Beats Studio Buds vs. AirPods Pro

[MacRumors]

Apple in June unveiled new Beats Studio Buds, which are $149 noise cancelling earbuds that are stemless and smaller than the AirPods and AirPods Pro. There are some key differences between the AirPods Pro and the Beats Studio Buds that make them unique for different use cases, so we thought we'd compare them in our latest YouTube video.

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Design wise, Beats Studio Buds are smaller and more compact than the AirPods Pro, but the design is similar because they offer silicone tips. Beats Studio Buds actually have a stemless design rumored for the next-generation AirPods Pro, so in the future, the two sets of earbuds could be even more similar when it comes to overall look.

Like the AirPods Pro, the Beats Studio Buds have Active Noise Cancellation with a Transparency mode. Fit always varies from person to person, but we found the AirPods Pro to be more comfortable with a more snug fit and a better seal. That said, the noise cancellation was about the same on the Beats Studio Buds and the AirPods Pro. There's also very little difference in sound quality.

Both come with a charging case that functions in the same way, but the Beats Studio Buds case is more oval and slightly larger. As with the AirPods Pro case, the Studio Buds case offers additional battery life and you can get between 15 and 24 hours depending on how often you use ANC.

There is one major difference that separates the Beats Studio Buds and the AirPods Pro and accounts for the price difference - there's no H1 chip. The AirPods Pro have an H1 chip that allows for useful features like cross-device switching.

The H1 chip is responsible for a lot of the "magic" that makes the AirPods and AirPods Pro just work with Apple's devices and it's also been included in prior Beats headphones, but with the Beats Studio Buds, Apple wanted a more platform agnostic experience.

Apple designed the Beats Studio Buds to appeal to both iPhone and Android users, rather than catering solely to iPhone users as with the AirPods Pro. Apple has still built in quick pairing and Hey Siri activation, so Beats Studio Buds users aren't missing too many features. It's worth noting, though, that the Beats Studio Buds are also missing Spatial Audio support and ear detection.

Apple has been successful with its multi-platform approach. The Beats Studio Buds work well for iPhone users, and for Android users, the earbuds are the closest you're going to get to an AirPods-like experience on an Android device. At $149, they're cheaper than AirPods Pro, and with their feature set, the Beats Studio Buds are well worth the cost.

Article Link: Beats Studio Buds vs. AirPods Pro

 

[Tom4ick]

So like AirPods Pro just without the gimmicky H1 chip? Seems like the beats are a better deal

 

[bpeeps]

The AirPods Pro have an H1 chip that allows for useful features like cross-device switching.

Cross device switching is one of the worst things about the AirPods Pro. It rarely works well and I find myself just using control center to switch devices accurately. I'd really love Apple to implement a feature like the Jabra Elites have. Where you can stop playing music on your iPhone and then start watching a Youtube video on your iPad and it automatically switches over. In its current form, auto switching is more of a headache than anything else.

 

[Ahmamies]

I use my Pros with iPhone, iPad and Apple TV and lately it has been quite a hit and miss with automatically connecting to the device I want.

Actually Pros are my least favorite Apple device as they have too many minor issues.

 

[Hairball]

My main reason for skipping the Beats is the lack of in-ear detection.

 

[kingfish78]

I've had AirPods, AirPods Pro, and PowerBeats Pro. The H1 chip never worked reliably in any of these - sometimes, but never always. I also have never been pleased with the fit of the AirPods or AirPod Pros. Probably my ear canal, but for me - it wasn't a good fit. I didn't like the Sound Quality of the PowerBeats Pro and their size was heavy on my ears after awhile. I got the new Beats Studio Buds, and I really do prefer the fit and sound over the others. The transparency mode doesn't work nearly as well as it did with the AirPod Pros, but this isn't a feature that I use that often. (If I'm not listening, I take them out.) I added Comply foam tips in lieu of the silicone tips that they ship with, and I REALLY love the sound quality it adds. With the foam tips, they fit nice and snug, don't slip out and allow for sound degradation, and are among some of the best bluetooth buds I've used (especially on Apple Music and tracks with Atmos Spatial Audio done well.) The case fits comfortably in my pocket, and the buds pair immediately as soon as I flip the lid. If I want to switch to my iPad or MacBook, it's just a matter of double clicking the line in the bluetooth menu. A minor inconvenience for a $100+ savings.

 

[Techwatcher]

So like AirPods Pro just without the gimmicky H1 chip? Seems like the beats are a better deal

Beats can't even do head-tracking spatial audio or in-ear detection so unless you don't care about that, it is not the better deal. The price in general is very good though comparisons aside.

 

[Tom4ick]

Beats can't even do head-tracking spatial audio or in-ear detection so unless you don't care about that, it is not the better deal.

