ZDNET's key takeaways The Beats Solo 4 headphones are available for $200 in Matte Black, Slate Blue, and Cloud Pink.
Beats' best-selling headphones return with up-to-date features, signaling that the company used the product's long hiatus wisely.
A tight fit and small ear cups may cut your listening experience shorter than you'd like. $129.95 at B&H Photo-Video
I've spent a lot of time testing headphones, and I find a new favorite with every fresh release. But one pair of headphones will always hold a special place in my heart: the Beats Solo 3 on-ear headphones.
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The Solo 3 awakened my passion for headphones; they were the first pair I spent more than $50 on. I bought a Rose Gold pair in high school with the money from my first job, and they stuck with me throughout college. I still have them, but years of use have burnt out the audio components and worn down the ear pads.
So, when Beats offered me a pair of the Solo 4 headphones to test, I was more than happy to see how the company used the eight years since the Solo 3's release to improve the Solo 4.
The Solo 4 design shows Beats' deviation from flashy, chrome accents adorned with heavy branding, transitioning to a muted matte finish with simplistic elements. I think Apple may have influenced these design choices. The Solo 4 ditches the mini USB port and instead has a USB-C port for charging and lossless audio. You can also now plug the headphones into a device to listen and charge them simultaneously.
Also: Why these headphones are still the best from Bose - even though they're a year old
I tried the Solo 4 cans in Cloud Pink to trigger nostalgia for my Rose Gold Solo 3. The Cloud Pink Solo 4 is stunning and aesthetically pleasing, making it suitable for people who like stylish devices. In terms of audio, Beats has given the Solo 4 headphones a much-needed tune-up. If you previously strayed away from Beats because of their incredibly bass-forward sound, you'll like the Solo 4 sound much better.
Beats Solo3 (left) and Beats Solo4 (right). Jada Jones/ZDNET
One of Beats' taglines for the Solo 4 is "Amazing sound. Simplified", and I couldn't agree more. Instead of offering an artificially pumped-up, bass-heavy sound profile, the headphones have the most neutral sound I've ever heard from Beats. It's still not wholly neutral, but undoubtedly neutral to Beats' standards.
I listened to Kendrick Lamar's A.D.H.D and immediately noticed the Solo 4's modest bass response. Because the bass didn't overpower the midrange, I could appreciate minor details in the song, like Lamar's layered vocals and the psychedelic synth sounds in the upper midrange. Beats says upgraded transducers improve high-frequency responses, and passive tuning helps maintain sound quality over wired and wireless connections. I concur.
Like every other pair in the Solo lineup, the Solo 4 are on-ear, so the cups sit on your ear instead of enveloping them like over-ear headphones. The Solo 3's cups are ever so slightly bigger, but the Solo 4's new UltraPlush ear cup padding is more comfortable.
Despite the new padding, I couldn't wear these cans for long. On-ear headphones have never been comfortable for me because I wear four earrings in each of my ears. After about 30 minutes of wear, the ear cups put too much pressure on my earrings, prompting me to take a break. The Solo 4's on-ear fit shouldn't bother listeners with glasses, but I'd avoid them if you have multiple ear piercings.
Jada Jones/ZDNET
The headphones don't have noise-canceling or transparency modes, but their passive noise isolation is impressive. If you think the transparency mode on other headphones let in too much noise and noise-canceling blocks too much noise, the Solo 4's natural noise isolation is the perfect middle ground.
The Solo 4 are the first pair in the Solo line to receive Personalized Spatial Audio, and I don't have much to say about it. I'm not a fan of spatial audio, and it drains your headphones' battery. The spatial audio feature works -- and it works well -- but I prefer regular audio. Speaking of battery life, the Solo4 headphones offer up to 50 hours of continuous playback, 10 more hours than Solo 3.
Also: Why I still recommend these Sonos headphones over competing models - including AirPods
Like the Beats Studio Pro, the Solo 4 have increased interoperability with iOS and Android devices. For iOS fans, the headphones offer iCloud pairing, full access to Siri, Find My, over-the-air software updates, and Handoff.
Android users can use Google Fast Pair, Bluetooth Multipoint, Google Find My Device, and the Beats companion app.
ZDNET's buying advice
The Beats Solo 4 headphones deliver style and functionality for music lovers. If you weren't a fan of Beats' signature sound in the past, I challenge you to give the Solo 4 a try -- they might change your mind. A note about their fit: if on-ear headphones are your preferred style, you can't go wrong with the Solo 4. But if you prefer over-ear headphones, you may find the Solo 4 uncomfortable.
If you're a loyal Beats fan but want Beats headphones with more premium features, try the Studio Pro; you can regularly find them for $250 or less.
If you want over-ear headphones in a similar price range with just as much focus on sound quality, consider the Sennheiser Accentum Plus or the Audio-Technica ATH-M50xBT2.
This article was originally published on April 30, 2024, and updated on July 14, 2025.