Beats has just announced its new Solo 4, the latest in a long line of wireless on-ear headphones. The latest model costs $199.99 and offers up to 50 hours of battery life. Contributing to this endurance is undoubtedly the fact that these devices lack active noise cancellation, a feature present in many competing products in the same price segment. However, Beats says buyers of the Solo 4 can expect many more improvements.
For one thing, they support wired audio via both USB-C and the 3.5mm jack. And these headphones feature passive tuning, meaning they can continue playing even when the battery runs out – without sacrificing sound. Beats also praises the Solo 4’s custom acoustic architecture. And just like the Beats Studio Pro headphones released last year, these support native software features on both iOS and Android.
Wouldn’t you know, but I’ve been testing the Solo 4 On-Ears for about a week now and you can read my full review now.
But the Solo 4 aren’t the only new Beats hardware today. The Apple-owned brand is also introducing the $79.99 Solo Buds, which now serve as entry-level wireless earbuds. They deliver “big Beats sound in the smallest chassis we’ve ever made,” the company said in its press release. There’s no ANC to be found here either – that apparently requires a Beats product to have “Pro” in the name – although Beats claims that the Solo Buds offer a good level of noise isolation to mitigate ambient noise.
Another concession in this price range is that the case does not provide a way to charge the battery; The earbuds themselves can last up to 18 hours on a charge, but after that you’ll need to charge them via USB-C. They come in four colors including black, grey, purple and a very chic red with a clear casing similar to the Studio Buds Plus. With this launch, the range of Beats wireless earbuds now looks like this:
The Solo Buds will ship later than the Solo 4 and will be available sometime in June. Since Beats’ first true wireless earbuds cost less than $100, I expect them to do very well. Overall, it looks like a busy season for the brand. LeBron James was spotted with an unannounced Beats speaker earlier this month, so the new hardware releases may not be ready yet. Considering new AirPods are rumored to be announced in the fall, it makes sense for Apple to give Beats its own attention in the spring and summer.