Beats Studio Buds+ review: better sound, ANC, battery, and voice calls, but ANC lags AirPods Pro, no wireless charging, and misses some Apple ecosystem tricks
With better sound, improved noise cancellation, and a standout translucent design, these are everything the original Beats Studio Buds should've been.
Context & Ripple Effects
The Studio Buds+ is a corrective update to the original Studio Buds, whose earlier review found good comfort and sound but weak noise cancellation and missing AirPods capabilities. The new model addresses several of those gaps, including call quality and battery life.
It remains deliberately below Apple’s premium earbud tier: the second-generation AirPods Pro raised the bar for noise cancellation and sound, while Beats’ own Fit Pro offered strong ANC and transparency in a different design.
First-order effects
- Beats gets a more competitive Studio Buds model, with improved sound, ANC, battery life, and voice calls for buyers who prefer its design.
- The feature gap within Apple’s earbud lineup persists: Studio Buds+ still trails AirPods Pro on ANC and omits wireless charging and selected ecosystem functions.
Second-order effects
- Buyers must weigh a more capable Beats option against AirPods Pro’s stronger noise cancellation rather than treating Apple-owned earbuds as interchangeable.
- Beats’ product segmentation becomes clearer: feature omissions preserve reasons to choose higher-end AirPods Pro or the Fit Pro instead of the Studio Buds+.
Third-order effects
- Apple’s multi-brand earbud strategy can broaden design and price-choice coverage while reserving its most complete hardware and ecosystem experience for the flagship line.
- If this pattern continues, ANC, battery life, and call clarity become baseline competitive requirements, with charging convenience and ecosystem integration remaining meaningful tiering tools.
The trend: Wireless earbuds are converging on core audio performance while brands differentiate their tiers through premium noise cancellation, charging features, and ecosystem privileges.