The Beats Studio Buds marked a new direction of the Apple-owned Beats – out went garish branding and a focus on the low end, in came discreet styling and more refined sonics. And now an upgraded version is on the way – the Beat Studio Buds Plus.
They were spotted by 9to5Mac who dug through the code for the latest iOS update (iOS 16.4, which launches in beta soon). The image shows a new black and gold colourway for the buds, with a design that's near identical to the four-star Beats Studio Buds.
While they might look the same, they're said to have some powerful upgrades, like more powerful noise-cancellation and an improved transparency mode. That's according to The Verge's sources, who dispute 9to5Mac's claim that the buds would include automatic device switching between Apple devices.
9to5Mac also originally claimed the Studio Buds Plus would use an Apple chip (as used in the firm's AirPods line), as opposed to the Studio Buds which used a proprietary Beats chip. But the site has since rowed back on that. The Verge's sources also disputed this claim.
The Studio Buds Plus should still support the Hey Siri voice command (as did their predecessors). But it seems they won't support the full list of Apple-only features – for that, you'll need a pair of AirPods. But Beats pairs are better suited to Android users, with more features that are compatible with devices running Google's mobile operating system.
Expect a Studio Buds Plus announcement soon, seeing as support is already included in the next build of iOS. They're expected to cost a little more than the Studio Buds, which launched at £130 / $150 / AU$200.
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