Yeah, I can see how it wouldn’t work for sharing. For my devices, when I’m using one, I’m NOT using the other, so the switch happens when I intend. If I was using my phone just set it down for a second, and someone picked up my iPad to use, I can see how it’d switch to that, and now I’m hearing the audio of their YouTube video and they’re wondering why they CAN’T hear audio. I think in your case, best to just turn off auto switching?
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Beats Studio Buds vs. AirPods Pro
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AND to studio apartments. And dance studios. And television studios. And art studios.
My AirPods Pro are definitely the worst Apple device I've ever bought (and I've bought lots...). The auto-switching means they never shut down, so the battery just flattens unless you religiously put them back in the case. But worst (for me) is that they don't reliably stay in my ears. I've so often nearly lost one for good, especially when out kayaking...
hve standard AirPods and loves them
“Upgraded” to pro and sent back quickly due to fit / comfort
are the beats buds any better ?
Pretty sure it’s referencing the tiny apartment you are forced to live in after spending all your money on Apple products. 🤣
Kept the Beats Buds for a week. Wore them twice. Definitely do not sound better than the AirPod Pros.
I own Beats Solo and Studio 3 over the ear headphones. I also own Powerbeats 3.
I own Beats Solo and Studio 3 over the ear headphones. I also own Powerbeats 3.
It works but it works when I do t necessarily want it to and many times doesnt work when I do want it to. I think apple needs are more defined way to switch between devices. Auto magic just doesnt work.
Thanks for your review. I just got both for Christmas. Here's what I would say:
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
The ANC in the Beats Studio Buds are mostly junk (or at least so subtle that it doesn't really make much of a difference). To me, it appears to cut out surrounding super-lower frequencies only. So, voices sound a little more tinny, but that's it - even though they fit in my ears really well. On the other hand, they don't create the same almost painful pressure in my ears from the ANC that the AirPods Pros do. I'll refer to the Beats Studio Pros as "Beats" and the AirPods Pros as "AirPods" for the rest of this.
My ears can hear the frequency ranges of the Beats better. It actually amplifies the frequencies my ears don't hear as well - and so, I like the sound better. The AirPods actually sound a little tinny - especially when an annoying voice is talking. It like amplifies the annoyingness in their voice. (sorry to people with tinny voices).
I tried phone calls with my wife with both. My wife says that the S sounds on my AirPods sound echoey or tinny. She says my voice sounds more natural through the Beats. The Beats pick up voices in the room clearly. The AirPods cut out some - but not all - the other voices in the room. So, it's a trade-off. If you want the person on the other end of the phone to hear the other voices in the room, the Beats are better. If you don't want the person on the phone to hear the other voices in the room, too bad - you will hear part of what they're saying, and their voices will cut out for other parts of what they're saying. The AirPods didn't do that great of a job of either cutting out completely or including completely background sounds.
Both apparently have the same water-resistance rating (so, people who wear them in the rain or during a super sweaty workout should have their ear buds equally protected).
Both can cycle through all of the sound options: Transparency, Off, Noise Canceling (although as mentioned earlier, it doesn't change the effects as drastically as the AirPods). Both can do "Hey, Siri" and skip tracks once set in the Settings found in the BlueTooth settings> Select the (i) associated with the device. I like a push button found on the Beats better while I'm running than a squeeze-the-antenna feature on the AirPods. I'm less likely to accidentally yank the Beats out of my ear by accident while exercising.
Who cares about the charging-case size. The difference in size is so small that it plays zero factor. The wireless charging ability makes the AirPods a more appealing option here. But the USBC connection makes the Beats more appealing there.
With both, as soon as I opened the case the first time, my Phone recognized them and asked if I wanted to pair them up. Here's where I started to notice a difference. The AirPods instantly started working as intended. The Beats had some odd issues: for example: noise canceling only activating on one ear(?); when I tried to cycle through the audio modes, they kept reverting back or not changing (seems to be corrected after pressing the little button inside of the case between the ear buds while the Beats were in there).
