Review of Beats Studio Buds

Some kind of chaos is happening in the Beats lineup, as if it were a separate division within Apple, with its own charter and its own rhythm. After all, the Studio model is the brand’s large headphones; I and many others were waiting for the updated Beats Studio with a new design, Apple chip, and noise canceling. Cool “ears” could cost less than AirPods Max and comfortably live within the large family of Apple products.

And what happens? In the summer of 2021, instead of an update to Powerbeats Pro, instead of an update to the larger headphones, the Beats Studio Buds are released — classic TWS headphones WITHOUT the Apple chip, but with noise cancellation. When I saw the announcement, I was very surprised and eagerly awaited the model for testing. I’ve got it; let’s unbox and explore the device.

Design

The headphones come in three versions: white, red, and black. The white is not quite white; it’s more of a very very very light gray. I would choose this model again; it has a very pleasant shade.

The package includes a USB Type-C cable, ear tips in three sizes, paperwork, and a sticker with the letter b. Everything is traditional.

I will say right away, very nice case, pleasant to touch. It can be charged with any USB Type-C cable. The plastic is neither smooth nor velvety, the letter b immediately catches the eye.

And a monument should be erected to the one who invented cups of this shape. You remember how convenient it is to take out AirPods or AirPods Pro? Convenient, that’s all true, but sometimes fingers slip off. But the Studio Buds don’t have that problem at all: the cups are just made for grabbing with fingers!

Moreover, there is an interesting point here: the outer part of the earphone is made of glossy plastic, while the main part of the case is matte, fingers do not slip. But I was even more surprised when I realized that these areas with the letters b essentially act as buttons! Yes, yes, they are regular buttons, very pleasantly click when pressed, just super.

The case has exactly two strange features. First, the lid moves a little. But this is understandable: it uses only one hinge.

Secondly, the case is still slightly larger than the usual cases for AirPods.

It’s strange, as Apple has accustomed us to the size of such accessories — on the other hand, we all remember the case for Beats Powerbeats Pro (which are still the best sports headphones on the market):

The Studio Buds fit well in the ears, but I definitely do not recommend buying them without trying them on. Note that most recent Beats headphones are equipped with Apple chips, specifically the W1 or H1. However, in this case, the chip was not included for some reason — likely to reduce the cost of the model. This was an attempt to create the most affordable advanced headphones.

The battery life is around eight hours, but this depends on the volume and enabled options (noise cancellation or transparency). The case provides two additional charges. There is fast charging: if you place the headphones in the case for five minutes, you can listen to music for another hour.

Connecting to an iPhone is standard, there is animation, everything looks nice. Quick connection to devices running Android is also implemented.

Noise cancellation and transparency mode

As for me, the best noise cancellation in small headphones is organized in the AirPods Pro: it is immediately noticeable, it works, and there is a wonderful transparency mode. Owners already know all this.

What do Beats Studio Pro have? Unfortunately, nothing. When I turned on the noise cancellation system, I did not notice any difference at all — I tried to detect some changes while being in the office, walking on the street. No, alas. Nothing in common with AirPods Pro.

The transparency mode works even more amusingly, you just hear some hum. Also, switching between modes with a pleasantly clicking button, it is almost impossible to distinguish one from the other.

Sound

The familiar sound of Beats: a lot of low frequencies. Unlike Powerbeats Pro, there is no such abundance of bass here. I’m listening to Paul Kalkbrenner’s new single Si Soy Fuego, everything is flat, the lows are barely noticeable against the overall background. And this is the case with almost all tracks, if we consider modern electronic music. I listen to classical music — it’s uninteresting. Podcasts and YouTube — excellent. You can watch movies, play as well, I didn’t notice any lag in CoD Mobile paired with iPhone 12 Pro Max.

If we talk about the rating on a five-point scale, I would give it a four with a big minus.

There are no questions about the speech transmission quality; as long as it’s quiet around, I can be heard perfectly — talking in the office is excellent. If you need a more modern headset, this is a good option.

Verdict

The headphones cost around $150. For that money, you can buy classic AirPods, and AirPods Pro sell for slightly more, while Powerbeats Pro fall within a similar range.

What can I say? The new Beats headphones left a strange impression. Pleasant design and controls — but a strange fit and poor performance of the noise cancellation system. The sound quality of many more affordable headphones will be similar or even better. For example, one of my all-time favorite headphones, Samsung Galaxy Buds Live (here’s our review), costs less and is interesting in almost all parameters compared to Studio Buds.

Honestly, I can’t find a single reason to recommend Studio Buds for purchase. There isn’t even an Apple chip here — which means no automatic switching between devices and other benefits that iCloud provides us.

Therefore, my advice is one: if you suddenly have a strong desire for the new “Beats,” it’s better to wait until autumn or look towards other products, as there is plenty to choose from. Well, or add a little more and buy AirPods Pro — they sound better, sync with iCloud, have the best noise cancellation among compact headphones, and, in my opinion, sound significantly better.

You may ask: why do Beats even need Studio Buds? It’s simple: in the US, the headphones cost $150, making them the most affordable TWS headphones with noise cancellation. Well, you understand, there are already plenty of articles and videos from American journalists where the conclusions are along the lines of “well, overall the headphones are okay.” The public reacts accordingly, many will be tempted by the price — although, there will surely be a lot of returns as well. How Apple controlled the development of this model is unclear. It seems to me that someone loosened the reins, which is a pity: the model cannot be fine-tuned through software. And if Beats is part of Apple and uses the same chips, why have a model in the lineup without the H1?

Many questions, no answers. Unfortunately.