You get plenty of features like Ambient Aware mode, touch controls, and granular EQ adjustments. By nature of Sony’s over-ear design, you’re bound to find WH-1000XM4 much more comfortable than the Beats Solo Pro. The Beats Solo Pro is for the listener who’s always on the move.
Available in black, dark blue, gray, ivory, light blue, or red, the Solo Pro are on-ear (supra-aural) headphones with ample memory foam cushioning in the earpads and headband. They’re bulky, but comfortable over long listening sessions. The headband can exert a little more pressure up top than is necessary, but most users will be able to adjust the band to a more comfortable level.
You can pair your headphones using the app – it will show battery level when you turn them on in a little on-screen pop-up and manage various settings. At 267g, the Solo Pro are about mid-weight for headphones. The arms fold into thirds to collapse down but the thick ear cups means they do not get quite as small as I would like for travelling. They ship with a soft recycled-felt case for protection but they feel robust enough to just toss in a bag. The Beats Solo3 Wireless headset is the Beats Solo Pro’s three-year senior, and has outdated hardware.
Apple’s H1 chip enables a whole host of convenient features with the firm’s devices, while the Beats app brings some of them to Android, too. The Beats Solo Pro are a great set of on-ear noise-cancelling headphones. The outside of the right ear cup hides volume and playback controls under the large Beats-logo disc. Press the logo in once for pause/play, twice to skip forward and thrice to skip back. Press and hold it to activate Siri on an iPhone, iPad or Mac, or Google Assistant on an Android phone. The Beats app on Android also provides some of the same functionality.
However, they are still easier to transport for regular usage than non-folding, full-sized over-ear earpieces. Solo Pro’s headband is broad enough and maintains the Beats aesthetic history. Even though these headphones are on-ear, they are rather large and appear to be over-the-ear. They contain certain metallic pieces in their design, like the spot in which the headpiece and earcups connect and the headband.
They’re more comfortable and have a more immersive passive soundstage. They have an ANC system and can significantly block out more background noise. They also have a wireless design and have an H1 chip, so you can pair them with other devices in your Apple ecosystem. The Sennheiser Momentum 3 Wireless are better headphones than the Beats Solo Pro Wireless. The Sennheiser are more comfortable and have a better battery and noise isolation performance.
This is the reason you benefit from a minimum 1-Year warranty with the purchase of a refurbished device at Back Market. All products featured here are independently selected by our editors and beats flex review writers. If you buy something through links on our site, Mashable may earn an affiliate commission. This means they are easy to transport and won’t be damaged while tucked inside your bag.
For better or worse, discomfort is a necessary evil that enables such excellent noise cancelling. The left ear cup houses a new button for toggling between noise cancelling, transparency, and extended power mode. Transparency allows ambient noise in, so you can stay aware of your surroundings. Commuters should really get a pair of noise cancelling headphones, and you can easily travel with the Beats Solo Pro on-ear design. The Studio 3 Wireless can similarly insta-connect to Apple devices, sounds incredible, and looks great, but you won’t feel like your head is a watermelon about to burst. Both pairs of headphones also offer super-fast charging (up to three hours in just 10 minutes of charging!) and excellent battery life.
Also, unfortunately, our dongle doesn’t take advantage of the H1 chip, so if you’re using an iOS device, you may get lower latency and a more stable connection. The headphones can also be used wired with a lightning cable, but you’ll need to purchase one separately as no audio cable is included in the box. If you want a pair of on-ear headphones with a much longer-lasting battery, check out the similarly-performing JBL CLUB 700BT Wireless.
They have a wireless design, are better-built, and have an ANC system that can out a great amount of ambient noise around you. The Beats Solo Pro Wireless are slightly better headphones than the Sony WH-XB900N Wireless. The Beats are better-built, have a more neutral sound profile, which some users may prefer, and their ANC can significantly block out more ambient noise.