Beats Studio Buds Plus went on sale to the public. The first Studio Buds came out in 2021. Since then, a lot has changed in the world of the best wireless earbuds, so it makes sense to get an update. Even though Beats Studio Buds Plus are new, we still stand by our review of Beats Studio Buds. We have already said that, given how many features they have for both iPhone and Android, they are a great deal for a pair of earbuds. Early reviews of the Studio Buds Plus confirm that the earbuds have been improved in important ways.
Beats Studio Buds Plus: Description
Beats says that the new headphones block out noise 1.6 times better than the old ones. This is because they have a better Transparency mode. Like the AirPods Pro 2, they also have a longer battery life and a new option for smaller ear tips. The new Beats Studio Plus earbuds come in black and ivory, but everyone seems to be most excited about the transparent version, since everyone loves clear electronics.
Even more so for those of us who remember the clear craze of the 1980s and 1990s, which gave us classics like the Nintendo Game Boy Color Clear and the translucent iMac G3. The new buds cost $170, which is $20 more than the Studio Buds. At first glance, they look almost exactly the same. The only differences between the two cases are small changes in the way they look, and the buds are the same size and shape.
Beats Studio Buds Plus: Pros and Cons
Pros
- Vibrant audio
- Decent ANC
- Distinctive transparent colourway
Cons
- No equaliser controls
- Limited control customisation
- No Hi-Res codec support
Specification Table
| Type | In-Canal |
| Wireless | Yes |
| True Wireless | Yes |
| Connection Type | Bluetooth |
| Water/Sweat-Resistant | Yes |
| Active Noise Cancellation | Yes |
Design and Comfort
The original Studio Buds came in six different colors, but the Plus only comes in three: black and gold, ivory, and clear. The buds come with a charging case with a USB-C port. The transparent option is clearly (no pun intended) the most interesting one to look at. We weren’t able to get our hands on the transparent finish for this review, but we think it will show off the earbud’s insides well, like the Nothing Ear (2) does.
The charging case is the same size and shape as the original, and it feels like eggshell. Given the price increase and the quantity of models that do it now, it is disappointing that it doesn’t support wireless charging. A brief USB-C to USB-C cable is included. The Studio Buds+ still have the same pill-shaped shell that protrudes a little bit from the ear. On top, where it is clearly visible to all, is the recognizable Beats “b” logo.
The Studio Buds+ still have the same IPX4 rating for water resistance as the original model. This is the same rating as the AirPods Pro 2 and is enough to keep sweat and light water splashes out. They come with four different sizes of ear tips (XS, S, M, and L) so that they can fit any ear. The best sound seal for my ears was with the medium size, but there is no ear fit test to make sure they are in your ears right. During my first hands-on tests, they felt good, and I was able to work out for an hour without them slipping or falling out.
Software and Features
There aren’t any big changes to the software that goes with the Studio Buds +. As before, everything for iPhone users is still built into iOS. This includes pairing with just one touch, pairing with an iCloud device, and hands-free Siri. If you click on the device name in the Bluetooth menu, you can access more settings. Beats gives you the battery percentage and noise control (ANC, transparency, or off). You can also change the press-and-hold action, how you want to end calls, and the priority of the microphone. There is also a quick way to bring up the earbuds in the Find My app. The volume slider in Control Center gives you quick access to noise control, just like on other Beats devices.
On Android, you still need a separate Beats app to change the buttons and get firmware updates, but some features are built right into the operating system. Google Fast Pair makes it easy to link the earbuds to all of your Android and Chrome devices, and you can pair them with just one touch. Once they are synced, the Studio Buds + multipoint pairing makes it easy to switch between them. Find My Device on Android will also show these new Beats earbuds, which will help you find them if you lose them.
Beats Studio Buds Plus: Battery Life
The earbuds work with Bluetooth version 5.3 and support the AAC and SBC codecs, but not the AptX codec. One-touch pairing lets you connect instantly to all the devices in your iCloud account, and the Handoff feature lets you easily switch playback to your Apple Watch, for example, if your phone is out of range. These are interesting because they use a second-generation Beats platform instead of the H2 chip in Apple’s latest AirPods Pro or the H1 chip in Beats Fit Pro.
Beats also doesn’t forget about people who use Android: The earbuds work with Google Fast Pair and automatically connect to any Chrome or Android device that is linked to your Google account. Beats says that the Studio Buds + can last about nine hours on a single charge without Active Noise Cancellation (ANC), and that the case can hold an extra 27 hours of battery life.
If you turn on ANC, the earbuds’ and the case’s battery life will drop to about 6 and 18 hours, respectively. These estimates are a bit higher than average, but how long you get will also depend on how loud you usually listen. The company says that it takes two hours to fully charge the battery from empty and that five minutes of charging gives you an hour of playback.
Final words
There’s a lot to like about the new Beats Studio Buds+. They have the same iconic look as the original, but they have better noise cancellation, a stronger transparency mode, and hands-free Siri. Even though the longer battery life seems like a good thing, it’s pretty average compared to other phones on the market today. It’s not clear yet if the Beats Studio Buds+ are one of the best noise-canceling earbuds for the price or if they can’t compete with other brands.
FAQs
Beats Studio Buds, Beats Studio Buds +, and Beats Fit Pro all have three listening modes: Off, Transparency mode, and Active Noise Cancellation. You can choose which one to use based on how much of your environment you want to hear.
That means the Beats Studio Buds can play music for up to 24 hours at once. With ANC or Transparency mode on, you can listen for up to 5 hours. With the case, you can listen for 15 hours.
