The Beats Studio Buds + give Apple owners, and even Android fans, a worthy AirPods alternative.
About the Beats Studio Buds +
Credit:
Reviewed / John Higgins
The Beats Studio Buds + come in a transparent option and we’re a big fan.
- Price: $169.99
- Battery life: Up to 6 hours with ANC (9 hours without), and an additional 18 hours with the case (27 without ANC)
- Fast charging: 5 minutes for an hour of playback
- Full recharge time: 2 hours
- Colors: Transparent, Black/Gold, Ivory
- Ambient sound modes: Active Noise Canceling (adaptive ot fit), Transparency Mode
- Speakers: Two-layer proprietary transducers
- Microphones: 6 beam-forming microphones in use for dual-bud with ANC/Transparency on (3 when off)
- Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.3
- Processing chip: Beats Proprietary Platform (gen 2)
- Dust/water resistance: IPX4
- Fit: Four ear tip sizes (XS, S, M, L)
- Weight: 5 grams per earbuds, 49 grams for charging case
- Features: One-touch pairing, iCloud/Android ecosystem Sharing, Automatic Switching, Audio Sharing (with iPhone/Watch), Hands-Free Siri, Find My, Spatial Audio
The Beats Studio Buds + come in a small recyclable box made of 95% plant-based sustainably sourced material. They are very similar in appearance to the Studio Buds, with an oval-shaped case that flips open at the top and unobtrusive earbuds that sit in the ear and display the Beats ‘b’ on the function button. The button is less susceptible to errant pushes that plagued the Studio Buds. In fact, I never had an accidental press.
The biggest visual change is the new Transparent option that gives a look inside the workings of both the case and the earbuds themselves. It’s an eye-catching design that I hope Beats expands into different tinted Transparent finishes—such as Transparent Purple or Transparent Blue.
What we like
Beats excellent sound quality is still here
There was thankfully a paradigm shift in Beats audio tuning around the time they were acquired by Apple almost a decade ago, from a very bass-heavy profile to something more refined and mid-forward. Frankly, Beats headphones went from being a bassy mess to some of the more well-tuned and enjoyable headphones around.
The Beats Studio Buds + deliver a nice, balanced sound profile that allows vocals to sing while being supported by a smooth and decently focused bass. I spent a good amount of time revisiting The Black Crows’ The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion during my time with the Studio Buds +. They delivered a spacious soundscape with Chris Robinson’s slightly raspy voice soaring through the rich fabric of beautiful background vocals, 70’s-inspired guitars and bass, snappy drums, and soulful piano and keyboards.
The sonic treat of Fetch the Bolt Cutters, Fiona Apple’s release from 2020, was also beautifully served by the Studio Buds + tuning. Musically it’s Apple’s most intriguing release and the mix captures the confines of her home, where much of the album was recorded, in an interesting way. There’s a character and dimension lent to the songs from the recording space that comes across with the Beats.
There aren’t any EQ capabilities on iOS or through the Beats app on Android, which I usually find as a drawback, but in the case of the Studio Buds + I was satisfied enough with the sound that I didn’t feel like I was missing anything.
Improved ANC and Transparency
Credit:
Reviewed / John Higgins
The improved ANC does a great job at blocking out much of the world, but midrange sounds like talking and some traffic will still get through.
There are a few design enhancements—a second generation Beats Proprietary Platform chip, a new front venting design, and improved microphones—that give the Beats Studio Buds + better ANC and more natural sounding Transparency. The ANC does an excellent job removing low-end rumble, such as what you’d hear in an airplane cabin or from a passing garbage truck.
The midrange cancellation is also significantly improved over the previous Studio Buds, although it doesn’t measure up to what we’ve heard from the Apple AirPods Pro 2—which employ the H2 chip we likely will see in an updated version of the Beats Fit Pro in the future. Not much of a shock considering the $80 MSRP difference.
Cars will still have an upper-mid whoosh to them as they pass, a vacuum cleaner’s whine will reach your ears, and chatter makes it through, albeit all at a more attenuated level.
Excellent call quality
The improved voice mics and extra chip processing deliver incredible call performance, with the mic now located outside of the earbud housing instead of underneath the function button. As I walked down a moderately busy road on a business call, my colleague commented on how little he could hear the passing cars. It was limited to occasional hints of traffic as the noise suppression picked them up.
The local Starbucks posed a tougher challenge, presumably because the algorithm tries to make voices clear and picked up other customers. But the focus was still on me and on the other end of my call I came through clearly.
Full functionality with iOS and Android
Credit:
Reviewed / John Higgins
Functionality is practically the same whether you’re using an iPhone or an Android phone.
One of the things Apple hangs its hat on with the AirPods is the ease with which they pair and integrate with Apple products. What they avoid mentioning is the functionality lost when they’re paired with anything else. That’s where the Beats Studio Buds + (and previous Beats for that matter) excel.
