The $199.99 Beats Solo 4 wireless headphones deliver the same sculpted sound and seamless Apple device support as their predecessors while adding hands-free Siri, personalized spatial audio, and a few extra hours of battery life. They still don't support active noise cancellation (ANC) or any form of adjustable EQ, however, which makes them less compelling than similarly priced alternatives. Overall, the Urbanista Los Angeles headphones remain our Editors' Choice winners for their quality noise cancellation and unique solar-charging capability. We also like Sony's ULT Wear headphones thanks to their adjustable sound and Android-friendly Bluetooth codecs.
Design: Physical Controls Are Convenient
Available in Cloud Pink, Matte Black, or Slate Blue, the Solo 4 headphones have a supra-aural (on-ear) design. The earpads feature generous cushioning, though the headband is a bit less plush. In testing, the earpads sometimes pressed too tightly against my ears or the headband pressed too hard on the top of my head. I was able to achieve a comfortable fit, but it took a bit more effort than with most circumaural (over-ear) headphones I test.
Each earcup houses a 40mm dynamic driver, which benefits from an updated acoustic architecture. Beats didn't specify whether digital signal processing (DSP) plays a role here.
The Solo 4 headphones are compatible with Bluetooth 5.3 and work with the AAC and SBC codecs, but not anything Android-friendly like AptX or LDAC. They do support Google Fast Pair and multipoint connections (up to two) on Android devices, however. The Sony ULT Wear headphones offer all the same features, along with the hi-res LDAC codec.
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The Beats benefit from one-touch pairing with most Apple devices, automatic pairing with any devices you set up via iCloud across the Apple ecosystem, and audio sharing. They don't support automatic switching but can maintain a simultaneous connection with an iPhone and Apple Watch. If either goes out of range, they connect automatically to the other in-range device. Multipoint connections don't work across ecosystems, such as with an iPhone and an Android device. Unlike the model they replace, the Solo 4 headphones use a proprietary Beats platform rather than Apple's W1 chip.
Physical control buttons feel like a throwback, but they work reliably and cover the expected functions. The lowercase "b" logo button on the left earcup controls playback (one press), advances to the next track (two presses), takes you to the previous track (three presses), and evokes your device's voice assistant (long press). Press once to answer an incoming call or toggle your mic and press twice to end a call. Dedicated up and down volume controls are respectively above and below the logo. Holding down on either lets you make adjustments more quickly. The buttons click audibly when you press them.
The headphones ship with a black zip-up pouch that doesn’t fully open like a hard-shell case—it's closer to a dopp kit. The interior has two side pockets for the included USB-C-to-USB-C and 3.5mm cables, which you can respectively use for active and passive wired listening. The active wired mode supports 24-bit/48kHz playback and allows for better high-end clarity, dynamic range, and bass articulation compared with the wireless mode. In passive wired mode, the audio sounds remarkably similar to that of Bluetooth mode. Plugging in the 3.5mm cable switches the playback mode instantly and lets you listen without worrying about battery life.
Beats estimates that the headphones can last roughly 50 hours per charge (up from 40 hours for the Solo 3), but your results will vary based on your typical listening volume. A 10-minute charge should net you roughly five hours of playback, while a full recharge requires a little over two hours. These are impressive numbers, but the noise-cancelling Urbanista Los Angeles headphones support solar charging for practically unlimited battery life.
Software: Better for Apple Users
On iOS and iPadOS devices, the Solo 4 headphones get a dedicated section below the Apple ID tile in the Settings menu. Tap it to see a battery life readout for the headphones and an option to rename them. Further below, a Call Controls section lets you swap the on-ear controls for muting your mic and ending a call. You can also set up personalized spatial audio, which tailors the experience to your ear shape. Finally, you can turn on Find My, view the product serial number, and download available firmware updates here.
In the iOS Control Center, tapping the volume fader allows you to toggle spatial audio and choose between Fixed and Head Tracked modes. Confusingly, one of the initial setup screens claims that the Control Center allows you to adjust noise cancellation and transparency settings—two features the headphones lack. I tested the headphones before their official launch, so I don't expect this bug to persist.
You can set up hands-free Siri access when you first pair the headphones with your iOS device. If you skip this step during the initial process, you can enable it via the Siri section of the Settings menu. Voice commands worked seamlessly in testing.
The Beats Android app offers most of the features you get via the iOS settings menu (including support for Google's Find My Device app).
Sound: Sculpting Doesn't Upset the Balance
The spatial audio feature works as expected. It rarely improves audio mixes in my view, though the head-tracking at least works accurately. For my evaluations of the audio signature below, I turned it off.
On tracks with intense sub-bass content, like The Knife’s “Silent Shout,” the headphones deliver the lows with power and the highs with a crisp edge. The lows don’t distort at top volumes and remain present at more reasonable levels. If Beats once stood out for offering one of the most bass-forward sound signatures, this sort of response is now the norm in the consumer realm. The aforementioned Sony ULT Wear headphones can be far more aggressive with the bass if that's what you prefer.
The drivers have no trouble reproducing the sub-bass at the 34-second mark of Kendrick Lamar’s “Loyalty.” The deepest of these sub-bass synth hits come across with subwoofer-like rumble but never overtake the balance of the mix. The various vocals sound crisp and have plenty of space to breathe.
Drums on Bill Callahan’s “Drover,” a track with far less deep bass, get some extra thump but never to an overwhelming degree. Callahan’s baritone vocals receive a pleasant blend of low-mid richness and high-mid definition, while the higher-register percussive hits and acoustic strums are quite bright. Although the sculpting here is obvious between the boosted lows, accentuated highs, and somewhat scooped mids, it's not as exaggerated as on some competing models. Of course, many competing headphones provide an adjustable EQ so you can tweak the audio to taste. The iOS Settings menu does offer a few nonadjustable presets, but you are otherwise stuck with the default sound signature.
On orchestral tracks, like the opening scene from John Adams’ The Gospel According to the Other Mary, the headphones don't push the lows as forward as others. The highs are articulate and clear, allowing the higher-register brass, strings, and vocals to retain prominence. The track doesn't sound deficient in the lows; the drivers just don't add anything that's not already there.
The four-mic array works reliably, so I didn't have any trouble understanding every word from a test recording on my iPhone. The signal level is comparable with that of the $549 Apple AirPods Max, though it doesn't emphasize the high-mids and highs as much.
Apple Tie-Ins Almost Make Up for Some Missing Features
With the signature Beats sound, fairly long battery life, and hands-free Siri, the Beats Solo 4 headphones are an evolution of a mostly successful formula. But many competitors offer more features at this price, including active noise cancellation, cross-platform apps with adjustable EQ, and a wider range of Bluetooth codecs for high-quality streaming. If you're committed to Apple's ecosystem and want seamless iOS compatibility for less than the $349.99 Beats Studio Pro (let alone the AirPods Max), you might be able to look past those limitations. Otherwise, the Urbanista Los Angeles and the Sony ULT Wear are stronger alternatives for around $200.
The Beats Solo 4 headphones produce satisfying sound and support hands-free Siri, though they leave out expected features at this price like active noise cancellation and adjustable EQ.
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Sign up for other newslettersAbout Tim Gideon
Contributing Editor, Audio
![Tim Gideon](https://i.pcmag.com/imagery/authors/04896dWbRzLlA7BUwmQSojs.fit_lim.size_200x200.v1723226071.png)