If you're a hardcore Apple fan in the market for some of the best high-end Bluetooth wireless headphones right now, you might want to hold off on that AirPods Max purchase. Unfortunately, there are currently no words on an impending sequel to the company's first-ever own-brand over-ear cans, which may not see daylight until 2025, but the Beats Studio Pro are reportedly right around the corner.
Believe it or not, this will be the first premium over-ear product from Apple sub-brand Beats in more than half a decade, building on the quality and popularity of the true wireless Studio Buds, Studio Buds Plus, and Fit Pro of the last couple of years while vastly improving the capabilities of the ancient Studio3.
More excitingly, the fast-approaching Studio Pro, which could go official any day now, are tipped by the always reliable folks over at 9To5Mac to bring a bunch of key upgrades and enhancements to the table compared to the aforementioned AirPods Max as well while keeping the retail price at a fairly reasonable level.
How much will the improved Beats Studio Pro cost?
Nothing is of course etched in stone just yet, but if "authorized listings" seen by the reputable publication are to be trusted, the Beats Studio Pro will retain the $350 starting price of the Studio3 while substantially undercutting the $550 AirPods Max.
The Studio Pro (pictured above in four colors) don't look all that different from the Studio3 (shown here in six hues).
By no means the world's most affordable over-ear wireless headphones, these bad boys are virtually guaranteed to deliver excellent value for your money... soon with "fully adaptive" Active Noise Cancelling (ANC) technology, Personalized Spatial Audio, dynamic head tracking, Dolby Atmos support, and Transparency Mode.
That's a lot of neat sound tricks and super-premium features... that the AirPods Max are also capable of, and it's certainly nice to hear that a cheaper pair of headphones will be able to integrate them all for a pretty much unrivaled music listening experience in all environments and usage scenarios.
Perhaps even more impressively, Apple's next-gen Beats powerhouse is today revealed to pack two custom 40mm drivers for "increased audio fidelity" compared to the Studio3 and "near-zero distortion even at high volume."
Beats will apparently advertise an absolutely massive 80 percent (!!!) improvement in audio performance over the Studio Pro's predecessor, and although it's obviously far too early to jump to such conclusions, we wouldn't be shocked if these puppies ended up sounding better than the costlier AirPods Max too.
So much good stuff!
The battery life certainly looks better on paper, at up to 40 hours between charges with ANC and Transparency Mode switched off and a solid 24 hours when keeping both features enabled at all times, and of course, rapid charging will also be present to provide no less than 4 hours of uninterrupted playback after a measly 10 minutes spent hugging a wall.
If you like the AirPods Max, you'll probably love the Beats Studio Pro.
Despite offering a lot of power, as well as "high-quality call performance" with the help of upgraded microphones and essentially unbeatable versatility thanks to both a USB Type-C port and good old fashioned 3.5mm jack, the Beats Studio Pro are expected to tip the scales at only 260 grams, which sounds like another major improvement over the bulky 385-gram AirPods Max.
Of course, the reduced weight will largely be the result of using slightly lower-quality build materials, but even so, the "UltraPlush" over-ear cushions "upgraded with seamless engineered leather" and the "premium metal sliders" should deliver "all-day comfort and exceptional durability", which is all that really matters at the end of the day... alongside all the other stuff detailed above and the wireless connectivity.
That last part will be taken care of by a custom-designed Beats chip rather than an Apple-made H1 or H2, which doesn't sound ideal but may actually prove the right choice from an Android integration perspective. Yes, the Beats Studio Pro should work flawlessly in combination with both iPhones and Android handsets, supporting among others one-touch pairing and Hey Siri assistance for former devices and Google Fast Pair, Audio Switch, and Find My Device functionality on the latter platform.
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Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian's passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for 'adequate' over 'overpriced'.
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