Well I never used the feature, so yeah, seems like a better deal if the sound quality is the same

 

[Return Zero]

To some it is an afterthought, but case size is a make-or-break issue for me. If it's any bigger than an AirPods case, I just won't want to have it in my pocket all the time, and thus it won't be worth buying them.

 

[PsykX]

The mic is not really good in the AirPods Pro.
The mic is really not good in the Beats.
(see what I did there?)

 

[mluczkowski]

Not sure if it was mentioned but no wireless charging on BSB's. Read article, didn't watch video.

 

[reyesmac]

Its not hard to beat apples prices, they are ridiculously overpriced. I am speaking of component costs. Apple uses the same or similar components but adds that extra level of software and firmware to really make them stand out. That is something others cannot charge as much as apple for and be taken seriously. Best we can hope for is that even the cheapest bluetooth headphones will use better tech so it sounds as good as the original airpod. Then Apple wont be able to justify the originals price. Unfortunately Apple has about a ten year head start before the average performance rivals Apples low end. And by then they will be ten years ahead with some new thing in their low end. The biggest companies have a better chance to compete but the market is saturated so not worth the effort. Apple wins because it can manufacture in such large numbers, the costs to produce quality product go way down to levels the competitors pay for the basic tech they use. They did it with their cases, screens, chips, packaging, batteries, phones, tablets, ram, drives, just about every component. They take all those savings on their end, keep a bunch as profit, and throw a big amount at better software integration and marketing and the others cannot compete on all those levels. They know what works and use this formula to continuously scale their growth.

 

[kaycrystal626]

Doesn't matter which one you buy, Apple still takes your money! $$$

 

[Tagbert]

“There is one major difference that separates the Beats Studio Buds and the AirPods Pro and accounts for the price difference - there's no H1 chip.”

That H1 must be a very expensive chip to account for a $100 price difference!

 

[Apple_Robert]

"Fit always varies from person to person, but we found the AirPods Pro to be more comfortable with a more snug fit and a better seal."

As to the bolded word, "we," how many people representing MacRumors tested the Beats Studio Buds and what was the individual assessment of the reviewers involved? Dan is the only person I see reviewing.

 

[ecatomb]

Is the H1 chip useful with new mac ? I have a mac mini 2018 and I always have to manually activate the airpods after it automatically switched to iPad/iPhone ...

 

[coachgq]

Cross device switching is one of the worst things about the AirPods Pro. It rarely works well and I find myself just using control center to switch devices accurately. I'd really love Apple to implement a feature like the Jabra Elites have. Where you can stop playing music on your iPhone and then start watching a Youtube video on your iPad and it automatically switches over. In its current form, auto switching is more of a headache than anything else.

You must be doing it wrong then. I rarely have an issue moving from one apple device to the next using auto switch.

 

[Scipster]

I have the W1 chip and it works just fine. I'm sure the H1 is good too. Beats are great for those that don't need those chips. I'm just waiting on the Beats Studio3 Pros! (or Airpods Max w/ analog)

 

[Unregistered 4U]

Cross device switching is one of the worst things about the AirPods Pro. It rarely works well and I find myself just using control center to switch devices accurately. I'd really love Apple to implement a feature like the Jabra Elites have. Where you can stop playing music on your iPhone and then start watching a Youtube video on your iPad and it automatically switches over. In its current form, auto switching is more of a headache than anything else.

I’m feeling VERY fortunate that mine work exactly like that. I can be connected to my iPad, if my phone rings, it switches and, once I’m off the call, if I start a YouTube video on the iPad, the audio automatically goes back to the iPad. I’ve no idea if that’s the exception or the rule, but whatever side it is, I’m glad I’m on it.

 

[ApplesAreSweet&Sour]

"Fit always varies from person to person, but we found the AirPods Pro to be more comfortable with a more snug fit and a better seal."

As to the bolded word, "we," how many people representing MacRumors tested the Beats Studio Buds and what was the individual assessment of the reviewers involved? Dan is the only person I see reviewing.

It's always just Dan and most definitely just Dan after COVID.

Anyway. I've tried the BSB and also found AirPods Pro to be more comfortable for long-term use(I've yet to feel any kind of ear canal strain from them regardless of how often or long I wear them).

People can scoff at the AirPods stem all day long. But I'm pretty sure it's one of the features of the design that makes them sit slightly better in the ear even if the seal in the actual ear canal isn't particularly tight. The same goes for the 1st-2nd gen "regular" AirPods. It's as if the weight and shape of the stem and the middle part of the AirPod sort of slightly makes it "fall" towards the head/ear, whereas completely circular earpieces that are evenly weighted in all directions don't "fall" towards the head/ear.

