The finest sounding Beats headphones yet with Bluetooth noise cancellation, brimming with features that work seamlessly across different platforms.

Following the success of their impressive new earbuds, Apple’s Beats brand is making a return with an update to the headphones that initially catapulted its popularity back in 2008 – the Studio Pro.

Priced at £349.99 ($349.99), these new Beats headphones represent the fourth generation of the Studio line introduced by Dr. Dre 15 years ago. They take over from the Studio 3 Wireless, launched in 2017. While they are the second most expensive Bluetooth headphones in Apple’s lineup, coming after the £549 AirPods Max, they, like other recent Beats products, cater not only to iPhone users but also to the Android audience.

Mirroring the features of the recent Studio Buds+ earbuds, these headphones offer advanced functionalities across both Android and iOS platforms – a capability no other brand currently possesses. The headphones facilitate effortless pairing and synchronization across iCloud or Google devices, eliminating the need to repeatedly pair on each platform. Furthermore, they can be located using either Apple’s Find My or Google’s equivalent service if misplaced. On iPhones, the headphones also support hands-free Siri, and on Apple devices, they seamlessly integrate with the Control Center. Android users gain comparable features through the Beats app. The overall experience is polished and seamless.

The Studio Pro headphones exhibit a slight improvement in build quality compared to their predecessors, featuring updated color options. Visually, they maintain an almost identical appearance. The design remains elegantly understated, now complemented by enhanced ear cushions that provide a slightly higher level of comfort compared to the previous model.

The ear cups, while shallower than some alternatives, exert a firm grip on your head, ensuring secure positioning during extended listening sessions of three hours or more, all while maintaining a lightweight and comfortable feel.

On the left ear cup, a multifunction “b” button serves as the control hub for playback, encircled by a volume rocker. The right ear cup houses both the battery indicator and a power button. A double press of the power button toggles between noise-cancelling modes. Unlike many competitors, these headphones do not automatically pause playback when removed from the head.

The ear cups have a shallower profile than certain alternatives, providing a secure fit through a strong grip on your head. Despite this firm hold, they remain lightweight and comfortable, making them suitable for extended listening sessions lasting more than three hours.

On the left cup, there’s a multifunction “b” button that facilitates playback controls, encircled by a volume rocker. The right cup incorporates a battery gauge and a power button, which can be double-pressed to toggle noise-cancelling modes. Unlike many competitors, these headphones lack the feature to automatically pause music when removed from the head.

Specifications:

• Weight: 260 grams
• Dimensions: 181 x 178 x 78 millimeters
• Drivers: 40 millimeters
• Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.3, 3.5mm, USB-C (for charging and audio)
• Bluetooth codecs: SBC, AAC
• Battery life: 24 hours (with ANC active)

The interior of the headphones has undergone a complete overhaul. The Studio Pro employs a unique Beats chip and provides compatibility with Apple’s personalized spatial audio for Dolby Atmos surround sound in both movies and music, incorporating “head tracking.” This ensures that the audio remains fixed to the screen in front of you as you move around. However, on Android devices, you’re limited to standard spatial audio without the head tracking feature.

In addition to Bluetooth 5.3 with support for the SBC and AAC audio standards, the Studio Pro headphones come equipped with a 3.5mm headphone jack and a USB-C port. The latter serves a dual purpose, functioning as both a charging port and an audio connection. While playing content via USB-C, the headphones provide support for Hi-Res audio, including tracks from streaming services like Amazon, Apple, and Tidal. Various sound profiles are available, including an entertainment or conversation mode. However, it’s important to note that noise-cancelling is inactive when listening through USB-C.

The headphones offer approximately 24 hours of playback time with noise-cancelling active, and up to 40 hours with noise-cancelling turned off. While this duration is respectable, it falls behind the 60 hours achieved by leading brands like Sennheiser. The charging time for a full charge is approximately two hours, with a 10-minute charge providing about four hours of playback time.

