Best Beats Headphones 2025: The best Beats for all budgets

The Studio Pro are a largely successful reboot of Beats full-sized headphones. They’re comfortable enough to wear with their soft, pliable earpads, though we would say they’re best suited for smaller ears. The space inside the earcups is a little compact and can pinch around the ears.

The design is more minimalist than before, and feels better constructed than the heavily plastic vibes of previous models, with physical buttons provided for playback, noise-cancellation and volume control which we liked. There’s no wear sensor so the headphones won’t automatically pause audio when taken off.

Like the other Beats headphones on this list, there’s support for Android and iOS with the ‘Find My’ functionality that searches for the headphone’s last known location: one-touch pairing on iOS and Google Fast Pair, and the ability to switch between devices within their respective ecosystems. 

The Bluetooth performance is vastly better than the Studio Buds Plus and among some of the best headphones we’ve tested with barely any signal disruption. The call quality is solid but an area we feel there is room for improvement. While background noise was effectively muzzled, in busy areas we were told our voices sounded robotic and fuzzy.

The noise-cancelling is very strong though it comes with a few caveats. One is that the headphones are susceptible to wind noise, and the second is that noise leaks through when we turned our head. Otherwise the Studio Pro put the kibosh on the most noises we came across, including crying children. They’re an excellent choice for commuter journeys.

The transparency mode is very natural sounding but our only other issue is that there’s no room to customise the performance of the noise-cancellation to hear what we want to hear.

Battery life is claimed to be 24 hours but we found these headphones can go even longer streaming audio at about 50%. The headphones don’t sound as good at that volume level but you get more than 24 hours from each charge. 

The sound quality is neutral with lots of detail and clarity. Some may feel that the Beats’ sound lacks character, but in our minds it serves to present music as is without much tweaking. Bass is weighty and punchy; midrange clarity is excellent, and while the treble isn’t as bright as we’d like, it is clear and detailed.

Plug them into a USB-C connection and they sound even better, able to support 24-bit/96kHz files. In this mode the Studio Pro sound more energetic, lively, and dynamic.

Reviewer: Kob Monney
Full Review: Beats Studio Pro

The Studio Buds Plus are the premium true wireless pair in the Beats series carrying a more expensive price of £179 / $169 / €199.

The design has the same with the sculpted boot-shape design but there are now vents to relieve pressure in the ear and allow for a better fit to improve the noise-cancelling performance. We found the fit does feel more secure, although they still have a habit of moving about.

Otherwise they’re pretty much the same as the original pair. They’re nice to use with the glossy multi-function button providing good feedback, and volume control is included though it has to be activated within the app which comes at the expense of onboard control over noise-cancellation. It’s not the best compromise.

Like the Beats Fit Pro, the Studio Buds Plus pack features for Android and IOS users, a list that includes one-touch pairing, the Find My function on both platforms, and device switching. Apple users get hands-free Siri too.

Battery life is improved, as we tested you can get around six hours of battery from a charge. There is no wireless charging support, but fast-charging is provided with a five-minute providing an hour of playback.

The earbuds’ active noise cancellation performance is better as it suppresses more noise. The transparency mode is clear, avoiding any noise; and call quality is strong, with very little noise affecting the levels of clarity. An area we find  the Beats are poorer in is its wireless connection, which gets patchy in busy areas.

As far as audio quality goes, the performance mirrors previous models in being flat and balanced across the frequency range, and it sounds punchier and more spacious too. Bass is slightly more effective than it was on the original model.

Reviewer: Kob Monney
Full Review: Beats Studio Buds Plus

The Beats Fit Pro can be worn for casual use or exercise with its wing-tip design. Powered by Apple’s H1 chip (the same one found in the AirPods), the headphones have a number of iOS-exclusive features but work with Android devices too

Connected to an iOS device and the earbuds operate at a system level, which means there’s no need for a separate iOS app – and users benefit from exclusive features such as dynamic head tracking with Spatial Audio and Dolby Atmos. There’s also automatic switching between iOS devices, audio sharing with Apple products and hands-free voice assistance from Siri, and for even more convenience there’s one-touch pairing and support for the Find My app in case they go missing. 

Android users can access a good number of features through the Beats app, which includes control customisation, battery levels and the Ear Tip Fit Test, with one-touch pairing possible when setting the buds up. However, some Apple-exclusive features such as Spatial audio aren’t available. 

