Apple today officially unveiled its new Beats Solo 4 headphones, the first update to one of Beats' best-selling products in eight years.
I've been using the Beats Solo 4 for the past week (while listening to many hours of Taylor Swift). Below you will find an overview of the new products and my first impressions.
Beats Solo 4 features
- Folding design weighing 217 grams.
- Supports Personalized Spatial Audio
- Personalized Spatial Audio allows you to scan your ears with iPhone to create a unique spatial audio profile.
- Dedicated processor Beats for dual iOS and Android compatibility, including one-touch pairing, automatic account setup on your devices, and Find My or Find My Device support.
- “Hey Siri” iOS support
- Support for audio sharing on iOS
- USB-C port for charging and lossless audio playback (included)
- 3.5mm headphone jack for & #8220;High-definition wired playback without battery” (included)
- Soft carrying case (included)
- Battery life: up to 50 hours, Fast Fuel can provide up to 5 hours playback time on a 10-minute charge.
- Price: $199.99
- Colors:Matte Black, Slate Blue and Cloud Pink
- In stock: Available to order today, orders will begin shipping May 2.
In terms of sound quality, Beats Solo 4 have been “redesigned to deliver incredible, high-quality acoustics.” Beats says this includes custom-built 40mm transducers that “minimize electronic artifacts, latency and distortion for exceptional clarity and range.”
Practical introduction to Beats Solo 4
Wow, these are all looks familiar – and not only because they were leaked several times before today's announcement.
Much of what Jeff wrote in his Beats Solo 3 review back in 2016 still applies today. That the Beats Solo 3 remained popular for so long despite being in a competitive category is a testament to the Beats brand.
So what exactly has changed in Beats Solo 4 compared to its predecessors? Nothing special, but what has changed is welcome.
- Battery life has increased from 40 to 50 hours.
- The micro-USB port was released alongside USB-C, which now also supports lossless audio.
- New features enabled by the new internal chip: Find My integration, personalized spatial audio with dynamic head tracking
- Beats doesn't use an Apple chip like AirPods. Instead, the company has again opted for a custom-designed chip to provide better Android integration.
- “Upgraded to deliver incredible high-quality acoustics.”
- “Advanced beamforming microphones and intelligent noise learning algorithm” for calls and interaction with Siri
- New UltraPlush ear pad design for added comfort
In terms of sound quality, I found the Beats Solo 4 to be relatively good. They don't sound as good as the AirPods Max or Beats Studio Pro, but they are a step up from the Solo 3 headphones. As I always say, I'm far from an audiophile, and sound quality is very subjective, so your experience may vary.
Due to the over-ear design of the Beats Solo 4, you don't get features like active noise cancellation or transparency mode. For these features, you'll have to opt for the more expensive Beats Studio Pro headphones.
However, the overlay design has a number of advantages. These are the lightest and most breathable headphones I've worn in years. AirPods Max weigh 385 grams, Beats Studio Pro weigh 260 grams, and these weigh 217 grams.
Beats Solo 4 (left) and Beats Studio Pro (right)
One of the other reasons the Beats Solo 4 is so lightweight is because it's made of plastic. They are actually made from a lot of plastic. The build quality leaves a lot to be desired, and I really wish Beats had spent some time fixing this in the eight years between Beats Solo 3 and Beats Solo 4.
It’ And it's not just that they are plastic. The fact is that they are made of fragile plastic. They squeak and wobble when you take them on or off, and when you fold them and put them in your carrying bag.
Again, the build quality here isn't the best, and I'll be interested to see how well these things hold up over time. Another downside is that the design is not water and sweat resistant.
The Beats logo on the left side of the Solo 4 headphones also doubles as a play/pause button and lets you adjust the volume when pressed up or down.
9to5Mac's Opinion
Is the Beats Solo 4 a revolutionary new entrant into the headphone market? Absolutely not. Will they continue to sell by the truckload? Probably.
Beats Solo 4 aims to take a tried-and-true product and bring it into the modern era. Beats could discontinue the Beats Solo 3 without a replacement and instead push customers towards the more expensive Beats Studio Pro version. Alternatively, it could release the Beats Solo 4 at a higher price.
Ultimately, he did neither. The Beats Solo 4 retails for the same $199 price as its predecessors. It's always nice when a product gets better without becoming more expensive, but it's especially noticeable when there's an eight-year gap between those updates. After all, a lot has changed in the economy and the world since 2016.
That being said, there are things that I wish Beats had spent time refining, especially when it comes to design. While the Beats Solo 4's design remains as iconic as ever, it still suffers from the same durability and build quality issues as the Beats Solo 3. These things are made from a lot of plastic.
I also miss auto-pause support when I turn off the Beats Solo 4. This means you have to remove the headphones, then manually pause the device's playback and turn off the headphones.
Summing up
Beats Solo 4 is a welcome addition to the Beats and Apple family of headphones. . While I wish Beats would change a few more things, the improvements they made were sorely needed. I also don't want to lose sight of how important it is that the price stays the same at $199.99.
The Beats Solo 4 is a significantly better product at the same price. They are difficult to confuse given this context. They're available to order starting today in the US in Matte Black, Slate Blue and Cloud Pink for $199.99.
What do you think of the current range of Apple and Beats headphones? Let me know in the comments.
