Beats has announced two new sets of headphones, including a new line called the Solo Buds, which are the smallest and most affordable in-ear Beats headphones. You’ll have to wait until summer to get your hands on the Solo Buds, which will be available on June 6, but the Solo 4 on-ear headphones go on sale from May 2.
The Beats Solo 4 headphones are the latest generation of the popular wireless on-ear line and offer upgrades in sound quality and battery life, with the latter now being 50 hours. They don’t offer active noise cancellation though, a feature you get on the Beats Studio Pro. The price has stayed the same at $199.99 in the US and £199.99 in the UK, and the Solo 4 headphones come in three colors: matte black, slate blue and cloud pink.
An update to the Solo line is exciting, though a new addition is even more so, and the Solo Buds look like an excellent new option for those who want more affordable in-ear headphones. They cost $79.99/£79.99, which is cheaper even than the Beats Studio Buds. Beats promises no compromises have been made on sound quality.
Along with being cheaper than other Beats headphones, the Solo Buds are also smaller and have the smallest case of any of the brand’s headphones. This comes at a cost, however, in that the case doesn’t contain a battery to charge the buds. The good news there is that the buds themselves last 18 hours on a charge, which is impressive given their small size. You can charge the buds in their case by plugging it into a phone or laptop, and five minutes of charging provides an hour of playback.
The Solo Buds are available in four colors—matte black, storm gray, arctic purple and transparent red. The Solo Buds and the Solo 4 headphones don’t have an IPX water resistance rating, but will be suitable for sports as well as lifestyle use.