My only gripe with AirPods is the auto-switching that I just can't figure out. It's as if they connect flawlessly to my iPhone 9/10 or maybe 10/10 times. But switching to and from Macs is either hit or miss and can sometimes set all audio output to this weird state where everything sounds like it's a low-res phone call and I have to reboot the machine to get it back to normal audio output.

I also don't understand why my Mac can auto-detect my AirPods and ask me if I want to switch to them, but it cannot automatically switch even though I'm not using my iPhone. If my iPhone's screen is locked and both my Mac and iPhone are connected to high-speed Internet, then surely iCloud could tell the Mac to auto-switch as it sees I'm using the Mac? That's how it's supposed to work but it only ever prompts the question and I then have to move my cursor to the notification and confirm the switch. Not my idea of automatic.

But other than that, AirPods Pro are amazing (for me).

 

[Apple_Robert]

It's always just Dan and most definitely just Dan after COVID.

Anyway. I've tried the BSB and also found AirPods Pro to be more comfortable for long-term use(I've yet to feel any kind of ear canal strain from them regardless of how often or long I wear them).

People can scoff at the AirPods stem all day long. But I'm pretty sure it's one of the features of the design that makes them sit slightly better in the ear even if the seal in the actual ear canal isn't particularly tight. The same goes for the 1st-2nd gen "regular" AirPods. It's as if the weight and shape of the stem and the middle part of the AirPod sort of slightly makes it "fall" towards the head/ear, whereas completely circular earpieces that are evenly weighted in all directions don't "fall" towards the head/ear.

My only gripe with AirPods is the auto-switching that I just can't figure out. It's as if they connect flawlessly to my iPhone 9/10 or maybe 10/10 times. But switching to and from Macs is either hit or miss and can sometimes set all audio output to this weird state where everything sounds like it's a low-res phone call and I have to reboot the machine to get it back to normal audio output.

I also don't understand why my Mac can auto-detect my AirPods and ask me if I want to switch to them, but it cannot automatically switch even though I'm not using my iPhone. If my iPhone's screen is locked and both my Mac and iPhone are connected to high-speed Internet, then surely iCloud could tell the Mac to auto-switch as it sees I'm using the Mac? That's how it's supposed to work but it only ever prompts the question and I then have to move my cursor to the notification and confirm the switch. Not my idea of automatic.

But other than that, AirPods Pro are amazing (for me).

With the AirPods Pro, I do get some inner ear strain after a few hours, even though they are very comfortable.

As to auto-switching, it has worked for me most of the time between devices. I would say there has been 2 - 3 times it didn't transfer to my phone from the Mac like it should have.

 

[ApplesAreSweet&Sour]

I’m feeling VERY fortunate that mine work exactly like that. I can be connected to my iPad, if my phone rings, it switches and, once I’m off the call, if I start a YouTube video on the iPad, the audio automatically goes back to the iPad. I’ve no idea if that’s the exception or the rule, but whatever side it is, I’m glad I’m on it.

It works flawlessly for me on iPads and iPhones. But Bluetooth on Macs is terrible, both new old Macs and new M1s(yes, there's in fact no improvement in the new M1 iMacs. Still horrendous Bluetooth).

Switching to and iOS or iPadOS device FROM a Mac works very well. But switching TO a Mac from an iOS or iPadOS device is really janky.

It doesn't quite make sense because it's quite clear that all of my devices are actually connected to the AirPods as soon as the charging case pops open. But Macs just can't do the auto-switching quite right.

I'm guessing the Bluetooth modules inside Macs are super low-grade compared to the ones in iPhones and iPads. But how Bluetooth in my old 1st Gen iPhone SE can be better in my new M1 iMac is beyond my comprehension(is the Wifi module messing everything up?).

 

[szw-mapple fan]

So like AirPods Pro just without the gimmicky H1 chip? Seems like the beats are a better deal

I wouldn't say gimmicky. Cross device switching works really consistently for me. That said, it was very unreliable when I was on an older 2015 MBP before switching to a m1 machine. No issues on iPhones and iPads.

 

[techno-Zen]

The lack of the U chip was the killer for me. Fit and form to me were better than Airpods pro

 

[ApplesAreSweet&Sour]

With the AirPods Pro, I do get some inner ear strain after a few hours, even though they are very comfortable.

As to auto-switching, it has worked for me most of the time between devices. I would say there has been 2 - 3 times it didn't transfer to my phone from the Mac like it should have.

But does it prompt you with the question or does it just auto switch the output of your Mac to your AirPods without you having to answer the prompt?

I know that's a minor thing. But I don't get why I can't set it to switch to the Mac without me answering the prompt.

The iPhone just switches with no prompt and no input needed from me, and it works very well.

It seems so redundant since the Mac clearly and accurately has detected that I am using the Mac. Why do I need to move the cursor to this prompt and click it every single time?