Beats Solo Buds Review: Impressive Sound Without Breaking the Bank, But at What Cost?

Beats recently made its debut in the Indian market, nearly a decade after being acquired by Apple in 2014. Beats began its journey in India with the launch of three premium audio products, including the Beats Solo Headphones, the Beats Pill Bluetooth speaker, and Beats Solo Buds, which is the focus of this review.

With a price tag of Rs 5,590 (launch price Rs 6,900), the Beats Solo Buds are more accessible than Apple's AirPods. They appear to be well positioned in a highly competitive market. I have been using the Beats Solo Buds for a couple of weeks now, and here are my thoughts.

Design

Straight off the bat, the Beats Solo Buds feature a compact and minimalist theme. The pill-shaped case is quite compact and easily fits into the smallest of pockets and has a single USB Type-C cable on the back. The earbuds come in Matte Black, Arctic Purple, Storm Gray, and Transparent Red shades.

Our Matte Black version had a white Beats logo on the top of the lid, while a USB Type-C port sat at the back. The plastic hinge does feel firm, while the strong magnetics inside keep the earbuds secure. It was nearly impossible to get the buds to fall out of the case. Moving on to the buds themselves, which weigh at just 5.7 grams each and sit snuggly in the ear.

Despite over three hours of usage, I didn't feel any fatigue kicking in, making the earbuds quite comfortable to use. Rather than touch controls, the Beats Solos Buds opt for physical buttons on each bud to control playback and adjust volume. I did find it harder to control playback using the physical buttons while cycling. Lastly, the earbuds come in Arctic Purple, Matte Black, Storm Gray, and Transparent Red colour options.

Software

The Beats app is available on both Android and iOS and allows you to easily customize controls as per convenience. Apart from the easily accessible controls, you can also see the battery percentage of the earbuds in the app. You can adjust volume, control playback, answer calls, mute and unmute the volume, and access the voice assistant using the app.

However, the app doesn't include an equalizer to customize the sound as per your preference. Additionally, the app also shows you the last location of your earbuds. Overall, the Beats app doesn't bring much to the table apart from helping you easily navigate the earbuds' controls.

Sound Quality

The Beats Solo Buds TWS headset features a dynamic driver with a two-layer design and custom acoustics, complete with vents that minimize air pressure for a more comfortable wearing experience. These earbuds offer an impressive soundstage, performing well across various music genres like rock, pop, R&B, and classical.

Their bold and dynamic sound makes them a great match for modern music styles, including pop, hip-hop, EDM, and country. While they might not provide the refined, richer sound profiles found in premium buds from brands like Sony or Sennheiser, they still deliver solid audio quality for their price.

That said, ensuring a tight seal is essential to fully experience their sonic potential, as they may lack a bit of the precision and accuracy that higher-end models offer. You will have to rely on passive noise isolation to block out ambient sound as there's no noise cancellation on the Solo Buds. But you won't miss it too much indoors so long as you achieve a snug fit.

Call quality on the Beats Solo Buds is decent as I rarely faced issues hearing the person on the other end, while no one ever complained about not being able to hear me, which made it quite convenient to use around the house. Outdoor calling can get a little tricky in too much traffic but without the rumbling of engines or constant blaring of horns.

Battery

The Beats Solo Buds are touted to deliver up to 18 hours of playback on a single charge. In our testing, we got around 15 hours with mixed usage, which for us included listening to music and podcasts, gaming, and calling.

Unfortunately, the compact case doesn't include a battery, which means the only way of charging the earbuds is through the USB Type-C port on the case. On the flip side, it does support quick charging, offering one hour of playback on a 5-minute charge. At its current price, there's no surprise wireless charging is missing from the Beats Solo Buds.

Verdict

The Beats Solo Buds certainly delivers on its promise of performance. Audio quality is balanced and consistent with thumping bass. Moreover, they are nice and compact and extremely comfortable to use, while offering excellent battery life and snappy charging support. It is compatible with both iOS and Android, while the app is simple and easy to navigate.

However, that's not to say that these earbuds are without their shortcomings. The lack of active noise cancellation, an equalizer, and multipoint Bluetooth pairing was a major letdown, although the absence of ANC didn't come as a surprise. And while the buds themselves offer excellent battery life, the battery-less case can be rather inconvenient.

If you are looking for a comfortable pair of true wireless earbuds with great sound quality and excellent battery life, then the Beats Solo Buds are worth considering. Several music apps now incorporate equalizers to help to tailor the sound, so the only major downside is the lack of ANC. That being said, I'd still give the Beats Solo Buds a recommendation based on audio quality and comfort.