Beats Solo Buds Launching in June With 18-Hour Battery Life and a Tiny Case for $79.99

[MacRumors]

Alongside the new Beats Solo 4 headphones, Apple's Beats brand is announcing an all-new entry-level model of earbuds, Beats Solo Buds. Priced at $79.99 and shipping in June, Beats Solo Buds deliver 18 hours of battery life and come in the smallest case ever designed for Beats earbuds.

Beats Solo Buds feature a custom-built acoustic architecture and an ergonomic design with four ear tip size options for a precise fit. There is no active noise cancelation on the Beats Solo Buds, but they do offer passive noise isolation to improve audio quality. A custom microphone design paired with an advanced noise-learning algorithm help deliver improved call quality.

When it comes to battery life, Beats Solo Buds offer up to 18 hours of playback right in the buds themselves without needing to recharge, which is easily the longest battery life for any Beats earbud product.

But when their batteries do run out, you'll need to find a power source, as the charging case does not include any additional battery storage onboard for recharging directly from the case. That not only helps keep costs down, but also allows for the tiny case that slips easily into a pocket and is 40% smaller than the case for Beats Studio Buds +.

With up to 18 hours of battery life in the buds, most users will be able to go multiple days without needing to recharge Beats Solo Buds at all. When that time comes, however, all they have to do is to connect a power source to the USB-C port on the case, and that power source can even be an iPhone 15. A Fast Fuel feature provides an hour of playback time with just five minutes of charging.

As with most other recent Beats headphones and earphones, Solo Buds include a custom Beats chip platform that allows for tight integration across both iOS and Android with one-touch pairing, automatic setup across devices, and support for Apple's Find My and Android's Find My Device services. The Beats 'b" buttons on the buds can be configured for a variety of functions, including music and phone call controls, voice assistant activation, and volume control.

Beats Solo Buds will begin shipping in June and will be available in four colors: Matte Black, Storm Gray, Arctic Purple, and Transparent Red. With the introduction of Solo Buds, Beats will be discontinuing the standard Beats Studio Buds but will be retaining the more advanced Beats Studio Buds +. The Beats earbud lineup will also continue to include the Beats Fit Pro and Powerbeats Pro, so there will be a full range of truly wireless earphone options to suit all types of users.

Article Link: Beats Solo Buds Launching in June With 18-Hour Battery Life and a Tiny Case for $79.99

 

[erikkfi]

Too bad they’re Beats-branded.

 

[foobarbaz]

I'd love a transparent case for my AirPods.
I always check if they are in there before leaving the house. Realizing the case is empty is an unpleasant surprise I don't want to repeat.

 

[Porco]

“Beats Solo Buds feature a custom-built acoustic architecture and an ergonomic design”

Lol, doesn’t this just mean ‘they make sounds and they fit in your earhole’?

 

[blairh]

Powerbeats Pros need to be updated. And no the Beats Fit Pros are not the answer.

 

[SactoGuy18]

It appears this model will replace the Beats Flex. Still would have preferred the Beats Flex with its built-in USB Type C charging plug and up to 15 hours play time.

 

[SactoGuy18]

Powerbeats Pros need to be updated. And no the Beats Fit Pros are not the answer.

I'm actually surprised they didn't phase out the Powerbeats Pro in favor of the Fit Pro a long time ago.

 

[Mr Todhunter]

can I use them when streaming a movie from the Mac to AppleTv?

 

[Rob__Mac]

That is a really decent price.

 

[blairh]

I'm actually surprised they didn't phase out the Powerbeats Pro in favor of the Fit Pro a long time ago.

Powerbeats Pros are a truly puzzling thing. They debuted 5 years ago (literally, April 2019) and remain available for purchase at retail. I think Apple could easily update this model but has chosen not to, for now, for reasons truly beyond me.

 

[bsbeamer]

Seems like it might be the closest Apple owned product to the JLab GO Air buds so far, but those are often on sale for $20 and get about 8 hours before charge in the battery case is needed for up to 32 hours of playback.

 

[tweaknmod]

Too bad they’re Beats-branded.

Does the ‘b’ prevent you from wanting to buy them whereas you would otherwise?

(I’m honesty asking, not trying to be rude.)

 

[revelcos]

I am guessing the sound quality will be horrible. I will take AirPods 2 (currently on a deal) over this any day.

 

[Beerstalker]

I see that it mentions Find My Device functionality, but not precision finding. Are they keeping that exclusive to AirPods, or is it just not mentioned?

No MagSafe or Apple Watch wireless charging?

 

[brofkand]

I actually like the fact that the case doesn't have a battery. I don't like that the AirPods are constantly charging up to 100%. Wears the batteries unnecessarily.

 

[iBreatheApple]

Does the ‘b’ prevent you from wanting to buy them whereas you would otherwise?

(I’m honesty asking, not trying to be rude.)

the best thing about turning 30 is that you stop caring about how other people perceive what you have and I love it.

 

[jonnysods]

Wonder if the Beat Fit's case will lose some weight in the next release. The case is mammoth!

 

[TheDailyApple]

I expect this means that Beats Flex’s days are numbered. It seems that earphones with wires between them are becoming outdated even for budget options.

 

[entropi]

I am guessing the sound quality will be horrible. I will take AirPods 2 (currently on a deal) over this any day.

If the higher priced Beats Studio Buds is anything to go by, you are probably right. I usually like the bassy beats sound profile, it suits the music I like, but the treble should not sound like a grainy old gsm call...

 

[techcboy]

I see that it mentions Find My Device functionality, but not precision finding. Are they keeping that exclusive to AirPods, or is it just not mentioned?

No MagSafe or Apple Watch wireless charging?

I’d imagine precision won’t be available for cost saving, no need for extra chips. Same with MagSafe/wireless charging it’s an extra cost when trying to keep a low price point. I wonder if they’ll use Bluetooth as a sort of precision finding - like they do with the Apple TV remote.

 

[techcboy]

The AirPods aren’t always charging lol. They learn from usage and tend to stop at 80% and charge to full when required. Once at a higher percentage the current trickles in and once fully charge stops only using enough to keep them topped up. Batteries are a lot smarter nowadays. My other half still had his launch day OG AirPods and they still work great and battery life has barely degraded. I wouldn’t worry too much.

 

[b17777]

Powerbeats Pros need to be updated. And no the Beats Fit Pros are not the answer.

Yes ! I love the ear loop, I've worn them on my motorcycle.

 

[DJC631]

So I can keep them in the case and not stress the battery by having each bud charged to 100% all the time? That actually sounds great.

 

[jagolden]

I understand they’re entry level, but if they’re anything like the first iteration, the sound is terrible. Definite pass for me. Come to think of it, my bone conducting headphones sound better.

 

[jaytv111]

Powerbeats Pros are a truly puzzling thing. They debuted 5 years ago (literally, April 2019) and remain available for purchase at retail. I think Apple could easily update this model but has chosen not to, for now, for reasons truly beyond me.

Also they have no ANC, and it's now the last Beats on sale without Type-C charging (the previous Solo had microUSB, can't believe Apple of all companies was keeping microUSB stuff alive, and now the Pro is left with Lightning).

On the other hand, Powebeats Pro have the securest ear loop of all earbuds they sell with that big loop. Might be better for athletics for that reason.

No MagSafe or Apple Watch wireless charging?

Wireless charging is not on any Beats product yet so it's not surprising the low end version doesn't have it.