Over the last year or so, Beats has been updating its lineup — some models more successfully than others. The Solo headphones are the next model getting an upgrade, with the Solo4 apparently coming sooner rather than later.
9to5Mac has managed to get its hands on some exclusive information about the next pair of Beats, including a rough release month date of May 2. Not long to wait!
Beating the USB-C drum
First and foremost, coming to what feels like everything Apple (and by extension Beats) releases at the moment is the inclusion of a USB-C charging port on the Beats Solo4. That’s going to give you fast charging to get the battery charged up quicker, and an extra five hours of listening from only ten minutes being plugged in. Because there’s no noise canceling on board, the battery is looking stellar too, apparently lasting 50 hours on a full charge.
There’s another port on the opposite earcup as well — a 3.5mm headphone jack. That’ll mean you can still use them even when the battery is dead, or bypass the internal DAC so that you can use your own.
9to5Mac further states that Spatial Audio with head tracking will be supported, although my experience with the Beats Studio Pro tells me that this will likely be something best left turned off. The exciting bit is that the sound profile of the Solo4 has been improved, using new 40mm dynamic drivers.
To make use of the new sound tech, there’s support for hi-res lossless audio — although to get the most out of it, you’ll need to plug them in with the cable. For wireless connection, there's Bluetooth 5.3 to connect to the best iPhones, and one-touch connection for Android users.
The price to beat
My main complaint about the Beats Studio Pro was the price. For $250, they wouldn’t have been quite as bad, given their build and sound quality, but $349 was just a leap too far. If the price of the Solo4 is to be believed, however, they’re in a much better place — it looks like they’ll cost $199, just like the Solo3 that came before them.
That’s $149 less than the Beats Studio Pro, making for a more compelling price tag. Given they’re receiving the same new ‘UltraPlush’ earcups as the Studio Pro as well as the same case as the more expensive model, unless you really want noise canceling, the Beats Solo4 could be the Beats to buy in 2024.
