I found them to be fascinating.
Beats Solo Buds deliver native ecosystem benefits with an enhanced experience for both Apple and Android customers.
This includes one-touch pairing and Find My or Find My machine.
Tyler Hayes / How-To Geek
They’ll come in four color options at launch.
Presumably, removing the battery and extra electronics from their case helps Beats hit that price point.
For comparison, most other Beats earbuds can get up to 7 or 9 hours of listening time.
Beats Solo Buds deliver native ecosystem benefits with an enhanced experience for both Apple and Android customers. This includes one-touch pairing and Find My or Find My Device.
Even better, these earbuds can be charged from any iPhone 15 model using a USB-C cable.
While the Solo Buds themselves arent microscopic, the case they go into felt minuscule in my hand.
It disappeared in my pants pockets and could get lost in a purse.
Tyler Hayes / How-To Geek
All things considered, removing the battery from the case seems like a fine trade-off to me.
The smaller size was a real benefit and the earbuds' battery life lasted me days.
Casual listeners should get at least a week of listening time before power becomes an issue.
Tyler Hayes / How-To Geek
The Studio Buds + are much beefier sounding.
The low end on the Solo Buds was lacking in all the songs I played.
I could hear vocals well, but songs didnt sound as vibrant as they did on other mid-range earbuds.
Tyler Hayes / How-To Geek
The Solo Buds lack the richness of audio that other Beats earbuds have.
Cycling through different-sized ear tips didnt change anything for me either.
One aspect of the audio I was optimistic about was the spatial quality.
Tyler Hayes / How-To Geek
The soundstage was much wider than I was expecting and was genuinely great.
This was particularly noticeable when watching shows and movies.
Footsteps and other effects to the left and right, forward and back, were all detailed.
Be aware that there is no active noise cancellation.
They should handle coffee shops okay though.
Just so its not a surprise, theres also no transparency mode or ear detection either.
If you remove an earbud to talk to someone, music will continue to play.
General parity between iOS and Android devices rounds out another significant reason for consideration.
There’s Find My (Apple) and Find My machine (Google) location tracking.
Native fast pairing and gadget switching are also supported across platforms.
Can You Hear the Microphone Tests?
Each earbud has a custom digital MEMS microphone you’re able to use for calls.
Much like the music quality, I thought my voice sounded fine and very passable, but not amazing.
One area budget earbuds tend to fall down hard is in the microphone performance.
Just as important, they never felt like they were on the verge of slipping out.
Some wireless earbuds without hooks dont stay put in my ears.
These never fell out or gave me the feeling that they would.
It is worth noting that the Solo Buds don’t have any official sweat or water resistance rating.
Instead of touch-sensitive controls, a clicky button is hidden above the b logo.
I couldnt find the right spot.
Should You Buy the Beats Solo Buds?
TheBeats Solo Budsare tricky product to nail down since they do make some opinionated design decisions.
I dont think these are the wireless earbuds everyone should run out and get.
I think other earbuds from Beats or Apple might make more sense, depending on your needs and budget.
But the Solo Buds are all about offering a compelling product at a dont think twice price.
