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Beats Solo 4 Review: Good Audio Quality, But Expensive

DA Gadgets
October 14, 2024


Beats
Solo
4
was
launched
earlier
this
year,
and
the
company’s
latest
on-ear
headphones
made
their
way
to
India
in
August.
They
are
equipped
with
audio
features
found
on
more
expensive
wireless
headphones
from
Apple,
including
spatial
audio
with
dynamic
head
tracking
and
support
for
lossless
audio,
but
lack
support
for
active
noise
cancellation
(ANC).
The
headphones
are
compatible
with
iOS
and
Android
devices
and
feature
a
standard
USB
Type-C
port
for
charging.
The
Beats
Solo
4
competes
with
similarly
priced
headphones
from
Bose
and
Sony.

Pricing
for
the
Beats
Solo
4
is
set
at
Rs.
22,900
in
India.
It
is
sold
in
three
colourways
—
Cloud
Pink,
Matte
Black,
and
Slate
Blue
(the
company
sent
us
this
variant
for
review)
—
via
the
company’s
online
store
and
authorised
retailers
in
the
country.

Beats
Solo
4
Design:
Lightweight
and
Comfortable

These
over-the-ear
headphones
are
mostly
made
of
plastic
and
appear
quite
similar
to
previous
generation
models,
aside
from
the
more
pastel-like
colours
that
give
them
a
slightly
less
edgy
look.
This
also
means
they’re
pretty
light
to
wear
for
extended
periods,
even
though
you
can
feel
them
on
your
head.
The
earpads
don’t
appear
to
be
user-replaceable,
which
is
unfortunate.


Beats
Solo
4
features
a
familiar
design

Like
its
predecessors,
the
Beats
Solo
4
has
the
company’s
logo
embossed
on
both
earcups.
There’s
a
small
‘4′
on
the
right
side
of
the
adjustable
headband,
while
the
inside
of
the
headband
contains
more
text
related
to
regulatory
information
(right)
and
a
left
ear
indicator
—
none
of
these
are
visible
when
you’re
wearing
the
headphones.

The
headphones
ship
with
a
carrying
pouch
that
is
slightly
cushioned,
along
with
a
3.5mm
audio
cable
and
a
USB
Type-C
to
Type-C
cable
that
can
be
used
for
lossless
audio
playback
or
to
charge
the
headphones.
You’ll
need
to
purchase
a
power
adapter
separately,
though.

I
have
a
fairly
long
head
and
wear
spectacles,
but
the
Beats
Solo
4
felt
comfortable
even
after
wearing
them
for
a
few
hours
at
a
time.
However,
headphone
fitting
can
vary
from
person
to
person,
so
it’s
best
to
try
these
out
at
a
store
to
make
sure
they
feel
comfortable
on
your
head.

Beats
Solo
4
Software:
Gets
the
Job
Done

Like
the
Beats
Studio
Buds+
and
the
Beats
Solo
Buds,
these
wireless
headphones
work
with
Android
smartphones
and
most
of
Apple’s
devices.
You’ll
have
to
download
the
Beats
companion
app
on
the
former,
while
the
same
controls
are
baked
into
the
settings
app
on
iPhone,
iPad,
and
Mac
computers.


You
can
customise
various
Beats
Solo
4
settings
on
Apple
devices
as
well
as
Android
smartphones

You
get
support
for
Google’s
Fast
Pair
service
on
Android
and
Fast
Pair
on
Windows
when
you
set
up
the
Beats
Solo
4
for
the
first
time.
If
you
have
an
iPhone
or
iPad,
you’ll
see
the
familiar
card
pop
up
asking
you
to
connect
to
the
headphones.
The
device
also
works
with
Apple’s
Find
My
service,
while
Android
users
can
see
where
the
device
was
last
connected
to
the
companion
app.

The
left
earcup
lets
you
control
media
playback
and
manage
calls
—
a
single
press
pauses
and
resumes
playback,
while
calls
can
be
answered
and
muted
with
a
single
-press
and
ended
with
a
double
press.
You
can
also
push
the
panel’s
top
and
bottom
to
increase
and
decrease
the
volume,
respectively.

A
button
on
the
right
side
must
be
long-pressed
to
turn
on
and
turn
off
the
Beats
Solo
4.
The
bottom
of
the
left
earcup
has
a
3.5mm
audio
port
and
an
LED
indicator
that
indicates
when
the
headphones
are
charging
and
in
use,
while
the
right
earcup
has
a
USB
Type-C
port,
an
upgrade
over
the
Solo
3
model
with
a
Micro
USB
port.


Beats
Solo
4
is
equipped
with
a
3.5mm
audio
port
and
a
USB
Type-C
port

Like
other
audio
products
from
Beats
and
Apple,
the
companion
app
on
Android
and
the
built-in
audio
settings
for
the
Beats
Solo
4
doesn’t
include
support
for
equaliser
presets.
This
means
that
you
will
have
to
rely
on
media
apps
that
include
their
own
EQ
controls,
such
as
Spotify
or
Poweramp.

Beats
Solo
4
Performance,
Battery
Life:
Par
for
the
Course

The
Beats
Solo
4
headphones
are
equipped
with
upgraded
40mm
drivers
and
a
redesigned
acoustic
architecture.
They
feature
a
neutral
sound
signature,
which
means
they’re
ideal
for
various
genres
of
music,
and
there’s
no
perceptible
distortion,
even
when
listening
to
music
at
the
highest
volume.

My
usual
headphones
testing
playlist
contains
tracks
that
span
various
genres,
and
the
Beats
Solo
4
could
easily
handle
it.
Sasha
Alex
Sloan’s
voice
sounds
extremely
clear
on
Older,
while
the
mids
and
the
bass
have
ample
separation.
The
same
is
true
for
Taylor
Swift’s
Daylight,
where
her
vocals
are
distinctly
audible
from
the
background
music.

