Beats Solo 4 Review: Long Battery Life, Flexible Audio, and Some Notable Compromises
The Beats Solo 4 combine a lightweight, foldable design with impressive battery endurance and versatile wired listening options. However, their on-ear fit, divisive sound tuning, and missing features make them a more selective purchase than their familiar design suggests.
Source-based review · No hands-on testing claimed.
The Beats Solo 4 are wireless on-ear headphones aimed at listeners who prioritize portability, straightforward controls, and compatibility with both Apple and Android devices. This fourth-generation model introduces updated 40mm drivers, USB-C lossless audio, and substantially improved battery life while retaining the recognizable Solo design. Although these upgrades make the headphones more practical, the absence of active noise cancellation (ANC) and customizable equalization limits their appeal against similarly positioned alternatives.
Design and Comfort
Weighing approximately 217 grams, the Solo 4 feature a lightweight folding chassis, cushioned UltraPlush earcups, and a compact zippered carrying case. Their portable construction makes them convenient for commuting and travel, although the lack of an official water-resistance rating means they are not specifically designed for workouts or wet conditions.
Comfort is less predictable. The cushioned earcups provide reasonable passive isolation, but the on-ear design applies pressure directly to the ears. Some listeners may find the fit comfortable for several hours, while others could experience cartilage fatigue after approximately 90 minutes. Headband pressure and ear positioning also influence comfort, making individual fit particularly important.
Physical controls are refreshingly straightforward. A clickable Beats button on the left earcup manages playback, calls, and voice assistants, while dedicated volume controls sit above and below it. However, there are no wear-detection sensors for automatic playback pausing.
Sound Quality and Wired Listening
The Solo 4 use custom 40mm drivers, but their sound signature is not universally convincing. Listening impressions range from warm, clear reproduction with satisfying bass to a more sculpted presentation emphasizing crisp highs and recessed midrange frequencies.
Laboratory measurements complicate the picture further, showing reduced output across frequencies below 800Hz and elevated presence and treble between approximately 3kHz and 9kHz. Consequently, listeners seeking substantial sub-bass impact or neutral tonal balance may find the tuning less satisfying than expected.
The lack of adjustable in-app EQ makes these characteristics particularly important because users cannot meaningfully reshape the frequency response to match their preferences.
Wired connectivity is a stronger selling point. USB-C supports lossless digital playback up to 24-bit/48kHz while charging, providing an alternative to Bluetooth compression. A separate 3.5mm connection enables completely passive analog listening, even when the battery is depleted. Both options add practical flexibility rarely emphasized in lightweight wireless headphones.
Connectivity and Battery Life
Bluetooth 5.3 supports SBC and AAC codecs, with convenient pairing features across both major mobile ecosystems. Apple users receive one-touch pairing, hands-free Siri, and personalized Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking on compatible devices. Android users benefit from Fast Pair, device location functionality, and supported two-device multipoint connectivity.
However, automatic iCloud device switching is absent, and multipoint functionality does not extend seamlessly across Apple and Android devices. The headphones also omit ANC and transparency mode, leaving passive isolation as their only defense against environmental noise.
Battery endurance is exceptional. Beats advertises up to 50 hours of playback, while one standardized laboratory test recorded 84 hours and 18 minutes at 75dB SPL. Although actual results depend on usage conditions, both figures indicate substantial longevity. Fast Fuel charging promises approximately five hours of listening from a 10-minute charge.
Verdict
The Beats Solo 4 deliver excellent endurance, intuitive physical controls, and unusually flexible wired playback in a portable package. Their cross-platform features are useful, particularly for Apple users who value hands-free Siri and spatial audio.
Nevertheless, inconsistent long-session comfort, fixed sound tuning, and the absence of ANC make them difficult to recommend universally. They are best suited to listeners who specifically prefer on-ear headphones and prioritize battery life and connectivity versatility. Buyers seeking stronger noise isolation, adjustable sound, or consistently comfortable extended listening should consider alternatives.