Verdict
The Beats Solo 4 can sound good , easily treat all genres of medicine without focusing too much on basso . They ’re minor , lighting and playact well with iOS and Android . If you ’re a devotee of the standard AirPods speech sound profile , these will feel familiar .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
Apple has finally updated the Beats Solo parentage with a new model in the Solo 4 . Can these match the popularity of its predecessors ?
Since Apple acquired Beats , the firebrand has become something of a mid - range alternative to the iPhone maker ’s gamey - end products .
Priced at £ 199 / $ 199 , the Solo 4s could be seen as an on - ear rendering of the baseAirPodsand in many manner they are exchangeable products in all probability point at a similar buyer .
The important question is whether they ’re worth it or if you ’d be better off with one of the many alternative featured in ourbest headphonelist . I ’ve spend nearly a calendar month with the latest cans and Beats and here ’s my definitive finding of fact .
Design
The Solo 4 ’s are an on - ear flair of headphones , meaning rather than covering up the ear ( likeAirPods Maxdoes ) they baby-sit on it . The nature of this design means that some people will find them uncomfortable due to the cups entreat into the ear , rather than surrounding them . I am one of those such people .
When I would first put them on , all was fine . The circular lodgings on each capitulum cup baby-sit comfortably on my ear and the headband seemed stretchy enough to control the fit was n’t too stiff . I never found that comfort last though , and if I wear upon the Solo 4s for a match of hours the edges of my ears would get incredibly sore . This was most obtrusive on a transatlantic trajectory where the Beats Solo 4 were much more uncomfortable than the over - ear Bowers and Wilkins PX7 S2e .
I will put some of the ear try down to my cock-a-hoop head , and a few people I gave the headphones to seek with smaller point did n’t have the same issues . So it ’s plausibly a lot to do with personal preference , and of course , Beats trade the over - earStudio Profor those , like me , who find that style more comfortable .
Going with an on - pinna burst does have benefits though and I am beaming pulse still provide to multiple people ’s needs . The ear cups are far smaller than larger contender like theSony WH-1000XM5and that makes a far smaller , more discrete Cartesian product .
These can fold up very small and slip in a smaller cup of tea , even a cross - body one , with relief and they do n’t feel quite so all - comprehend when being worn . They are great for the gym too , as they ’re far lighter than over - auricle brace . I know some masses will take the trade - offs I mentioned above for these benefits , and if that ’s you these are a full choice I can recommend .
The Beats design is a little Marmite : some eff it , some do n’t . The Solo 4s looks very much like theSolo 3 , just with a petty redundant dash . The new alloy hinges , for instance , are a nice accession that adds both a contrast colour and a eminent - conclusion stopping point . The branding is slimly more subtle this time around , with the garish ‘ radio ’ wording removed for a simple ‘ 4 ’ . There are still prominent Beat Son on each cupful , which I am not a huge devotee of .
There are three colour options at launching , though I would n’t be surprised if some extra hues are added ( possibly splice to some celebrity endorsements ) . My review couple was the ‘ Matt Black ’ choice , though the ‘ Cloud Pink ’ and ‘ ticket Blue ’ stand out a fiddling more . All the colours are quite subtle and tasteful though , a long way aside from the promising bolshie of old Beats products .
As is the case with most fictile products , there ’s decidedly some creaking with the Beats Solo 4 when you give them a stretch . The period of play / pause button embedded inside the Beats logo on the left cupful is also a piffling rattly , echoing through my capitulum when weightlift .
Features
The on - spike design means there ’s no active noise cancellation ( ANC ) , a common selling point of over - spike options at this price . Instead of a series of mike that block out noise , the Beats use passive noise cancelling to immobilize out some ambient noise .
I assume these on both a sheet and the London Underground and while the result is better than the canonical AirPods which permit a lot of noise in , the extra ear cover ca n’t compete with true ANC in curtail engine and carriage noise . It ’s a better story in an office position , where the Solo 4s can well bump off some screen background chatter .
deficiency of ANC aside , most of the typical headphone features are find here . There ’s a USB - C embrasure for charging , a 3.5 mm earpiece jack for wired listening and a carrying case included in the bundle that has place for cables .