The noise-cancelling performance is effective both in indoor settings and outside. When we used them in the gym they reduced the noise of the machinery around us, and when we took them for a run outside, we found they removed most noises, though cars and bigger vehicles can penetrate your bubble of isolation.

We found the Fit Pro’s audio to be crisp and rhythmically adept, with detailed mids and highs, naturally reproduced voices and weighty and authoritative bass. Compared to the Studio Buds, the Fit Pro’s performance has more scope and width as the cheaper bud’s soundstage sounds smaller.

Reviewer: Kob Monney
Full Review: Beats Fit Pro

The Beats Studio Buds are a solid pair of all-rounders for anyone searching for Beats on a budget. The earbuds feature a sculpted boot-shaped design with ear-tips to help them slot into the ear. However, the fit isn’t quite secure enough that you could take them on a run – instead, we’d recommend the Powerbeats Pro or Fit Pro if that’s your use case. 

Like the Beats Fit Pro, the Studio Buds come with a good range of features for both Android and iOS users, including one-touch pairing and the Find My headphones feature. 

The earbuds offer solid active noise cancellation for their price provided you get a tight seal, and there’s a Transparency mode along with voice assistant support for whichever device you’re using. All of this operates at a system level for iOS users, whereas Android users will need to download the Beats app. 

As far as audio quality goes, the Studio Buds offer a neutral and balanced sound across the frequency range, though the soundstage is limited in width compared to the Fit Pro. Highs are described with a sharpness but can become too bright if the fit isn’t correct, while the bass is solid it does lack depth. The Studio Buds Plus are better in pretty much every way, though they come with a jump in price to around £180 / $170. For an even cheaper true wireless pair, there are the Solo Buds, which we’re still yet to review.

Reviewer: Kob Monney
Full Review: Beats Studio Buds

For those searching for a pair of Beats headphones for running and fitness, the Beats Powerbeats Pro are your best bet. While the Beats Fit Pro offer a sturdy enough fit and IP resistance to be used in the gym, the Powerbeats have a sporty design with a lightweight plastic build, hook design and a malleable rubber stem. In that regards they offer the better, more stable fit.

As far as features go, the Powerbeats Pro are lacking. There’s no noise cancellation as there is on the Fit Pro or Studio Buds, although we wouldn’t expect such a feature on a design such as this. We wouldn’t recommend using the Powerbeats Pro in busy areas but for those who exercise and work out often, the noise isolating qualities of the design mean you can hear what’s around you to a decent degree.

The earbuds are water and sweat resistant at IPX4 and include a wear sensor to automatically play and pause your tunes. There’s a mono mode and support for your phone’s voice assistant, along with a nine-hour battery life that’s the best of all the Beats true wireless.

When it comes to sound, the Powerbeats Pro pack Beats’ characteristic of old, with a bass lift without obvious boominess. There’s some extra bite in the upper mids and treble that gives the vocals more energy, making them a great signature for runs and workouts. However, despite the “Pro” name, we wouldn’t consider the Powerbeats a pair that would appease audiophiles. The Studio Buds and Fit Pro are more neutral-sounding in their performance.

Reviewer: Andrew Williams
Full Review: Beats Powerbeats Pro

With the Solo 4, Beats now offers headphones in true wireless, over-ear and on-ear forms, so there’s a choice for anyone depending on the form factor you prefer.

On-ears can be uncomfortable for some but at first we didn’t find the headphones to be uncomfortable to wear but after a few hours we did find that they pinched our earlobes. We wouldn’t recommend that you wear these headphones for hours on end.

However, for those who can wear on-ears for several hours, the compact form factor means you can carry and store them without taking up much space. Build quality is fine but there are some creaks to in the plastic structure of the headband. It’s an area where the Solo 4 could be better in.

In terms of features there is no noise-cancelling but the battery life is excellent wiht 50 hours of charge available, and there is Spatial Audio support, though that’s only for iOS users. Despite that, like the rest of Beats’ headphones, it supports features across the iOS and Android ecosystem with Find My support.

The sound quality is also like the rest of the Beats’ headphones: balanced, clear, and works solidly across a range of music genres. The Solo 4 doesn’t excel in terms of sound, but nor does it sound bad with anything you pass through it. There’s enough clarity and detail to make for an enjoyable listen.

Reviewer: Max Parker
Full Review: Beats Solo 4

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