Beats Solo 4 Review: The Most Popular Beats Reimagined

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85%

85%

• Sound

  7
• Design

  10
• Comfortability

  8.5
• Size and Weight

  10
• Connectivity

  8
• Power

  8
• Price

  8
• User Ratings (0 Votes)
  0

If you thought everyone was waiting for a new pair of AirPods Max, you might be mistaken. For the last few years, Apple has been sitting on another pair of headphones which have a colossal fanbase.

The first Beats Solo headphones were introduced in 2009 – one year after the introduction of the first Beats Studio. Intended to fill a tantalising gap below the premium-priced Studios, the Beats Solo became an instant hit and are the most popular model within the range. To date, Beats has sold over 40 million pairs of Solo headphones.

Consequently, Apple hasn’t felt the need to waste too much time constantly reiterating them.

Why break what sells, eh?

That’s possibly why there has been an eight-year gap between the release of the Beats Solo 3 wireless and what you see before you today – the completely redesigned Beats Solo 4.

You probably have questions. Who are these headphones for? Why should you opt for them over the Beats Studio Pro? Why did it take Apple so long to update them?

Let’s dig in!

Specs and pricing

The Beats Solo 4 feature a custom-designed, passively tuned dynamic diaphragm transducer. They’re equipped with personalised Spatial Audio (with dynamic head tracking), Bluetooth 5.3, and upgraded beam-forming mics.

Battery life is rated at 50 hours, with a ‘Fast Fuel’ charge delivering five hours of playback after a ten-minute charge.

Multi-point pairing is a welcome inclusion, as is full cross-platform compatibility. The Solo 4 have one-touch pairing for both Apple and Android devices and are compatible with the Find My Device features on both platforms. At the time of writing, you won’t find that via any other manufacturer.

Much of what I’ve just noted is an upgrade from the 2016 Solo 3 Wireless, as is ten hours of additional battery life, hands-free Siri support, and digital mics (the previous generation’s were analogue).

One of the most interesting changes is the switch from the Apple W1 chip to the ‘Beats Proprietary Platform’. The same thing happened with the Beats Studio Pro that were introduced last year, and the key reason appears to be the enablement of cross-platform compatibility. Although the downside is that, at the time of writing, there’s no automatic switching between Apple devices.

Beats Solo 4 will retail at £199.95 in the UK and are available from 2nd May.

Design, case, and comfort

Let’s start with the Beats Solo 4 case. It’s a masterpiece – mainly because it is practically identical to the Studio Pro case. The only difference appears to be the lack of a zipped internal compartment in the Solo 4 case. Everything else remains the same – it is beautifully small, well-made, and ludicrously convenient.

The Solo 4 are an incredibly light pair of headphones (they weigh just 217g). Available in Matte Black, Slate Blue (my review pair), and Cloud Pink, they’re understated, smart, and will play well with Solo fans. You can also bet your bottom dollar that we’ll be treated to plenty of new colour schemes and collaborations in the future.

You are, of course, paying a slight premium for the name, but people have always been happy to do so with Beats cans. In return, you get the style you clearly want, and decent build quality. For instance, the Solo 4 feature the same memory foam as the Studio Pro and use an upgraded cover material over the last generation.

These are on-ear headphones, which aren’t my usual choice. Despite this, they’re comfortable, there’s not too much clamping force, and the absence of significant weight is very welcome.

There are no touch controls, which gets a big thumbs-up from yours truly. Instead, we’re treated to one big button for play controls, and two more for volume up and down.

The 50 hours of battery life is a huge bonus, but it’s worth noting that you can also use the Solo 4 passively by plugging in the included 3.5mm audio jack when they’re switched off.

Beats Solo 4 sound and calling

The Solo 4 have an upgraded acoustic architecture. The drivers are custom-designed, and the arrangement of the transducer’s voice call has been improved and made to match the placement in loudspeakers. The audio team has, clearly, been busy.

However, more importantly, Beats tells us that there’s “no active equalization applied to Solo 4, so the acoustic transducer handles the tuning of the headphone mechanically and in its entirety.” This basically means that we don’t get to tweak the EQ. What you get is what you get with the Solo 4 when it comes to sound.

First impressions? These are loud headphones; they’ll certainly cut through the noisiest of gym environments. It’s a very bold sound overall. There’s lots of presence, which isn’t my preference for audio, but it at least delivers a consistent sound across most genres.

The bottom end drops nice and low but isn’t too overwhelming, and the Solo 4 are actually quite detailed. The soundstage is nice and wide, too.

I’d love to be able to tweak the EQ, just to bring down that mid-range and level the sound out a bit, but I doubt that most people who buy Beats Solos have such concerns. And, no, that isn’t a dig.

The Beats Solo 4 sound just like you’d expect them to. These are not audiophile headphones, obviously, and the sound is a notch down from the more expensive Studio Pro, but that’s fine at this price point and for the intended market. There’s a reason the Solo range sells by the bucketload, and I’m sure the Solo 4 will continue that trend.

The inclusion of Personalised Spatial Audio, Dolby Atmos, and lossless support is welcome but, again, probably won’t be the most used features for the intended audience.

There’s some sound leakage, but it’s no worse than the Studio Pro, and the calling capabilities of the Solo 4 are equal to the more expensive pair, too – they work perfectly fine (and that battery life is a boon if you’re into wearing your headphones all day).

Beats Solo 4 vs Beats Studio Pro

There are some notable differences between Beats’ latest headphones. The biggest is the fact that the Solo 4 are on-ear as opposed to over-ear like the Studio Pro.

The Solo 4 don’t feature noise cancelling, either, although the passive noise cancelling is actually pretty adequate.

The Studio Pro have more cushioning on the ear cups, but the Solo 4 are 43g lighter.

When it comes to sound, the Studio Pro are far more rounded and impressive, but that’s no surprise given the price differential of £150.

These are two very different pairs of headphones with clear feature differences. That should make your choice between the two pretty straightforward.

The bottom line: Who are Beats Solo 4 for?

The Beats Solo 4 are a great option for anyone who wants a pair of Beats headphones, but who doesn’t want to fork out for the Beats Studio Pro. If you can forgo noise cancelling and value longer battery life and a lighter fit over a more impressive sound, the Solo 4 are the headphones to go for.

Cross-device compatibility sets them apart from other cans on the market, but the deciding factor for most people will be, as always, the brand. In fact, if you want these, I can guarantee you’ve either ordered them already or will be doing so immediately after reading this review.

We won’t see another iteration for quite some time, but with a product as polished for the intended audience as the Beats Solo 4, that really doesn’t matter.

Before you go