Beats Studio Buds review (Image: BEATS)
It’s another stellar launch from Beats that, despite our niggles, hit almost all the right notes
What we love
- Solid sound
- Good Active Noise Cancellation
- Long battery life
- Easy connection to iPhone & Android
What we don’t
- No wireless charging
- Buds don’t auto pause
- Touch control issues
- Case is bigger than AirPods
Thanks to their neat design and very affordable price, the Studio Buds from Beats have become one of the Apple-owned firm’s best-selling products. Now the famous audio company is back with the launch of its more premium music makers called the Beats Studio Buds +.
These wireless buds get a rebooted look, longer battery life, better sound and a boost to the Active Noise Cancellation which blocks out even more background sound. There’s no question that this is a blockbuster update to what were already some of the best buds on the market. Read our full Beats Studio Buds review here.
The Plus model sounds great, offers a seamless set-up on both iPhone and Android plus you get over 30 hours of usage without needing to go near a plug thanks to a boost to the battery case. The design looks sleek, they are really comfy to wear for long periods and the simple touch controls mean you rarely need to reach for your smartphone.
You can even now get them in a funky see-through design which lets you peek inside and see some of the tech that powers them.
The new Beats Studio Buds + are excellent but they are not without their faults. There’s no way to wirelessly refill the charging case – which is highly annoying, they don’t auto-pause when you take them out of your ears and although the touch controls are good you have to choose between volume and switching off the ANC as you can’t have both.
They also cost £179 which places them at the very top end of this hugely crowded market.
We can highly recommend the Beats Studio Buds +. Although they are not perfect there’s plenty to like especially as they work just as well on Android as iPhone. It’s another stellar launch from Beats that, despite our niggles, hit almost all the right notes.
Beats Studio Buds + review
Beats already make some of the most popular wireless buds on the market and now they hoping to give their rivals an even bigger headache thanks to the launch of the Studio Buds +. These latest mini music makers take the much-loved Studio Buds and boost things via improvements such as better sound and longer battery life. So should you invest in a pair? Here’s our full Beats Studio + review.
The Beats Studio Buds offer a neat design (Image: BEATS)
Set-up and design
Remove the Studio Buds + from their packaging and you’ll have the playlists started in seconds. These mini music makers automatically connect to both Android and iPhone the moment you open the lid of the charging case. That means there’s no need to dig around in the Bluetooth settings to link them up to your smartphone.
The fact they work so seamlessly with both Google and Apple operating systems is a massive bonus and a very strong selling point of these buds.
Along with that easy connection, there’s also a neat design which also offers a premium feel. It is worth noting that the case is quite a bit bigger than Apple’s AirPods Pro which might have something to do with the extra battery performance the Buds + brings to users – more on that later.
One of the biggest updates to the styling in 2023 is that the Beats Studio Buds + now come in a transparent design with owners getting a glimpse of all the tech that’s tucked inside. This see-through option lines up alongside other colours including Black and Ivory.
We have no complaints about the set-up and design and Beats even includes 4 different tips in the box to make sure you get the perfect fit.
We’ve had them stuffed in our ears all day and haven’t experienced any discomfort – they also stay put even when heading out for a run. That said, gymgoers are probably still better off with the top-rated Beats Fit Pro if they want the ultimate experience as these include a wingtip design to make sure they stay firmly stuck in your head.
Beats Studio Buds offer a comfy fit (Image: BEATS)
Sound experience
Beats has made all sorts of improvements to its Studio Buds + including redesigning the acoustic architecture and designing cutsom built transducers in a bid to deliver powerful and balanced sound.
The ANC is also now improved and they feature clever Spatial Audio which makes it appear as if sound is hitting your ears from all directions.
There’s no question that the Beats Studio Buds + sound sublime. There’s loads of bass without it affecting the clarity and music appears packed with crystal-clear detail. The ANC does a good job of blocking out background noise and a Transparency Mode can also be activated for when you need to hear the world around you.
They also include clever Spatial Audio which makes the music appear to hit your ears from all directions.
These are very good earbuds but having tested them alongside the AirPods Pro we’d say those popular Apple music makers feature an all-round better audio experience. That said, the AirPods Pro are a lot more expensive and don’t feature the same easy connection to Android devices.
Beats Studio Buds feature a transparent design (Image: BEATS)
The new look joins Black and Ivory (Image: BEATS)
Battery life and charging
If you need buds that can take some serious playback punishment then the Beats Studio Buds + are worth considering. They offer a total of over 36 hours of usage without needing to go near a plug. If you compare that to Apple’s AirPods Pro which offer 30 hours you can see why this latest offering from Beats is so impressive.
Despite being a little larger than its Apple rival, the charging case is still neat and easily pops into your pocket. Plus you can easily see the battery life of both buds and case via your smartphone.
The only real issue we have with what Beats has created is the lack of wireless charging. Popping the case on a Qi pad takes the hassle out of refilling and it really feels like a pair of £179 buds should have this option.
When the case needs powering up you’ll need to grab a USB-C lead and plug things in instead.
Beats Studio Buds don’t auto pause when removing them from your ears (Image: BEATS)
Touch controls, extras and one missing feature
You can control your tunes right from each bud thanks so some comprehensive touch controls. Tap once to pause, twice to skip tracks forward and three times spins things back.
Everything works really intuitively but there is one tiny complaint.
The final control is a long press which either turns off the ANC or powers up the volume. Sadly, you can’t do both so you have to choose between these two useful controls via the settings. It’s not a deal-breaker but it is a tad annoying.
Other extras on the Buds + include a 5-minute Fast Fuel charge which provides an hour of additional use and they work with both Apple and Google’s “find” services should you lose them.
Apple users will find compatibility with Siri and they are IPX4 rated so should survive the UK weather and sweaty trip to the gym.
One annoying thing they don’t include is auto pause when you remove one, or both, from your ears. This is definitely a function we use a lot on rival devices and it seems strange Beats has left it out on the Bud +.
Price
The Studio Buds + are just £20 more than the standard Studio Buds from Beats and they are definitely worth that extra money.
They really do offer an abundance of features for a pretty reasonable price – especially when compared to Apple’s £249 premium AirPods Pro.
Beats Studio Buds + will be available to order in the UK starting June 12 for £179.99, with them shipping beginning June 13.
Beats Studio Buds review (Image: BEATS)
Final Verdict
We were already big fans of the Studio Buds and the Plus model now improves things further. They are comfy to wear, sound great, have pretty epic battery life and can be ordered in that new transparent design.
The fact they link so seamlessly to both Apple and Android devices is a huge bonus and there are plenty of other useful features such as simple location tracking if you lose them, a sweat-proof design and fast charging.
The touch controls also work well and all those features come at quite a reasonable price.
Sadly, the Beats Studio Buds + aren’t perfect with our biggest gripes the fact they don’t feature a wirelessly chargeable case and don’t pause when you take them out of your ears. The case is also noticeably bigger than the AirPods Pro.
Despite those niggles, we really like the Studio Buds + and you won’t be disappointed if you buy them when they launch on June 12.
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