The Beats feel more comfortable in my ears and less likely to fall out - even after properly sizing the ear pieces. They sound a little better to me - especially for music. According to the stated specs, they have longer battery life. But, the noise canceling and transparency modes aren't that helpful because they're a little too subtle for me. I felt like the overall build quality was just slightly less than the AirPods.
The AirPods synced up and worked better. The spatial audio and the ability to sync them with multiple Apple Devices is nice. The active noise canceling sort of hurts my ears and makes me feel a little dizzy; but, the pass-through mode actually passes through the audio. I'm not blown away by the sound profile by any means - they're a little tinny or sharp sounding to me). But - I don't trust they'll stay in my ears during bouncing around and running.
But both definitely sound a step above my Jams wireless headphones. But those also have a higher water-resistance rating and ear hooks - which I really appreciate. I think ideally, the best option would be if Apple were to take the PowerBeats Pros (I wish they would release a PowerBeats Pro 2) and integrate all of the functionality from the AirPods Pros into them but maintain a sound profile closer to the Beats. To me, that would be the ultimate combo for people like me who use them for working out and need them to stay secure in my ears, take advantage of the great passive noise reduction (which works best with ear hooks) as a noise gate for the active features, and have that super long battery life. I would love to be able to use them as hearing protection on the range.
So, I really wanted the Beats Studio Buds to be a more obvious choice. They're newer, and you can tell that some of the subtle features are better - like BlueTooth 5.2 (for example). And I do like the way they sound (more rich). I don't like the way the AirPods look or fit. I don't like the antenna-squeeze thing. But they are better for Apple products and their construction and tech are a little higher quality. If I had an android, I'd use the Beats. But, I have mostly Apple products and they just work better with that eco system. So, sadly, the Beats are going back to the store; and I'm almost reluctantly keeping the AirPods. I suspect that both companies will come out with new and improved products in 2022 - making my current choice inferior, which will make me upgrade. I really did wait as long as I could to see if Beats would release the PowerBeats Pros 2 with great ANC. But, alas... they didn't.
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Been testing out both for the last few weeks.
For me, the Beats are a bit more comfortable (have been able to wear for several hours without pain), but I prefer the overall sound and transparency mode on the AirPods. There's really a huge difference in terms of how well the AirPods do noise cancelling features, to the degree that I can't justify keeping the Beats. Sadly, the AirPods hurt my ears after ~1 hour of use, so I'll be returning both and waiting for the next generation; hoping the design changes enough to be comfortable for longer period of use.
For me, the Beats are a bit more comfortable (have been able to wear for several hours without pain), but I prefer the overall sound and transparency mode on the AirPods. There's really a huge difference in terms of how well the AirPods do noise cancelling features, to the degree that I can't justify keeping the Beats. Sadly, the AirPods hurt my ears after ~1 hour of use, so I'll be returning both and waiting for the next generation; hoping the design changes enough to be comfortable for longer period of use.
When I first got the gen 1 AirPods, I did have some pain. I attributed this to some pressure points that I was not used to having pressure on. After about a week, my ears adapted and the pain went away. It was sort of like what happens when you get new glasses and the pressure points are different.
With AirPods Pro I didn't have that "break-in period" probably due to the softer silicone tips spreading the pressure out over a wider area.
Ear tip fit is always going to be a big problem because we don't all have the same shape of ears. I know that some third parties have produced foam tips for the Pros and that works better for some people. It might be useful to have a thin silicone sheath that fits over the AirPods to help with the fit. I do think that Apple should acknowledge the different fits and provide some alternatives. Maybe the whole AirPods head should be silicone?
For me, it's not the silicone tips (I wear foam earplugs all night every night, so I'm pretty used to having something in the ear canal). It's the hard plastic on the concha that is hurting me -- I might have abnormally small external ears, though 🤷♂️
Yes, that is a limitation of the basic AirPods where you only have the rigid case. I wonder if Apple could wrap the case in a flexible sheath and make it easier for more people to wear.