Abba’s
Mamma
Mia
and
Voulez-Vous
sound
excellent
on
the
Beats
Solo
4,
with
ample
emphasis
on
all
instruments.
Afterglow
by
INXS,
a
track
that
typically
sounds
‘muffled’
on
many
headphones,
was
clear
with
just
the
right
amount
of
bass.


The
Beats
Solo
4
felt
comfortable
on
the
ears
even
after
an
extended
period

Beats
audio
products
have
gained
a
reputation
for
offering
warm,
U-shaped
audio,
but
this
doesn’t
appear
to
be
the
case
for
the
Solo
4
headphones.
The
extremely
busy
Yo
soy
María
by
Ástor
Piazzolla
and
María
Dueñas
is
a
classical
piece
that
contains
a
mix
of
violin
and
piano
that
are
both
distinctly
audible
on
the
headphones.
This
is
also
noticeable
on
No.
24
in
A
Minor,
by
Hilary
Hahn,
another
fast-paced
track
that
sounded
good.

As
expected,
the
Beats
Solo
4
headphones
handle
tracks
such
as
Billie
Eilish’s
Birds
Of
A
Feather
effortlessly,
and
there’s
no
distortion,
even
when
the
volume
is
cranked
up.
The
bass
response
on
Crab
Flow
by
NLE
Choppa
and
Nbhd
Nick’s
Way
Up
is
excellent.

Like
other
Beats
Solo
audio
models
(like
the
Solo
Buds),
these
wireless
headphones
do
not
offer
ANC
support.
This
is
disappointing
to
see
on
a
device
at
this
price
point,
especially
considering
that
similarly
priced
wireless
headphones
deliver
excellent
ANC
performance.

While
the
lack
of
ANC
might
be
a
glaring
omission
from
the
Beats
Solo
4,
the
headphones
offer
two
useful
features
—
spatial
audio
with
dynamic
head
tracking
and
lossless
audio
via
USB
Type-C
or
3.5mm
audio
ports.

I
connected
the
headphones
using
both
interfaces
and
found
that
the
sound
quality
was
excellent,
and
the
wired
mode
allows
you
to
use
the
device
even
when
the
battery
is
empty.
Meanwhile,
you’ll
need
an
iPhone
to
use
the
spatial
audio
with
a
dynamic
head
tracking
feature,
and
it
works
reliably
while
listening
to
or
watching
supported
music
and
videos,
respectively.

Beats
says
that
the
Solo
4
is
equipped
with
digital
beam-forming
microphones
that
are
used
along
with
a
voice
targeting
algorithm
designed
to
improve
voice
quality
on
calls.
This
works
seamlessly
with
the
built-in
noise
reduction
feature
on
the
iPhone,
allowing
users
to
take
calls
while
wearing
the
headphones.


You
can
fold
the
Beats
Solo
4
and
store
it
inside
the
included
carrying
case

The
Beats
Solo
4
isn’t
equipped
with
an
Apple
H
series
or
W
series
chip,
which
means
it
lacks
support
for
seamless
switching
across
Apple
devices.
However,
pairing
it
with
an
iPhone
lets
one
use
it
across
all
linked
Apple
devices,
and
the
Fast
Pair
feature
on
Android
allows
users
to
use
it.

According
to
the
company,
the
Beats
Solo
4
can
deliver
up
to
50
hours
of
media
playback
but
keep
in
mind
that
this
is
without
features
like
spatial
audio
with
dynamic
head
tracking
or
taking
voice
calls.
After
using
the
headphones
to
take
calls
or
meetings
and
listen
to
music,
I
got
about
five
days
of
use
with
an
average
of
eight
hours
every
day,
which
is
somewhere
around
the
40-hour
mark.

Even
if
you
end
up
using
the
headphones
for
an
extended
period,
you
shouldn’t
have
to
charge
them
more
than
once
a
week.
The
company
says
its
Fast
Fuel
feature
allows
users
to
plug
in
the
headphones
to
a
compatible
charger
and
get
about
five
hours
of
playback
with
a
10-minute
charge.

Beats
Solo
4
Review:
Verdict

If
you’re
looking
for
a
pair
of
colourful
wireless
headphones
under
the
Rs.
25,000
mark
that
work
well
with
Android
smartphones
and
Apple
products,
then
the
Beats
Solo
4
is
easy
to
recommend,
thanks
in
part
to
its
reliable
sound
quality
and
excellent
battery
life.

However,
if
you
don’t
need
features
like
spatial
audio
with
dynamic
head
tracking
or
don’t
have
an
Apple
device
that
allows
you
to
access
the
feature,
you
might
want
to
consider
the
much
cheaper
JBL
Live
770NC
on-ear
headphones.


You
get
a
USB
Type-C
cable
and
a
3.5mm
audio
cable
with
the
Beats
Solo
4

More
advanced
wireless
over-the-ear
headphones
in
the
same
price
segment
include
the

Sony
WH-1000XM4 (Review),
the

Marshall
Monitor
II,
and
the
Bose
QuietComfort
wireless
headphones. Alternatively,
you
could
wait
for
the
price
of
the
Beats
Solo
4
to
drop
before
purchasing
the
headphones.

Those
headphones
offer
ANC
support,
which
is
missing
on
the
Beats
Solo
4.
The
older

Beats
Solo
Pro
from
2019
is
available
from
some
sellers
in
India
for
around
Rs.
25,000,
with
support
for
seamless
switching
and
ANC
using
Apple’s
H1
chip,
if
you
don’t
mind
the
deprecated
Lightning
port
and
lower
advertised
battery
life
(22
hours
and
40
hours
with
ANC
enabled
and
disabled,
respectively). 

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