Beats Studio Buds unveiled: Compact ANC earbuds at an affordable price
The Beats Studio Buds are set to deliver Beats sound in its smallest package yet for just £130
Beats has unveiled a new pair of true wireless earbuds, the Beats Studio Buds. The Studio Buds are the Apple subsidiary’s smallest headphones yet and a distinct departure from its Powerbeats Pro wireless earphones, which feature large earhooks for improved stability.
Beats (also known as Beats by Dre) says the Studio Buds will offer “booming sound in a tiny package”, and judging by their specs, they look well-positioned to do so.
The earbuds utilise proprietary 8.2mm dual-element diaphragm drivers housed inside a two-chamber acoustic casing. It’s an interesting setup Beats claims will achieve “outstanding stereo separation and minimise harmonic distortion across the frequency curve”. Whether they can actually deliver that remains to be seen but they certainly sound promising on paper.
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Weighing 5g per earbud, the Studio Buds are a compact package designed with comfort and exercise in mind. They’re IPX4 certified for water resistance, while their acoustic nozzles are ergonomically titled and include laser-cut vents to relieve pressure on your eardrums. Those details, combined with a total battery life of up to 24 hours (eight hours from the buds and two further charges from the pocket-sized case), should hopefully mean they’re buds you can wear comfortably all day.
Like many earbuds we’ve tested over the past couple of years, the Studio Buds incorporate active noise cancellation technology to reduce the impact of unwanted external sound, be it a noisy bus or an obnoxious gust of wind. There’s also a transparency mode that uses the buds’ external-facing microphones to let ambient sound in and enhance your awareness of what’s going on around you.
Battery life will dip to five hours per charge when using the Studio Buds’ ANC or transparency modes but that shouldn’t be too much of an issue given five minutes on charge will result in an hour of audio playback.
As is now commonplace in the world of true wireless earbuds, the Studio Buds let you execute various commands via touch controls. Multi-function ”b” buttons on the outside of either bud can be used to answer/end calls, play/pause content and skip songs, while a long press will toggle between ANC and transparency modes.
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The simplicity of the touch controls is echoed elsewhere too, with connection for both iOS and Android devices achieved via one-touch pairing.
The buds are compatible with FindMy on iOS and Find My Device on Android meaning you’ll never have to worry about misplacing them, while iOS users will also benefit from hands-free Siri activation. Simply utter the words “Hey Siri” while wearing the buds to hail Apple’s helpful voice assistant.
Beats is yet to announce a firm release date for the Studio Buds but you’ll be able to get your hands on a pair at some point this summer for £130. That’s very reasonable for a pair of noise-cancelling earbuds from a premium brand like Beats. If they can deliver in the audio and ANC departments, they’ll likely prove hot property this summer.
We hope to receive a review sample soon so be sure to check back for our full review of the Beats Studio Buds in the coming weeks.