That 3.5 mm port and include cable are both welcome , as it allows for leisurely hearing on a plane where Bluetooth connectivity will be lacking on all but the most modern of planes . you could link the USB - C cable to a gadget and listen to medicine in lossless formats too . You ca n’t however , stream in higher - reticuloendothelial system formats , as there ’s only the stock AAC and SBC and noaptXorLDAC .
While Beats is part of Apple , these headphones forge well with both Android and iOS gadget – more so than any set of AirPods . There ’s quick pairing for both operating systems and if you have the Beats app installed on Android , observe My equipment functions a set likeFind Myon Io .
There are some iOS - exclusive fringe benefit though , like brain - tracked spatial audio in apps like Apple Music , the ability to share sound recording with other Beats and AirPods intersection and the Siri interpreter helper .
One missing feature is multi - point pairing between dissimilar operating systems . You ca n’t have these headphone link to one of the expert Windows laptop and an iPhone at the same time and switch between the two twist without reconnecting each metre . If you ’re exhaustively rich into the iOS ecosystem the Beats Solo 4 will link up to all your twist via an iCloud story .
Battery Life is excellent . As there ’s no ANC to world power , the Beats Solo 4 can go and go without running out of succus . Apple claims 50 hours , and in my tests , I managed to match this . A full charge will take about 90 bit , and a prompt 10 second succus up offered enough playtime for a couple of days commute .
Sound Quality
A hatful of the upgrades the Beats Solo 4 have over the Solo 3 are focused around audio . There are 40 mm drivers , along with a new acoustic architecture for reduced distortion . Beats also talks up improved frequency reply .
beat headphones were once known for their bassy strait profile ; since the Apple acquisition that is n’t really the case any longer . In the simple-minded terms , the good visibility here is quite basic and caters to all medicine genres . No single genre excelled in my tests , but nothing sounded awful . I ’d liken the sound timbre condition to the standard AirPods , so if you ’re a rooter of that sound visibility you ’ll find at home here .
If there was a genre that sounded the best , it would be kill . Charli xcx ’s 360 sound unspoiled , with the acute beat at the first coming through with plentifulness of pop and clarity . When the vocals complain in , they ’re clear and detailed . Vocal representation on the whole impressed .
Pop birdcall with a little more pizzaz , Billie Elish ’s Bad Guy for example , add up through with good amounts of bass , though not the ear - thud amounts of Beats privy of the pre - Apple days . There ’s plenty of clearness here too and enough detail to find fault out individual element of the backing track without everything turning messy .
Skepta ’s It Ai n’t Safe lacked slug and songs full of guitars , like The Vaccines Heartbreak Kid , sounded harsh in the louder parts of the song . I found it arduous to listen to busy rock’n’roll genres at higher volumes on the whole , as everything matt-up muddy and mussy .
Moving across to Dolby Atmos course from Apple Music , the consequence can be decent – for the monetary value . There ’s a fiddling extra separation in Beyonce ’s Cuff It , but the gist is n’t as all - encompassing as it is on the AirPods Max . Atmos - enabled media , from apps likeDisney Plus , can sound fantabulous , though .
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Should you buy it?
There ’s a lot to like here . The Beats Solo 4 are small , collapsible and packs down into a ready to hand case . They feature things like spacial audio support , lossless playback via USB - 100 and have very long bombardment life .
The on - ear aim means no ANC – so they do n’t block out much ambient noise . If you ’re after ANC , ourbest noise - delete headphonelist has mass of excellent options .
Final Thoughts
Whether or not the Beats Solo 4 are for you calculate on a few factor . If you ’re against the over - spike way of phone and are n’t buy them to tune out plane and train noises , I think they ’re a good buy .
They can sound good , well cover most genres of music without concenter too much on freshwater bass , and they ’re small , light and play well with iOS and Android . If you ’re a fan of the stock AirPods sound profile , these will sense intimate .
But for £ 199 / $ 199 there are less expensive choices . TheSennheiser Accentum Plushave ANC as do theMonoprice Dual Driver – both of these are more well-to-do to wear for longer periods .
Apple’sAirPods Prosound much better and can be had for only slightly more – although they ca n’t touch the Beats for battery life .
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FAQs
Yes , they do and they have more Android features than a circle of AirPods , including Fast Pair . Some features , like retrieve My , are undivided to iOS devices , though .
