Today, along with the launch of the Beats Solo 4, Apple also announced new Beats Solo Buds. The new Beats Solo Buds feature a truly wireless design, incredibly impressive 18-hour battery life, and a $79.99 price tag.
These are the most affordable truly wireless headphones released by Apple or Beats to date.
Beats Solo Buds
I haven't had a chance to test the new Beats Solo Buds yet, but on paper they sound incredibly compelling. While they lack features like active noise cancellation, auto play/pause, and transparency mode, they offer an impressive array of other features.
The Beats Solo Buds in-ear headphones come in four ear tip sizes (XS, S, M and L) and provide “passive noise insulation”. Inside, they're equipped with a custom Beats chip that enables one-touch pairing with both iOS and Android. There is also integration with the Apple Find My network as well as the Google Find My Device network.
Each Beats Solo Bud features a ‘b’ button that can be used to control playback, answer calls, and activate Siri. As with other Beats headphones and AirPods, ‘b’ can be configured in the Settings app.
In the press release announcing the Beats Solo Buds:
Each earphone features dual-layer transducers designed to minimize microdistortion along the frequency curve, delivering high-quality sound with uncompromising clarity and detail.
Each earbud delivers exceptional call quality and features a specially designed earbud. microphone based on an advanced noise learning algorithm. Enjoy extended range with fewer dropouts thanks to advanced Bluetooth Class 1.
Battery life
But the most impressive feature of the Beats Solo Buds by far is the battery life. Beats claims we can expect up to 18 hours of battery life from the headphones themselves. Yes, that's 18 hours of battery life from the Beats Studio Buds themselves – not including the charging case.
In fact, the case included with the Beats Solo Buds does not have a built-in battery. Instead, when you want to charge the Solo Buds, you place them in the case, and then connect the case to a USB-C cable.
Solo Buds feature Beats' longest-lasting in-ear headphones, with up to 18 hours of playback. When it's time to charge, place the headphones in the case and connect them to the USB-C cable. For extra power on the go, they can be charged directly from your phone, tablet or laptop.
Beats Solo Buds also support Fast Fuel technology, which provides 1 hour of playback on a 5-minute charge.
As I said, I haven't had a chance to test the Beats Solo Buds yet, so I can't vouch for the claimed 18 hours of battery life. If this is true, then this is an incredible feat.
Pricing and Availability
The Beats Solo Buds will go on sale in the US in June 79. $99. You can choose from four different colors: Matte Black, Storm Grey, Arctic Violet, and Clear Red.
Stay tuned for a full review of the Beats Solo Buds when they officially launch. In the meantime, what do you think? Let us know in the comments.
The full line of Beats headphones
Beats is also discontinuing Beats Studio Enjoy the release Beats Solo Buds headphones. Here's the full lineup of Beats headphones:
- Beats Flex
- Beats Solo Buds (available June)
- Beats Studio Buds+
- Beats Fit Pro
- Powerbeats Pro
