The new Beats Solo 4 and Solo Buds are notable for the absence of ANC, but that is offset by significantly longer battery life.
Beats has never cared much about ANC (within the Solo series, that is) and ‘thus’ the new Beats Solo 4 also lacks this feature. Whether that’s a major downside? Oh well, “back in the day” we did it by default without it and nobody worried. A disadvantage of ANC is that it uses a lot of extra energy. In other words: every disadvantage has its advantage. You can now listen for a long time – up to 50 hours – on a single battery charge. The other features of Solo 4 have not been sacrificed. Eight years ago, the then most recent version of these on-ear headphones was released. Compared to those days, there is now support for spatial sound. And that includes head tracking. In short: they are completely ready for the future and the Apple ecosystem.
In-ears
A real first is the Beats Solo 4 Buds, the first in-ears within the Solo line. Compactness is one of the hallmarks of the Solo series. In fact, the Buds even comes with the smallest charging case the brand has ever produced, making portability even easier. The in-ears feature dual-layer diaphragms to – as the manufacturer points out – combat microdistortions across the frequency curve.
The Beats Solo 4 is available in Matte Black, Slate Blue and Cloud Pink for $199.99. For the Solo Buds you’ll have to pay $79.99, with a choice of Matte Black, Storm Grey, Arctic Purple and Transparent Red colors. The Solo 4 is available immediately and the Solo Buds from early June.