Beats headphones were often a brand you would hear everyone talk about. They were what the cool kids were wearing, and I’ve never been a cool kid. When we finally got our hands on something from the brand, I was able to check out the Beats Solo 4 headphones, I was intrigued, to say the least.
What caught my eye after the stylish Slate Blue colourway was the shockingly small size of the earcups. These looked like headphones for infants at best, but rest assured, they are for fully grown adults. The Beats Solo 4 earcups aren’t meant to surround your ear. They are meant to sit on top of them. I was actually surprised that this didn’t immediately cause extreme pain, but the UltraPlush ear cushions make for a soft landing on the tops of my ears. I should mention that they fit small as well, so I wouldn’t say that the band is a one-size-fits-all solution, my partner found them quite small on his head.
During testing, I aimed for marathon use to thoroughly evaluate comfort and battery life. Unfortunately, the headphones started to cause discomfort after a long flight and extended use at the airport, but given their design, I’m surprised it didn’t happen sooner. That being said, the Beats Solo 4 headphones earn points for comfort because I never felt any head pressure while wearing them, nor did I feel hot or sweaty from extended use.
“The Beats Solo 4 are great for an airplane, a run, or casual listening, but audiophiles will be left wanting more.”
Because of where the Beats Solo 4 headphones sit, there isn’t any opportunity for ANC, which is sort of a must-have for me, with how often I travel. Thankfully, they do manage to block out quite a bit of sound without complete ear cover or ANC, but there is always room for more noise cancellation.
Overall, the sound on the Beats Solo 4 was also impressive in some ways, with a lot of power behind those tiny earcups. But power doesn’t necessarily mean quality. The Beats Solo 4 are great for an airplane, a run, or casual listening, but audiophiles will be left wanting more. For me, these were all I needed, and I have zero complaints, but I know there are people out there who absolutely want more from their audio.
Something I love about the Beats Solo 4 headphones is their compact size and travel case. They fold in on themselves and slide into a sleek black case, complete with a charging cable and AUX cable. I love the tiny footprint of the Beats Solo 4 and its minimalist design, which carries over to the onboard controls as well.
On the Beats Solo 4, there is a logo on each earcup, and the left logo is a button. This is the control for pause, play, skip, etc., and the controls were always easy and responsive. A smaller button sits on the right earcup, and this will power your device on and put it into pairing mode. Right out of the box, the Beats Solo 4 headphones paired instantly to my OnePlus 13 Android device, long gone are the days of Apple only.
“One area where the Beats Solo 4 headphones blow every other device I’ve had out of the water is battery life.”
I have never needed the app, as it doesn’t offer much to users. You can change your quick press options and rename your device, but that is about it. There are no EQ options or customization options otherwise, which is a bit disappointing considering the price point. As I mentioned, the Beats Solo 4 headphones are a pretty barebones audio experience, so you need to know that before diving in. Both the 3.5mm cable and USB-C cable provide lossless audio, but I don’t think that saves them.
One area where the Beats Solo 4 headphones blow every other device I’ve had out of the water is battery life. After two hours of constant use, the Beats Solo 4 was still at 100%. I thought this was a fluke or an error in the app, so I didn’t plug them in as I normally would. I took two flights of more than five hours each, plus more than three hours waiting at the airport, and the headphones were still at 89%.
The only way these headphones will die on you is if you forget to charge them…ever. Even if you do forget, you can get 5 hours of playback on a ten-minute charge. I am incredibly impressed with the battery on the Beats Solo 4. Worst case scenario, you can also use the 3.5mm audio cable, which won’t require any power at all. No matter your situation, Beats has you covered.
The Beats Solo 4 headphones are peculiar. They sit at $199.99 USD, though you can find them on sale, but they don’t offer any EQ settings, customization or ANC. They do, however, offer a compact, stylish design and seriously life-changing battery life. Beats decided to cater to a certain kind of listener, and with me, it worked, but for those who put more value in their audio listening experience, the Beats Solo 4 might not be for you.
- Custom acoustic architecture and updated drivers for powerful Beats sound.
- Personalized Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking.
