Beats Studio Buds review: Surprisingly affordable ANC earbuds

For

• Compact design
• Active dissonance cancellation
• Affordable price
• IPX4 water water and sweat resistance

Against

• Mediocre telephone call quality
• No wireless charging
• Can't hands switch between multiple devices

Pros

• +

  Compact design

• +

  Active noise cancellation

• +

  Affordable cost

• +

  IPX4 water water and sweat resistance

Cons

• -

  Mediocre call quality

• -

  No wireless charging

• -

  Can't hands switch between multiple devices

The Beats Studio Pro might but be the about brand-defying prepare of earbuds that Beats (and by extension Apple) has ever unveiled. From ditching sporty conventions for a radical new design to including agile noise cancellation (ANC) at an affordable price, the Studio Buds has a lot going for it.

The good news is that information technology largely lives upwardly to its hope, even compared to some of the all-time wireless earbuds on the market. Along with all those features, the Studio Buds delivers very good sound — especially if y'all like bass — and the small, lite blueprint is comfortable to habiliment. If you're thinking virtually buying some other pair of Apple tree AirPods, continue reading our Beats Studio Buds review to find out if this could serve you lot better.

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• Beats Studio Buds vs. Beats Powerbeats Pro: Which Beats earbuds should you buy?

Beats Studio Buds review: Price and availability

• $149 MSRP
• Available in white, red and black

 The Beats Studio Buds was appear on June 14, 2021, and is at present available from Apple and Amazon., amongst other retailers. It comes in a choice of white, black or red.

Amidst the best surprises of the Studio Buds is the price. At $149, information technology'due south competitive with some of the best headphones, such as the Jabra Elite Active 75t. It also costs less than the AirPods Pro and Beats Powerbeats Pro, while offering many of the same features.

Beats Studio Buds review: Design

• Very pocket-size and comfortable
• IPX4 water resistance

(Paradigm credit: Hereafter)

The kickoff matter you'll detect about the Studio Buds is how tiny each earpiece is — just 0.ix x 0.8 x 0.6 inches. They don't take over-the-ear hooks like the Powerbeats Pro or dangling stems like Apple tree AirPods. They're and so pocket-sized I had some trouble getting them out of the instance. And at only under 0.2 ounces per bud, the Studio Buds are light enough to clothing for hours.

The Studio Buds have a pill-shaped part that extends from the part that goes in your ear, which is adorned with the iconic Beats "b." Other than that, little of the earbuds is visible in one case yous stick them in your ear.

The Studio Buds includes six microphones across its ii earbuds, splitting them up for phonation call and ANC duties.

It comes with iii tip sizes to assistance them fit best in your ear. The buds stayed in my ears firmly whether I was walking or exercising. They also stayed put every bit I pulled a shirt over my head — something most earbuds fail at.

The instance size is another pleasant surprise, especially if you've seen the gigantic Beats Powerbeats Pro case. The Studio Buds case — while by no means atomic — is only slightly larger than an AirPods Pro instance. Yet, it doesn't support wireless charging. Information technology ships with a curt USB-C cable for charging.

Beats Studio Buds review: Controls and digital assistant

• Touch controls are sensitive, maybe too much so
• Hands-costless Siri, touch-enabled Google Assistant

(Image credit: Beats)

The surface of the "pill" that extends from buds includes a multifunction button. You tin press once to play or answer a call, twice to skip, iii times to become dorsum or long-press to activate noise cancellation or switch to transparency mode. The button was responsive, and didn't require much forcefulness. This works both ways, though, as I did sometimes accidentally press the push button when I was putting the earbuds in or taking them out.

Also switching betwixt ANC, transparency and off, the Studio Buds lacks any other audio adjustments, such equally an equalizer — though you tin tweak the frequencies to your liking in Apple Music or Spotify.

The Studio Buds includes hands-free Siri support if you're using an Apple tree device. It's quick to activate, hands changing playlists and calling people from my contacts. Android users tin set the long press activity to activate Google Assistant, though you lot can't utilize it fully hands-free like you can Siri.

Beats Studio Buds review: Sound quality

• Surprisingly high for the price
• Lots of bass

(Prototype credit: Future)

The Studio Buds delivers very good overall sound and, depending on your taste, could rival current meridian picks for earbuds in this price range. The bass is rich, as you'd expect from Beats. The bass is specially punchy when you appoint ANC or Transparency mode; with those off, it still has good bass just it isn't equally strong. The treble isn't as vivid every bit when listening on a pair of the Jabra Elite Active 75t, but the Studio Buds is on par with the mighty AirPods Pro — and better if you like more bass — while beating the regular AirPods in whatever listening competition.

 Lorde'southward vocalisation during the chorus of "Solar Ability" was rich and the bass sounded full, though the horns at the cease weren't as brilliant as on the Jabra Elite Active 75t. The many layers of sound on St. Vincent's "Pay Your Way in Pain" were distinct and the funky synths resonated deeply. The fingerpicked guitar on Fleetwood Mac'south "Never Going Back Again" sounded warm, every bit did Lindsey Buckingham's vocals, but on that track the Studio Buds lack of treble was very articulate, especially compared to the Elite Active 75t.

The treble isn't as bright every bit when listening on a pair of Jabra Aristocracy Active 75t, just the Studio Buds is on par with the mighty AirPods Pro

The Studio Buds' bass added significant gravitas to dialog and action sequences in movies; if your principal use for earbuds is for the audio to go with movies and shows, the Beats are a better choice than the Elite Active 75t.

