Beats Studio Pro

Feb 09, 2024

Premium Beats wireless headphones include Android and iOS features like fast pairing and finding the headphones when they get lost.

The Beats Studio Pro might resemble 6-year-old Beats Studio 3 headphones, but they’ve been updated with better performance and a universal USB-C port. It’s hard not to like what these premium headphones offer for casual listeners or music enthusiasts, even if the design is a bit tired.

Premium Beats headphones with ANC, transparency, and support for lossless audio over USB-C.

For better or worse, Beats is sticking with the same design for these Studio Pro headphones that have been around for years. The same thick plastic frame with creaky folding hinges is still intact. It also means that the largely comfortable ear pads and headband remain present.

Even though they aren’t the most comfortable pair I’ve ever tried, I did like the fit and feel of the Studio Pro headphones. They gripped my head a bit tighter than Sony’s WH-1000XM5, but about the same as AirPods Max. The Studio Pro felt lighter than Apple’s other headphones, however. Personally, I think I would prefer wearing the Studio Pro headphones for a longer time than the AirPods Max if I had to choose between the two.

It should be noted that a female colleague with longer hair used the Studio Pro and had issues with her hair getting caught in the gap of the ear cups and then being ripped out nearly every time—whereas it hasn’t been the same concern with other over-the-ear headphones. She said this would keep her from purchasing the headphones personally.

I tried the headphones in the deep brown color, and I liked how they looked in person. It’s a unique color option that, to my eyes, had hints of dark purple in certain lighting conditions. However, it was a much more discernible deep brown in the bright sun. If you don’t feel like taking a chance on that color, black, navy, and sandstone are also available.

The media controls are controlled using the left side button disguised as the Beats logo. It’s not obvious, but you can cycle through noise cancelation and transparency by double-pressing the power button. I had no complaints about controlling the volume or media from the headphones.

The redesigned carrying case that these come with is brilliant. The external woven fabric felt great to touch. It has a small handle that makes the case easy to hold. There are internal pockets, including one with a zipper. Plus, it’s compact. It took a few tries for me to get the hang of getting the headphones in and out, but beyond that, this has been my favorite headphone case ever.

In fact, this Beats case has made me look at the AirPods Max cover with even more disdain.

Beats products have historically been perceived through a lens of aggressive bass presence and overly opinionated sound profiles. But I didn’t hear that here with these new Studio Pro headphones. The low-end was generally full and robust, while the mid-range sounded spacious and clear.

D’Angelo & The Vanguard’s “Really Love” gave me a sense of the delicate range the headphones, with their custom 40mm active driver, were capable of handling. The classical guitars were plucky and present, while the stand-up bass filled in the bottom with a warm groove. I listened to songs from The Weeknd, Dua Lipa, Run The Jewels, and Leif Vollebekk, among others, and all the genres represented felt authentic through the headphones.

In an interesting twist, the Studio Pro headphones include a built-in DAC (digital-to-analog converter) for listening to lossless audio with sample rates up to 24bit and 48kHz. You can plug in the USB-C cable found in the box from the headphones directly to a phone or computer to utilize the feature through a capable streaming service. In this regard, the Beats Studio Pro could be an option for more advanced music enthusiasts. Here’s hoping the iPhone 15 includes a USB-C port instead of Lightning.

Audio quality from the microphones while on the call was great. Recording audio and listening back, I didn’t sound robotic or artificial as on a lot of lower-end earbuds and headphones, plus the microphones blocked outside noise wonderfully. It was actually unbelievable how well the microphones were able to block out the sound of a vacuum cleaner that was quite loud in person while I recorded an audio sample. I would have a hard time talking on a call with that type of noise happening, but it was nice to hear that the Beats Studio Pro can isolate a person's voice so well.

One of the highly attractive features of the Beats Studio Pro headphones is that they largely remain platform-agnostic. They work great with an iPhone and Apple gear, but they also work just as well with an Android phone.

Apple-device users have access to common things like one-touch pairing, iCloud pairing, hands-free Siri, Find My compatibility, and more.

Android users get most of these things in the form of Google Fast Pair, Google Audio Switch, and Google Find My Device. Android also has access to a standalone Beats app for widgets and control customization.

While there isn’t 100% platform parity, neither group should feel left out. Multi-device users have a lot to like about the software situation here.

Beats claims up to 40 hours of listening time but will require ANC to be off for that amount of time. You can expect around 24 hours with ANC on. In my time with the headphones, I frequently cycled through ANC and the transparency mode, which yielded lower-than-optimal results, but it was still a generous amount of time before needing to give them a charge.

Apple is (slightly) competing with itself, selling both the AirPods Max and the Beats Studio Pro. But as much as the new Beats Studio Pro features creep over what the AirPods Max currently offers, Apple’s AirPods headphones still retain more premium materials, controls, and sound.

Price-wise, the Beats Studio Pro competes more closely with Sony’s WH-1000XM5. I found the Sony headphones to have better active noise cancelation and better sound, but it was close enough that most people shouldn’t fret about the decision if one product goes on sale or if they prefer the comfort of one over the other.

The Beats Studio Pro are available now for $349.99 at Apple and other retailers.

The Beats Studio Pro headphones are a nip-and-tuck update to the previous Studio 3 model. The USB-C charging port for power and lossless listening and better ANC performance provide at least several more years of runway of relevancy.

These Studio Pro headphones are more casual than other premium headphones, making them a good candidate for people who plan to use them out of the office. Their tighter fit and physical media buttons make them a good choice for people on the move. Additionally, their compact footprint, when folded up and in the carrying case, makes them easy to fit in a backpack or suitcase.

In a rare instance, it also doesn’t matter if you’re an iPhone or Android phone owner. These are a solid option for anyone interested in listening to music for long periods of time.

Premium Beats headphones with ANC, transparency, and support for lossless audio over USB-C.