The Beats Studio Pro may be the most brand-defying pair of earphones Beats has ever released. The Studio Buds have a lot going for them, from rejecting sports norms for a radical new look to providing active noise cancellation (ANC) at a low price.
The good news is that, even when compared to some of the best wireless earbuds on the market, it basically lives up to its promise. In addition to all of these capabilities, the Studio Buds produce excellent sound — particularly if you enjoy bass — and the compact, light design is easy to wear. If you’re considering purchasing another set of Apple AirPods, read on to see if the Beats Studio Buds could be a better option.
Price and release date
The Beats Studio Buds will be available for $149.99 on June 24, 2021. That puts them significantly under the price of any Apple AirPods produced to date – particularly the Apple AirPods Pro with active noise cancellation, which costs $249 – and we prefer them to the standard-issue AirPods.
If you plan on using your earphones with several Apple devices, you might want to pay a little more for Apple’s flagship earbuds, the Apple AirPods Pro, but the Beats Studio Buds are a surprisingly decent value for their pricing.
Design
Unlike Beats’ previous true wireless earbuds, the Beats Powerbeats Pro, the Beats Studio Buds come in a casing that’s near as compact and sleek as the earbuds themselves. The egg-shaped housing has a single USB-C port on the bottom and a status LED on the front, similar to the new Google Pixel Buds Series-A.
When you open it, you’ll discover the earphones inside. You pinch them on the exterior control panel and pull them up to remove them. The control panel is elevated, which aids in the insertion of the buds without the use of over-ear hooks or a fin that presses on the outer ear. The buds then sit virtually flush with the ear, and while you won’t be able to sleep with them on since they protrude out too much, they’re still really pleasant.
The Studio Buds are rated IPX4 for water resistance, making them sweat-resistant but not waterproof. That means you can definitely wear them to the gym for a fast workout, but without the ear hooks, they’re a touch less secure, and the absence of outright waterproofing means they’re not something you should wear to the beach.
Only a USB-C to USB-C charging cord and extra ear tips are included in the box. Unfortunately, all of the accompanying ear tips are silicone rather than foam, and there are only two sizes available, but you should have everything you need to get a good seal.
The Studio Buds were created by Beats to work with both Apple and Android phones with a single tap. Simply open the case near either device, and the devices will appear on your screen, ready to pair.
That’s because the Studio Buds employ a proprietary wireless chip that isn’t the same as the W1 or H1 Chip found in other Apple earbuds. That’s both a relief for Android users who haven’t gotten as much attention from the Beats brand since Apple bought it and a disappointment for Apple customers who love features like the multipoint connection with other Apple devices and hands-free Siri.
While that final point is frustrating, the Buds’ wireless chip does have the advantage of supporting Bluetooth 5.2 and Find My in iOS and Find My Device in Android. That’s a good thing because the earbuds themselves are quite small, and if you choose the all-black version, they can be easy to misplace.
Performance
It’s time to switch the earphones on and listen to them once you’ve found the perfect fit. We used an iPhone 11 Pro to test them, as well as Apple Music, which now supports Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos and Lossless Audio.
While you won’t be able to enjoy the full effect of Lossless Audio with the Buds (Bluetooth compression affects the lossless aspect of the music), you can use them to listen to songs with Spatial Audio, which sounds fantastic. The Studio Buds have a dynamic sound quality that raises both the high and low end of the mix, unlike prior Beats earbuds and headphones that blasted you with thundering bass. As a result, you’ll hear toe-tapping, head-bobbing music that doesn’t tire you out but keeps you entertained for lengthy periods of time.
The noise-canceling feature of the earbuds is a nice addition that works reasonably well, though Beats still has some catching up to do with companies like Sony and Bose, which have years of experience tinkering with the design, processor, and noise cancellation algorithm to make their Buds keep as much noise out of your ears as possible.
To that end, the Studio Buds appear to be an excellent office companion, reducing the monotonous din of office conversation but also fighting to be heard over a jet engine or the ear-shaking shocks of a subway car. Of course, due to lockdown restrictions, we haven’t been on either in a while, so that’ll be something we’ll have to put to the test in the future.
Another minor issue we have is that the battery life and call quality are both subpar. When you have either ANC or Transparency mode switched on, they only last five hours for each charge or 15 hours with the case. This isn’t bad, and it’s on par with other noise-canceling earbuds, but it’s not as good as class-leaders that last for eight hours on a single charge.
Similarly, the call quality is poor. When you’re strolling around the home with them on, they’re fine, but when you’re outside with wind, traffic, and other background noise, you’ll quickly wish you were wearing another pair of earbuds.
Finally, they don’t allow wireless charging, which isn’t a deal-breaker but can be inconvenient if you already have a charging station set up for other devices. The good news is that the Studio Buds feature fast charging, with one hour of playback time available after only five minutes on the charger.
Conclusion
The Beats Studio Buds have a lot going for them, including a tiny and lightweight design as well as a variety of capabilities like ANC and hands-free Siri. All of this comes at a reasonable cost. It becomes a top competitor in its pricing bracket when you add in the outstanding sound. It depends on how much bass and treble you prefer in your music and whether you plan to use it for phone calls or something else. The voice microphone is clearly inferior to the AirPod Pros and the Jabra Elite Active 75t, two of the best headphones with microphones for voice and video calls. Those who enjoy bass should seek out the Studio Buds, while those who prefer sharp and bright sounds should stay away. If you don’t need the dangling stem and just want ordinary AirPods, the Studio Pods outperforms its sister in almost every way.
Edward Lewis is a creative person who has been writing blogs and articles about cybersecurity. He writes about the latest updates regarding mcafee.com/activate and how it can improve the work experience of users. His articles have been published in many popular e-magazines, blogs, and websites.
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