Apple sells headphones under two names, and the price gap between them is wide. Its AirPods Max 2 list at $549, while the Beats Solo 4 drop from $199.95 to $99.95 on Amazon, 50% off, which makes the Beats more than five times cheaper than the pair carrying Apple’s own logo. The Solo 4 are wireless on-ear headphones, lighter and simpler than the AirPods Max, and they work with Android phones as readily as with iPhones.
Fifty Hours on a Charge and Lossless Over USB-C
Battery life is the number that stands out. Beats quotes up to 50 hours, which for someone with an hour of commuting each way is about five working weeks between charges, and the Fast Fuel function gives up to five hours of playback from ten minutes on the cable. I’ll admit that is the spec that would decide it for me, because a pair that is flat when you need it is a pair you stop carrying.
On sound, Beats describes a custom acoustic architecture with updated drivers, and the Solo 4 support Personalized Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking, the effect that keeps the sound anchored in front of you when you turn your head. Wired listening is possible too, over USB-C or a 3.5 mm cable, and in both cases the audio is high-resolution lossless. That wired option also means an airplane seat screen or an old laptop with a headphone jack is still usable.
The design is on-ear, meaning the cushions rest on the ears instead of surrounding them. Beats calls the build ultralight, with a flexible headband, angled ear cups that adjust, and cushions it names UltraPlush. On-ear headphones are compact and easy to wear around the neck, but they let in more outside sound than over-ear models, and the listing makes no mention of active noise cancellation. That absence is most of what separates the Solo 4 from far more expensive headphones, and it is the thing to weigh if you want silence on a train or a plane.
Pairing is one-touch on both iOS and Android, so the Solo 4 are not tied to an iPhone. The Bluetooth radio is Class 1, the category with the longest range, so the connection should hold if the phone stays on the desk while you walk to the kitchen. A built-in microphone handles calls and voice assistant requests.
Five colors are at the same price, though the saving differs: the Beats Solo 4 are $99.95 instead of $199.95 on Amazon in Matte Black, Cloud Pink and Slate Blue, while Black & Gold and Metallic Pink carry a list price of $149.99. Amazon labels the offer a limited time deal, with free returns.