Beats has released its latest true wireless earbuds, the Solo Buds, aiming for the budget-conscious consumer with a $79.99 price tag. While these earbuds offer some compelling features, they also come with notable trade-offs.
Compact Design and Long Battery Life
The Solo Buds' standout feature is their incredibly compact charging case. Significantly smaller than most competitors, it easily slips into a pocket. However, this small size comes at a cost - the case lacks a built-in battery for on-the-go charging.
To compensate, Beats has equipped the Solo Buds with an impressive 18-hour battery life on a single charge. This longevity outperforms many rivals in this price range, though it falls short of some pricier options.
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| The sleek design of the Solo Buds' charging case underscores their compactness and portability |
Audio Performance: A Mixed Bag
The Solo Buds utilize 8.2mm dual-element diaphragm transducers, aiming for a more balanced sound signature compared to Beats' bass-heavy reputation. While this approach works well for some genres, the results are inconsistent:
- Classical, opera, and hip-hop tend to sound good
- Pop and lighter rock genres are rendered adequately
- Metal and more complex rock tracks can become muddy and lack definition
The earbuds lack active noise cancellation (ANC), relying solely on passive isolation. This omission is notable, as some competitors in this price range do offer ANC.
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| Comparing the Beats Solo Buds with competitors reveals the diverse approaches to audio performance in this price range |
Features and Compatibility
The Solo Buds offer seamless integration with both iOS and Android devices. They support features like:
- Google Fast Pair
- Multipoint pairing
- Find My Device functionality
- Customizable controls (via the Beats app on Android)
Physical buttons on each earbud provide reliable control without accidental touches. However, the earbuds lack an official water resistance rating, which may concern some users.
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| The diverse charging case designs signify the competitive landscape of wireless earbuds and their features |
The Verdict
At $79.99, the Beats Solo Buds deliver a comfortable fit, extremely portable design, and impressive battery life. However, the inconsistent audio quality and lack of features like ANC make them a tough sell in a competitive market.
For just $20 more, alternatives like the Nothing Ear (a) offer significantly better sound quality, ANC, and water resistance. This makes the Solo Buds a harder recommendation unless extreme portability is your top priority.
While not a bad choice, the Beats Solo Buds ultimately fall into the good, but not great category in a market where standout performance is increasingly necessary to grab consumer attention.