Beats Studio Buds+ have a sweet new transparent finish
The Beats Studio Buds+ follow on from Beats' best-selling Studio Buds wireless headphones
The Beats Studio Buds+ follow on from Beats’ best-selling Studio Buds wireless headphones with a new (and previously leaked) transparent finish as well as upgraded audio. The earphones cost $170/£180 and are also available in black and ivory, too.
The active noise cancelling (ANC) and transparency modes have been enhanced thanks to new mics, a new chipset (though it isn’t an Apple H1 chip as in the AirPods lineup and Beats Fit Pro), three new vents to decrease pressure and improve audio quality though increased air movement. The 3x larger mics should also improve call quality, too.
The buds are IPX4-rated, so sweat- and water-resistant. Getting them wet will be fine, but they won’t survive a prolonged dunk. There’s a fourth ear tip (XS, S, M and L) to improve general fit, too, while the case and buds together can now last for 36 hours. That’s 27 from the case and 9 hours per charge of the earbuds themselves, which considering how diminutive they are, is impressive.
As you’d expect from Beats gear, they’re fully compliant with both iOS and Android and will fast pair with both (Google Fast Pair is supported). If you’re on iOS, they’ll be auto-detected just as if you were using AirPods.
Coincidentally, the new earphones do support spatial audio if you’re listening to Apple Music as well as Hey Siri or Hey Google commands depending on which mobile OS you’re using. They’ll also work with Apple’s FindMy and Google Find My Device, though not with precision finding so you’ll just see the last-known location.
You can see the design video here:
We’ve got the new earphones in house (sadly not the transparent ones!) and we’ll be bringing you a full review soon. If you’re in the US, they’re available now. If you’re in the UK, they will be available to order from 12 June.
Dan Grabham
Editor-in-Chief 
