Solo Buds
With a budget price, Beats Solo Buds focuses on the listening experience while offering its thinnest case to date. That’s it.
Pros
- Affordable
- Great battery life
- Great call quality
Cons
- Don’t feature Beats’ signature audio
- Lacks ANC and Transparency
- No USB-C cable included
Beats Solo Buds is the latest addition to Beats’ new audio product lineup. After recently reviewing the company’s Studio Pro and Solo 4 headphones and using the Beats Studio Buds + almost daily, I have now tried the entry buds for the Beats line, which are the thinnest, lightest product the company has in store. That said, this is the Beats Solo Buds review.
Beats Solo Buds specs
| Audio Technology | Beats custom-designed, two-layer dynamic diaphragm transducer |
| Microphones | Custom-designed digital MEMS microphones High signal-to-noise ratio and advanced sensitivity |
| Telephony | Machine-learning-driven noise-learning algorithm for noise suppression 1 microphone in each earbud for voice |
| Battery | Up to 18 hours of listening time (no additional battery in the carrying case) Fast Fuel: 5 minute charge = up to 1 hour of playback Full system recharge = 1 hr 20 minutes |
| Controls | Press once to play, pause, or answer a phone call Press twice to skip forward Press three times to skip back Long press to activate voice assistant |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth 5.3, Class 1 Bluetooth |
| Size and Weight | Phone: the latest version of iOS for full system compatibility Android: Fast Pair requires the latest version of Android OS, location enabled, and access to Google Play services; Beats app requires Android 8.0 or lat |
| In the box | Beats Solo Buds Carrying Case 4 sizes of soft silicon eartips (XS, S, M, L) Documentation |
| System Requirements | Beats Solo Buds Carrying Case 4 sizes of soft silicon ear tips (XS, S, M, L) Documentation |
Design: Thinnest Beats earbuds to date
Beats Solo Buds are available in Transparent Red, Storm Gray, Matte Black, and Artic Purple. What makes these earbuds so unique is the company’s smallest carrying case, which is 40% smaller than the Studio Buds+.
Comparing Beats’ 2019 Powerbeats Pro case to the Solo Buds reveals how much the brand has evolved and reshaped its products. With Beats Solo Buds, Beats focuses on offering these earbuds as the go-to choice for running errands, working out, and more.
These earbuds have a similar design to Beats Studio Buds but are a bit thicker due to their larger battery capacity. While this earbud’s shape is discrete, I still dislike pressing a button inside my ear to pause a song. I feel like AirPods Pro’s solution is better.
The company offers four ear tip sizes, from XS to L. In general, these earbuds are very comfortable for hours of listening time, and they didn’t hurt my ears after about an hour of running and sweating with them.
Sound quality
Beats says Solo Buds leverage Studio Buds+’s 8.2mm dual-element diaphragm transducer with a more “closed” acoustic architecture, allowing for improved bass response and user comfort and “excellent passive noise isolation when listening to music.”
For review purposes, I’ve extensively used Beats Solo Buds this past week. In general, the listening experience has been more than pleasant. However, I noticed that these are the more non-Beats earbuds from the company I’ve ever tested, as they don’t have that unique heavier bass from the brand.
With Beats Solo Buds, the artist’s voice is in the spotlight, while instruments sound a bit more in the background than they should. This issue doesn’t happen with the company’s other earbuds and headphones.
With that in mind, I feel like Beats did a lot of homework to have a consistent sound throughout its different products, from Studio Buds+ to Fit Pro, Solo 4, and Studio Pro. However, Solo Buds feel like an exception, as they sound a step below them. I don’t think these new earbuds don’t sound good; they do. Nonetheless, you can hear that affordability comes with a price.
Still, these earbuds offer clear sound and spatial audio capabilities. However, heavier bass fans won’t find what they want in this product. For a fuller sound experience, I can’t recommend Beats Studio Buds+ enough.
Lastly, it’s important to note that these earbuds don’t feature ANC or Transparency. Even so, Beats Solo Buds are great for passive noise isolation while listening to music.
Call quality
Beats says it has improved voice performance with Solo Buds thanks to custom-designed microphones and a noise-learning algorithm. When conducting FaceTime calls, I was impressed to discover that these earbuds completely ignored outdoor noises and brought a crystal-clear talking experience.
During my tests with Studio Buds+, I noticed that outdoor calls could sound muffled and a little robotic, which shows the company has continuously improved this area.
Connectivity and battery
Beats Solo Buds offers Bluetooth 5.3, great for a strong and reliable connection between smartphones and earbuds. While it doesn’t feature Qi charging or extra power by connecting these buds to its carrying case, Beats promises up to 18 hours of usage – the best performance in a single-charge experience from Beats earbuds.
With a USB-C port, you can get an hour of playback with a 5-minute charge. These earbuds only take around an hour for a full charge. Interestingly, you can use an iPhone 15 and a USB-C cable to charge these buds anywhere, anytime.
Beats says it had to create an innovative user experience to deliver its thinnest case to date while guaranteeing a long listening time. In addition, it features several of the functions you’d expect from Beats earbuds.
For Apple devices, users can take advantage of:
- One-touch pairing
- Instantly pair with every device in the iCloud account
- Automatically hand off audio to Apple Watch when iPhone is out of range
- Find My capabilities
- Over-the-air updates
- Share audio with compatible Beats headphones or AirPods from a single Apple device
- Customize the product name or button configuration in the Bluetooth menu
For Android devices, users get:
- One touch-pairing
- Ecosystem pairing
- Find My Device
- Audio Switch
- Beats App for additional features, software updates, and more.
Price and conclusion
Beats Solo Buds are priced at $79.99, and pre-sales start today. They will be available on June 20. While I wouldn’t say these are the best Beats earbuds to get right now, I can’t say I dislike the experience. What happened is that the Beats bar has become way higher than it was, and the latest Beats Studio Buds+, Solo 4, and Studio Pro headphones offer impressive sound quality and are honestly worth the slightly higher price.
That said, I’m impressed that Beats delivered this product for this price point. It’s pretty, compact, and offers a nice sound experience for those joining the brand for the first time – or those looking for budget but well-done earbuds.
If you miss ANC, a rechargeable carrying case, and other music perks, I definitely recommend Beats Studio Buds+. If you want Apple’s ultimate experience, AirPods Pro 2 is still the go-to option. However, if you just want a casual listening experience or maybe just found an unmissable deal, Beats Solo Buds is the one for you.
