Beats are infamous at this point, both for their impact on the audio industry and how their prominent branding and distinct sound have irked audiophiles. But even if not every pair of headphones and earbuds has been up to enthusiasts’ standards, they’ve captured the public’s attention over the last decade and made premium headphones cool when nearly everyone was buying MP3 players and smartphones that came with free cheap wired earbuds.
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The glamor around Beats has faded since Apple purchased the company and later introduced its own wireless earbuds and headphones, but the quality of Beats headphones has only improved since. There’s now a considerable range to choose from, with pros and cons for each. Whether you’re interested in over-ear, on-ear, or in-ear headphones, Beats has options worth considering.
We’ve tested and rated the entire range for our in-depth Beats reviews, but for our money, the Beats Studio Buds+ manage to offer the increasingly popular wireless earbuds form factor at an affordable price, while still sounding energetic and full. They do come with their own compromises, so if you’re curious about what Beats has to offer, read through this guide and figure out what works best for you.
Best Beats headphones: Our top picks
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Beats Studio Buds+
Best overall Beats headphones
The Beats Studio Buds+ take the experience we enjoyed in the original Studio Buds and hones it where noise-cancelling is key. There’s significantly better noise-cancelling, a more comfortable in-ear fit, and better battery life, which all add to the experience considerably. We’d love wireless charging and a wear sensor that automatically pauses your music when you take an earbud out of your ear, but these are still a fantastic pair of headphones at a great price.
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Beats Studio Pro
Best premium Beats headphones
The newest over-ear Beats headphones are the Beats Studio Pro, and they now handily overtake their predecessors. The brand-new custom 40mm driver pushes clarity across the frequency range, and includes USB-C audio for high-res playback over a wired connection if you prefer that over Bluetooth. The Studio Pro doesn’t include the premium feature, much like the Studio Buds+, but overall it doesn’t take away from what’s a pretty excellent pair of premium headphones.
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Beats Flex
Best budget Beats headphones
The Beats Flex are comfortable to wear, really light, and come in some fun colors — all while working superbly well with iOS. And that’s thanks to the older W1 chip on board. With these (wired) wireless earbuds, you’ll get 12 hours of battery life, which is really impressive for the price, and the magnets in the earbuds make them easy to pop out and not worry about them getting tangled.
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Beats Powerbeats Pro
Best Beats for fitness
The Beats Powerbeats Pro are the company’s flagship earbuds and have distinctive ear hooks that make them unabashedly workout-orientated. They’re based on the same technology as the Apple AirPods, but have the benefit of being both sweatproof and waterproof. They don’t have noise-canceling, unfortunately, but battery life is brilliant with nine hours of constant listening, and you can charge them twice from the case while out and about.
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Beats Fit Pro
Best AirPods Pro Beats alternative
There are several wireless earbuds in the Beats line up, but the Beats Fit Pro manage to sit right in the sweet spot of The Powerbeats Pro and Studio Buds+. The standout features are the very capable active noise cancellation, solid sound quality, Spatial Audio support, and easy Apple device pairing. Android users can make do here, but the experience for them is much better on the newer Beats Studio Buds+. The color options are great too.
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Beats Solo 3 Wireless
Best on-ear Beats headphones
The Solo 3 Wireless are quite old now, but still feature Apple’s W1 wireless chip, which makes them better than traditional Bluetooth headphones. You’ll get greater battery life, a greater Bluetooth range, and improved connectivity options for iPhone users. There are touch-sensitive controls on the left earcup for skipping tracks and changing volume. Beats claims up to 40 hours of life, five minutes of charge will get you three hours of playback time.
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Beats Studio Buds
Best mid-range Beats ear-buds
The Beats Studio Buds have crisp, solid sound in pretty much every scenario we’ve tested — including trains, workouts and casual wear — with active noise-cancelling a really nice addition, too. Like its Apple cousins, though, the biggest benefit of Studio Buds is the convenience. They’re small enough to carry around easily, they last for long periods and are also comfortable to wear. The Beats Studio Buds+ offer a step up from these if you’d like better noise cancelation, fit, and sound quality, but as it stands, these buds still offer tremendous value.
Best Beats headphones: The bottom line
There’s something to like about all the headphones in Beats’ lineup, but the best overall has to be the Beat Studio Buds+. They don’t offer universally stellar sound, but what they can do is good enough, and delivered by compact wireless earbuds that come in stylish colors and with solid active-noise cancelation. For something that sounds even better, the Beats Studio Pro sound even better, and are far more immersive thanks to their over-ear design. But you don’t have to spend that much on solid wireless buds — the Beats Flex can get you there for under $100.
How we picked the best Beats headphones
Pocket-lint has reviewed nearly all the Beats headphones currently available and has a good sense of what makes for a good pair from Beats, and a good pair in general. We took into account fit, finish, and sound quality to start, but tried to take the individual features of the lineup to find picks that could fit multiple different scenarios. The final list includes over-ear headphones, wireless earbuds, and devices that work just as well with Android phones as they do iOS phones.
FAQ
Q: When will Beats release new headphones, and should I wait?
As rumors have it, quite soon. MacRumors writes that references to “Beats Solo 4 Wireless” headphones appear in the iOS 17.4 beta, which suggests they should be announced and released soon. As to how they differ from the Beats Solo 3 Wireless, at the very least, they’ll support Personalized Spatial Audio, for a more immersive listening experience, and likely a USB-C port for charging. If those additions, alongside other unknown features, might make a difference to you, it might be worth it to see if they come out soon.
Q: Why wouldn’t I want wireless earbuds?
This all comes down to taste, ultimately, but there are real advantages to going with wireless headphones. The drivers in over-year wireless headphones are larger, which can produce louder, fuller sound, for one. That extra space also leaves room for a larger battery and a way to control your headphones without having to default to voice controls or only one button. And honestly, padded ear cups feel a lot better than having tiny rubber tips in your ears.