The Studio Buds + also integrate with Apple products—one-touch pairing, iCloud pairing, Find My, name customization—but have the added bonus of keeping functionality with Android, as long as the Beats app is installed. While one-touch pairing, Android ecosystem pairing, audio switching, and Find My Device are all native Android features, the Beats app is where you’ll find name customization and button assignments.
The transparent option looks stellar
The functionality of tech products is obviously of the first and foremost priority. After all, why use a phone or earbuds or a computer that adds problems instead of solving them. But it’s extra nice if it has a distinctive and attractive look. It’s why, despite the flaws, Apple keeps the stem design—you know they’re AirPods at a glance—although you’re always stuck with white.
While Beats have been an Apple company for years now, they’ve never been under the same design constraints, which allows more personality to come through in its earbuds design. With the Beats Studio Buds + that has come through with a 90s-inspired transparent option. Both case and earbuds are made of slightly cloudy plastic that allows you to see the internals of each.
It’s definitely not for everyone, but if you’re a tech enthusiast (or nostalgic for the transparent craze) there’s something special about seeing how the products you own are put together—without having to take them apart on your own. The unique look also draws the eye and is sure to be a conversation starter if you allow it to be.
What we don’t like
Need to choose which features to control
While the earbuds’ Press and Hold controls can be assigned to audio playback, smart assistant activation, and volume, not all of them can be available at the same time. There is mix and match possible with noise control (cycling through any combination of ANC, Transparency, and Off) and smart assistant by assigning one to each earbud.
Volume control, on the other hand, will take over both earbuds with one controlling volume up and one for volume down (it’s up to you which earbud does what). This isn’t a change from the previous Studio Buds, but it’s unfortunate the new Buds + weren’t upgraded to allow all three instead of deciding which one to leave out. No matter what, it means you’ll be reaching for your phone to activate or change something the Buds won’t do.
Fit isn’t always solid
Credit:
Reviewed / John Higgins
Even with four available tips, the Studio Buds + might not give a perfect fit.
These aren’t the Fit Buds so I wasn’t expecting to put them in my ears and never think about them again, but no matter the tip size I used there were issues. Generally I’m a medium-tip person and always tend to start there. Immediately the Studio Buds + felt comfortable and I went out for a walk to make some calls and test the aforementioned excellent call quality. That’s when the problem began.
My footsteps slowly loosened the Studio Buds + fit and I found myself having to readjust their placement every fifteen minutes or so. I did a quick jog around the block and could immediately tell I would constantly worry about them coming out during one of my longer runs. The large tips were slightly better (and are what I settled into for my listening) but I needed to really jam them into my ears to be secure and after 45 minutes or so they began to feel uncomfortable.
While the small tips were the most secure, they introduced a different problem—the earbuds sat so far into my ear that they pressed up against it in an uncomfortable way.
Is any of this a deal breaker? Absolutely not, and since everyone’s ear is different, your mileage may vary. It’s important to be aware of the possible struggles, though.
Should you buy the Beats Studio Buds +?
Yes, especially as cross-platform Apple alternative
Credit:
Reviewed / John Higgins
The Beats Studio Buds + are a great choice for Apple and Android users, alike.
For whatever reason, Beats earbuds feel like a second thought to Apple’s AirPods line—even though Beats provides excellent competition, as they have with the Studio Buds +. They match up favorably with the similarly priced AirPods (3rd gen), sporting similar iOS functionality and performance with the benefit of full Android compatibility with the Beats app and, in my opinion, a more pleasing sound profile.
Within the iOS world, you’ll get significantly better ANC and Transparency Mode performance from the AirPods Pro 2 and their H2 chip, but for an additional $80 and the loss of that Android functionality. The Beats Fit Pro are also still on the market (even if they’re getting long in the tooth), and can be found on sale for the same price as Studio Buds +. If you plan on any vigorous activity, they’re a better bet thanks to their wing design as they stay put through any type of workout. Comparable noise canceling and audio performance can also be found with the much less expensive Anker Soundcore Space A40, our favorite earbuds under $100, but you’ll lose out on the iOS integration.
When it comes down to it, the Beats Studio Buds + are a solid upgrade to the Studio Buds. They feature better ANC, improved sound quality, and boy do they look good in Transparent. If you’re looking for an AirPods alternative, these are it.
The product experts at Reviewed have all your shopping needs covered. Follow Reviewed on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, or Flipboard for the latest deals, product reviews, and more.
Prices were accurate at the time this article was published but may change over time.
Meet the tester
John is Reviewed’s Senior Editor of Electronics and A/V. He is an ISF Level III-certified calibrator with bylines at ProjectorCentral, Wirecutter, IGN, Home Theater Review, T3, Sound & Vision, and Home Theater Magazine. When away from the Reviewed office, he is a sound editor for film and musician, and loves to play games with his son.
Checking our work.
Our team is here for one purpose: to help you buy the best stuff and love what you own. Our writers, editors, and lab technicians obsess over the products we cover to make sure you’re confident and satisfied. Have a different opinion about something we recommend? Email us and we’ll compare notes.
