2’s design and ergonomics, they still may not be a comfortable fit for everybody’s ears, and some people may not get a truly tight seal from any of Beats’ eartips. (I had an issue and had to use another set of eartips from my collection.) If you don’t get a tight seal, you’ll likely be unimpressed with the sound quality and noise canceling and may want to return them to the store where you bought them. (Try to find some alternative eartips before you do that.)

Why I like them

Beats has redesigned the wingtips of its popular Fit Pro earbuds, trimmed down their charging case by 17% and rebranded them as the Powerbeats Fit. While I’m disappointed we didn’t get the Fit Pro 2 this year, the changes do make this set of top-notch sports earbuds (that work well as everyday earbuds) a little better. Read my Powerbeats Fit review.

Reasons to buy them

If you don’t like the ear-hook design of the Powerbeats Pro 2, the Beats Powerbeats Fit are a good alternative (I personally prefer the fit of the Powerbeats Fit). While the Powerbeats Pro 2 offer slightly better performance overall and are equipped with Apple’s H2 chip and heart-rate sensors, the Powerbeats Fit still sound good and offer decent noise canceling. They also frequently go on sale, so they can be had at a decent discount. Definitely don’t buy them at full price.

Reasons to skip/keep looking

The Beats Fit Pro were launched at the end of 2021. Yes, the Powerbeats Fit are slightly improved over that model, thanks to their smaller case and redesigned wingtips. However, the reality is that they’re 4-year-old earbuds and are still in need of an upgrade.

Why I like them

Compared to the original Beats Studio Buds, which remain on the market, the newer Studio Buds Plus buds are significantly improved, with better sound, noise canceling and battery life. Additionally, they now deliver top-notch voice-calling performance. Read my Beats Buds Plus review.

The transparent version got a lot of attention at launch (who doesn’t like transparent electronics?), but the big changes are on the inside. Beats says 95% of the components are new and improved, and the buds’ «acoustic architecture» has been revised. The speaker drivers remain the same, but the Studio Buds Plus are powered by a new, more powerful custom chipset and have three new microphones in each bud, which are three times larger and more sensitive than the ones found in the Beats Studio Buds.

Reasons to buy

The compact Beats Studio Buds Plus offer good sound quality and strong all-around performance for an affordable price, especially when they’re discounted, which they often are. It’s also worth noting that like with other Beats headphones and earbuds, these are more Android-friendly than Apple’s AirPods (there’s a Beats app for Android) and the only feature that Apple users get that Android users don’t is hands-free Siri.

Reasons to skip/keep looking

The Studio Buds Plus were released in May of 2023, so they’re over two years old and may be due for an upgrade. Also, while the AirPods Pro 2 may cost more, they have a more robust feature set — for Apple users anyway.

In a nutshell, the Beats Solo 4 on-ear headphones have pretty much the same look on the outside as the 3s, but some notable improvements on the inside bump their performance by about 25% to 30% when it comes to sound quality, battery life and voice-calling. 

Would I pay $200 for them? No, I wouldn’t. But if you look at what’s happened with the Studio Pro’s pricing — they’re sporadically discounted to $200 or $150 off their list price and even dropped to $180 for Prime Day — the Solo 4s won’t always be $200. I’m certain we’ll see them fairly soon for what the Solo 3s now cost, which is around $130. They make a lot more sense at that price, particularly if you’re looking for a more compact on-ear headphone and don’t need active noise canceling.

Yes, these are «wired wireless» earbuds — with a cable connecting the left and right earbud, but they’re also the most affordable wireless Apple headphones you can buy (Beats is a subsidiary of Apple). Equipped with Apple’s older W1 chip, not the H1 found in the AirPods 3rd Generation, AirPods Pro and Beats Fit Pro, they don’t have such extra features as spatial audio. However, they sound good and work well for making voice calls.

Some people like the concept of neckband-style wireless earbuds. You can leave the earbuds dangling from around your neck, wearing them like a pendant. Gone is the fear of losing an AirPod by dropping it. Going from listening to not listening to the earbuds requires simply lifting them to your ears — or pulling them out. And forget about having to drop them in a charging case when you’re not using them.