Sustainability

Apple does not provide an expected lifespan for the batteries but they should last in excess of 500 full-charge cycles with at least 80% of original capacity.

Apple is due to offer a “battery service” for the headphones in a year’s time, which is expected to cost about £95. It does not directly offer repair options or replacement parts, but third-party ear cushions and other bits are readily available. The headphones are made from recycled plastic, tin and rare earth elements but Apple does not publish environmental impact reports for accessories such as headphones. The company offers trade-in and free recycling schemes, including for non-Apple products.

Good sound and noise-cancelling

Undoubtedly, the Studio Pro headphones mark the pinnacle of Beats’ audio performance thus far. Since its acquisition by Apple in 2014, the brand has been gradually enhancing its sound quality. However, with the Studio Pro, Beats is making its first substantial foray into competing at the level of industry leaders such as Sony and Sennheiser.

These headphones excel in producing deep bass notes while maintaining impressive treble and highs. They effectively preserve tonal separation even in the most intricate tracks, with exceptional vocal clarity. Compared to previous iterations, their overall balance has been notably improved. While they do require a slightly elevated volume to truly shine, they deliver exceptional performance across a wide range of genres. Though they might lack a touch of dynamism when measured against the Sennheiser Momentum 4, the Studio Pro still offer a highly satisfying listening experience.

The Beats headphones also offer a remarkable auditory experience for movies, utilizing impressive spatial audio capabilities in conjunction with select Apple devices. This feature can be personalized by capturing ear scans using an iPhone’s TrueDepth camera.

Furthermore, the headphones boast enhanced adaptive noise-cancelling compared to their predecessors, reaching a level similar to that of the AirPods Max. While they adeptly minimize most low-frequency rumbles and unwelcome sounds, they face some difficulty with higher-pitched tones, allowing a touch more background conversation than top-tier alternatives. Wind noise is mitigated but not entirely blocked out. Their transparency mode, which permits ambient noise to filter through, is exceptional, delivering a very natural and comparable experience to the leading AirPods Pro.

Call quality is notably high, performing well in both quiet and noisy environments. Voice transmission remains clear, maintaining a relatively natural sound without noise interference disturbing the other party on the call.

Final Thoughts: The Studio Pro represents an evolution of the original Beats headphones that initiated the brand’s journey. While their visual appearance may not have undergone significant alteration compared to recent iterations, substantial upgrades have been implemented under the hood.

Delivering a commendable sound quality, the Studio Pro headphones fall just short of the top-tier offerings from Sennheiser and Sony. Similarly, their noise-cancelling capabilities are quite impressive, though they narrowly miss matching the performance of leading models from Bose and Sony. What truly distinguishes them, however, is their seamless integration with a variety of Apple and Android devices. This distinctive feature sets them apart, catering ideally to those who utilize a blend of both platforms. The comprehensive support for spatial audio on Apple devices proves especially advantageous for movie enthusiasts. Furthermore, the flexibility to choose between Bluetooth, 3.5mm, or USB-C connections for audio amplifies their appeal.

Regrettably, the absence of a direct repair option from Apple is a drawback, and it’s evident that the brand name carries a premium. Unlike most Apple products, Beats headphones can be found at relatively lower prices with some comparison shopping.

Undoubtedly, the Studio Pro stands as the best-sounding Beats headphones released to date. Their amalgamation of Apple and Android features creates a unique offering that no other brand can replicate.

Pros: Exceptional sound quality and effective noise-cancelling, cross-platform compatibility enriched with advanced features for both iPhone and Android users, head-tracking spatial audio, versatile connectivity options encompassing USB-C, 3.5mm, and Bluetooth, reliable battery life, comfortable fit, well-designed button controls, utilization of recycled materials.

Cons: Elevated cost, lack of automatic music pause upon removal, absence of direct repair avenues, unvaried design over the years, lack of support for higher-quality Bluetooth audio formats.