Beats Studio Buds Plus Review: The Verdict
Not only do they have a stunning transparent design, the Beat Studio Buds Plus are a rare pair of earbuds that work equally well with both iOS and Android devices.
What we love
- Stunning transparent design
- Great battery
- Work equally well iOS and Android
What could be improved
- Just okay microphones
- More expensive than the first generation
- No auto-pause
80/100
The Beats Studio Buds Plus are the most interesting headphones under the broader Apple umbrella. Not only is the transparent finish almost worth a five-star review alone, they're a rare Apple product designed to work just as well on Android and iPhone - even if they don't have every single trick you get with AirPods.
We obviously have to talk about the design first, however. The Beats Studio Buds Plus come in your standard black and white finishes, but you'd be a fool to get them in anything other than transparent.
Nothing may have kickstarted the retrofuturistic revival of transparent tech with the Ear 1 and Phone 1, but the Studio Buds Plus feel a bit more authentic to the gadgets of my youth. Where Nothing went for an entirely transparent entire, the Beats have a cloudier look that immediately evokes the smoke grey Nintendo 64.
The transparent finish is also evident on the buds themselves, which isn't really the case with the Nothings. I still love the overall vibe of the Ear 1s and Ear 2s, but it's great to see more manufacturers get on board the nostalgia train.
Of course, a novel design doesn't matter if the earbuds aren't comfortable. The Studio Buds Plus deliver on this for the most part, but feel just that little bit bulkier than other wireless earbuds I've tested lately. I'm more aware of them being in my ears, despite the featherlight 5g weight. This hasn't stopped me from wearing them over an hour at a time when working out, for example, and there's no discomfort. The shape just makes it harder to forget you're wearing them.
One slight design issue is the on-earbud controls. While I'm normally a fan of tactile controls over gestures, the buttons on the Studio Buds Plus are a little too squishy. They don't have a firm click, which has led to me pushing the earbuds deeper into my canal when I want to pause audio, for example.
Now that I'm done raving about the transparent design, let's chat about the whole Android situation. Like the original Studio Buds, the new Plus edition are optimised for Android devices. Sure, you can use AirPods with an Android phone, but you lose functionality.
With Studio Buds Plus, you get Google Fast Pair for instant pairing, Google Assistant support, and a dedicated Android app for managing settings. They even charge over USB-C rather than Lightning (although AirPods are likely to move to USB-C in the future due to a European Union ruling).
This combination makes using the Studio Buds Plus with an Android device a seamless experience. You wouldn't think that Apple is the parent company behind them, given its reluctance to, for example, launch an AirPods app on Android.
Of course, you still get a very Apple experience if you're using the Beats Studio Buds Plus with an iOS device. You get instant pairing, they work with Hey Siri, spatial audio support, and they still sync across any Apple device signed into your iCloud. Instead of requiring an app, settings for the earbuds appear in the Settings app, just like they do with AirPods.
You do however miss out on some of the more advanced features from AirPods, like personalised spatial audio and adaptive transparency. The Studio Buds Plus also won't automatically pause your music or podcast if you take one out from your ear. It's a minor annoyance, but still an annoyance if you've become accustomed to the tech.
On the audio quality front, the Beats Studio Buds Plus sound pretty good. Given the $269 price tag, they're obviously not as refined as the $399 2nd-generation AirPods, but you still get an enjoyable listening experience. Nothing about the Studio Buds Plus sounds bad, but they amp up bass and treble that little bit more than some competing earbuds, which can result in less overall clarity.
The rhythm guitar Opeth's "The Funeral Portrait", from our shared audio testing playlist with our sister site Reviews.org AU, lost some of its bite, for example. The overall sound stage is also rather narrow.
On a more positive note, there's still plenty of detail in both the low and high end. The Studio Buds Plus were still able to handle Carly Rae Jepsen's "I Didn't Just Come Here To Dance" - a track that has a bass synth, sub-bass, and a kick drum going at the same time - without sounding muddy. Similarly, I didn't experience sibilance in tracks that go hard on treble.
For the money, the Beats Studio Buds Plus definitely sound good enough.
It's a similar story with noise cancellation. There's been a clear improvement from the original Studio Buds, and while the Studio Buds Plus don't compete with the best of the best, they deliver more than enough quiet for the money. They'll still dim the noise of the office or the awful playlist at the gym.
Battery life is extremely solid. You'll get up to six hours of music playback with noise cancelling on, or up to nine with it off. This comes to a total of 24 hours or 36 hours when you include the charging case. The Studio Buds Plus miss out on wireless charging, however.
Beats Studio Buds Plus - Final Thoughts
At $269.95, the Beats Studio Buds Plus are a good deal more expensive than their predecessors, which initially launched at $199.95. Fortunately, they're also a better buy thanks to significant improvements to battery life and noise cancelling.
The Beats Studio Buds Plus aren't quite a budget pair of AirPods, but they come close enough if you don't want to spend top dollar on the latest AirPods Pro. If you're looking for Apple-made earbuds, I'd definitely recommend the Studio Buds Plus over the 3rd generation AirPods for most.
The Studio Buds Plus could be an especially attractive pick if you find yourself moving between both Apple and Android devices - like if you have an iPad for your tablet, but an Android as your phone. They work equally well with both.
But if you're firmly in the Android camp, the Buds Plus are still a well-rounded pick. They don't stand head and shoulders above the competition, but the transparent design certainly makes them stand out.
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