Like pretty much all headphones the Studio Buds works with Apple Music's recently-added spatial sound playback, which uses Dolby Atmos mastering for a 360-degree audio effect. What gives the Studio Buds a heave over nigh other models is that it enables spatial sound automatically, without any additional setup.

That's a feature typical of Apple and Beats headphones with Apple'due south H1 and W1 chips. The Studio Buds doesn't use either, and while it does still manage to produce Apple tree-specific advantages like automatic spatial audio and hands-free Siri, it'due south also opted for an unspecified but more Android-friendly processor instead.

Beats Studio Buds review: App and special features

• Wider Android back up than previous Beats/Apple buds
• Some iOS bonuses, just non every bit many equally on AirPods

(Image credit: Beats)

That'southward why you lot get a basic class of Google Assistant support, every bit well as compatibility with Android's one-affect pairing. Neither of which you'd e'er get on the current AirPods or Beats lineup. The catch is that other H1/W1-enabled features, like audio sharing with other Apple headphones and fast switching across multiple iOS and macOS sources, are missing.

That might be a shame if you're a dedicated iOS fan, but there are still other benefits to keeping within the Apple tree family. If you're using an iOS device, the Studio Buds takes reward of congenital-in features, such every bit using Control Middle for volume and switching sound modes. Y'all can also go into the Bluetooth carte to find more options, including irresolute the behavior of the long press. Android users can download the Beats app to access the same kinds of features, though they won't get spatial sound or "Hey Siri" voice controls.

(Prototype credit: Future)

Surprisingly, given the price, the Studio Buds also includes agile noise cancellation: something the standard AirPods tin't boast. It uses adaptive technology to adjust for your surround. At the gym, the ANC blocked out most of the noise from a nearby treadmill cranking at a fast step. Against a loud vacuum cleaner, it eliminated the higher pitches and dulled the overall roar of the machine — well-nigh the same equally the Jabra Active Aristocracy 75t managed, and that's one of the best noise-cancelling earbuds on the market.

You tin can as well switch to transparency mode to let in exterior racket when you're on the street and need to be aware of your surroundings. Nonetheless, you can't suit the amount of audio that gets allow through.

The earbuds have an IPX4 rating, making them resistant to water and skilful for when you're sweating at the gym or on the trail.

One thing the Studio Buds lacks: when yous take the earbuds out of your ears, playback doesn't end. This seems a foreign omission on a pair that includes most other features from top earbuds.

Beats Studio Buds review: Call quality and connectivity

• Underwhelming clarity on calls
• Solid Bluetooth connection

(Image credit: Future)

If you employ your earbuds for calls and video conversation, you lot may want to steer clear of the Studio Buds. While I could hear other people okay, my vocalization came through muted and boring. In a noisy environment, my vocalism kept breaking up as the mics tried to isolate me amid the other sounds.

Otherwise, the Bluetooth connection was solid, even upwards to l feet from my telephone with walls in the manner. If you lot're using an iOS device, Bluetooth pairing is equally piece of cake as using AirPods: but open up the case next to your unlocked device and connect. Android users tin pair with the Studio Pods as they would any other Bluetooth headphones; yous push the subtle button between where the earbuds sit down in the charging instance to engage pairing mode.

Beats Studio Buds review: Bombardment life

• Beats claims 5 hours of ANC — appears accurate
• No wireless charging, solely uses USB-C

(Image credit: Future)

Beats says y'all tin can go 8 hours of bombardment life from the Studio Buds on a full accuse, but that's without ANC or transparency modes on. With those active, expect 5 hours — which is the pretty average for earbuds right now. The charging instance carries an additional sixteen hours (10 with noise counterfoil) of ability. The case tin can as well do fast charging, adding an hr of playback in 5 minutes.

Afterwards about an two and a half hours with Transparency mode on, the bombardment level was at almost 50% — right on target with estimates. With ANC and Transparency off, the earbuds were more efficient, draining about x% in an hour.

After about an hour without using noise cancellation or transparency, the bombardment in my unit of measurement had about 90% left — in line with the estimates.

Beats Studio Buds: Verdict

(Epitome credit: Future)

The Beats Studio Buds has a lot going for it, from a small and lightweight design to plenty of features, including ANC and hands-free Siri. All at an affordable price, too. Add in impressive sound, and it becomes a summit contender in its cost range.

Whether information technology'south right for you lot depends on how much bass and treble you like in your listening, and if you programme to use them for calls. The phonation microphone clearly pales in comparison to AirPod Pros and the Jabra Elite Active 75t, 2 of the best headphones with a mic for voice and video calls. Bass lovers should seek the Studio Buds out, while those who similar sharp and bright sounds may want to avoid information technology. And if yous are considering standard AirPods and you can do without the dangling stalk, the Studio Pods beats its sibling rival  in almost every way.

• More: Beats Studio Buds vs. Apple AirPods: Mid-range earbuds face up off

Michael Gowan covers soundbars, TVs, portable speakers and other sound- and video-related topics for Tom's Guide. He'south written most music and applied science for more than xx years for a raft of publications including Wired, Men'southward Periodical, PC Globe and Macworld. When he'due south non reviewing speakers, he'south probably listening to one anyhow.

Source: https://www.tomsguide.com/reviews/beats-studio-buds

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