Unlike most Beats headphones, which have a distinctive bass-forward sound profile, Apple’s influence is increasingly waning in favor of a more balanced and delicate approach. As a result, they have a tone that reviewer Ryan Vaniata has described as “infused with a pleasant layer of smoky warmth”. The sound isn’t as impressive as more expensive pairs, but it’s enjoyable to listen to. Like most Beats headphones, they lack any kind of custom equalizer, so you’re stuck with how they sound out of the box, for better or worse.
Aesthetically, they’re what you’d expect from Beats, with classic colors like matte black and slate blue as well as a more attractive pink color in both metallic and matte finishes. The compact on-ears fold up neatly for travel or tossed in your gym bag, while still being comfortable enough to wear for several hours at a time. As a result they also have good sound isolation, which helps offset the lack of proper ANC.
Despite being manufactured by Apple, Beats headphones are happy to work with both Android and iOS devices, and they support one-touch pairing for both sides of the aisle. Depending on your platform, you’ll still get access to Find My features and voice activation, but device switching is only for Google users, and there’s a distinct lack of auto-pause. However, they have a very large range, which makes up for some oddities.
While the Beats Solo 4 doesn’t hold the top spot for our favorite wireless headphones overall, the on-ear design and lack of ANC is a unique combination of features that may appeal to specific users and use cases. You can pick them up at Best Buy or Amazon while this deal lasts.
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