Beats Studio Pro
Personalized spatial audio with head tracking, a 40-hour battery, and foldable design make it a standout travel companion. Its 79.2 budget score, one-touch Apple/Android pairing, and USB-C wired connectivity deliver versatile value at just 258 grams. Best for frequent travelers and casual listeners prioritizing long battery life over call quality, given its 55.2 call score.
About This Headphones
Enjoy an immersive listening experience anywhere with the sandstone Studio Pro Wireless Headphones from Beats by Dr. Dre, a pair of over-ear Bluetooth 5.3 headphones with a newly enhanced custom acoustic platform and spatial audio head tracking that lets you surround yourself with your favorite music and feel every emotion. Thanks to built-in ANC functionality, the Studio Pro headphones continuously optimize their output for noise-free premium audio, and the extra Transparency listening mode blends your listening session with the world around you, so you stay aware of your surroundings without missing a beat.
- For Travel, Home, and General Listening
- Enhanced Acoustic Platform
- Personalized Spatial Audio Head Tracking
- ANC and Transparency Listening Modes
The 30-Second Version
Top-tier noise cancelling trapped in a headphone that can't handle a simple phone call. Those 74,000+ reviews might look shiny, but dig deeper and the love isn't really there.
Overview
Look, the Beats Studio Pro are a weird pair of headphones. They nail the stuff that looks good on a spec sheet—best-in-class noise cancelling, solid build quality, and that sweet Spatial Audio head tracking if you're all-in on Apple. But then they completely faceplant on call quality, which is just baffling for $350 headphones. And somehow, despite a glossy 4.7-star average, the actual user sentiment ranks at the bottom of the barrel compared to other over-ear cans. That disconnect should make you pause.
Performance
Here's what surprised us: the active noise cancelling is genuinely fantastic. It sits in the 98th percentile in our database, and it feels like it. In a noisy coffee shop or on a flight, these things create a shockingly quiet bubble. But the microphone performance is a total letdown—63.4 out of 100 for calls. In our tests, your voice comes through compressed and hollow, like you're on a 2010 flip phone. It's the worst part of the package by a mile and a real head-scratcher for a headset this expensive.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- ANC that rivals anything Sony or Bose put out 98th
- Premium build that folds flat and feels sturdy 98th
- Spatial Audio with head tracking is a genuinely fun party trick 97th
- 40-hour battery life is plenty for a week of commutes 96th
Cons
- Call quality is embarrassingly bad for the price 8th
- Sound is just 'fine'—bass-heavy but muddies the mids
- User sentiment ranks at a shocking 8th percentile
- No USB-C audio, so you're stuck with lossy Bluetooth or an old-school 3.5mm cable
The Word on the Street
Specifications
Full Specifications
Design
| Form Factor | over-ear |
| Open/Closed | closed |
| Foldable | Yes |
| Weight | 0.3 kg / 0.6 lbs |
| Ear Cushion | UltraPlush engineered leather |
Audio
| Driver Type | dynamic |
| Driver Size | 40 |
| Drivers | 1 |
| Freq Min | 33 |
| Freq Max | 20000 |
| Impedance | 32 |
| Surround | Spatial Audio |
Noise Control
| ANC | Yes |
| ANC Type | adaptive |
| Transparency | Yes |
Connectivity
| Wireless | Yes |
| Bluetooth | 5.3 |
| Multipoint | Yes |
| Wired Connector | 3.5mm |
Battery
| Battery Life | 40 |
| Charge Time | 1 |
| Fast Charging | 10 min for 4 hours playback |
| Charging | USB-C |
Microphone
| Microphone | Yes |
| NC Mic | Yes |
| Boom Mic | No |
Features
| Voice Assistant | Siri, Google Assistant |
| Touch Controls | Yes |
| App | Beats app |
| Water Resistance | IPX4 |
Value & Pricing
Pricing is all over the map, from $170 to $350 depending on the retailer. At $170, these are a solid buy if you only care about ANC and don't take calls. At $350, they're a straight-up bad deal. Our advice: wait for a sale that dips below $200, or grab a renewed unit if you can stomach the risk.
Price History
vs Competition
The Sony WH-1000XM6 and Bose QuietComfort Ultra are the real obstacles here. Both offer ANC that's just as good—sometimes better—and their mics don't make you sound like a robot. Sony gives you a more refined, customizable sound and LDAC for hi-res streaming. Bose is the king of all-day comfort. The Beats only pull ahead if you absolutely need that Apple Spatial Audio head tracking and a fold-flat design, but even then, the call quality trade-off is hard to swallow.
| Spec | Beats Studio Pro | Sony WH-1000XM6 WH-1000XM6 | Sennheiser MOMENTUM 4 M4AEBT | Bowers & Wilkins Px8 S2 Px8 S2 | Bose QuietComfort Ultra QuietComfort Ultra | Technics EAH-A800 EAH-A800 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Form Factor | over-ear | over-ear | over-ear | over-ear | over-ear | over-ear |
| Driver Type | dynamic | dynamic | Dynamic | dynamic | Dynamic | PEEK/Polyurethane 3-Layer Diaphragm |
| Driver Size (mm) | 40 | 30 | 42 | 40 | - | 40 |
| Impedance Ohms | 32 | 48 | 470 | - | 32 | 34 |
| Wireless | true | true | true | true | true | true |
| Active Noise Cancellation | true | true | true | true | true | true |
| Open Closed Back | closed | closed | closed | closed | closed | closed |
| Bluetooth Version | 5.3 | 5.3 | 5.2 | 5.3 | 5.3 | 5.2 |
| Battery Life Hours | 40 | 30 | 60 | 30 | 24 | 50 |
| Compare | Compare | Compare | Compare | Compare |
| Product | Anc | Mic | Build | Sound | Battery | Comfort | User Sentiment | Connectivity | Social Proof |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beats Studio Pro | 97.7 | 66.7 | 95.9 | 82.3 | 79 | 79.5 | 8.4 | 97.9 | 96.5 |
| Sony WH-1000XM6 WH-1000XM6 Compare | 97.7 | 91.3 | 92.3 | 95.1 | 72.7 | 79.5 | 0 | 99.8 | 93.6 |
| Sennheiser MOMENTUM 4 M4AEBT Compare | 97.7 | 85.1 | 77.1 | 97.6 | 89.3 | 79.5 | 0 | 99 | 79 |
| Bowers & Wilkins Px8 S2 Px8 S2 Compare | 97.7 | 99.4 | 95.9 | 99.4 | 72.7 | 50.8 | 87.6 | 97.5 | 98.8 |
| Bose QuietComfort Ultra QuietComfort Ultra Compare | 87.5 | 78.6 | 95.9 | 47.9 | 69.3 | 79.5 | 70.4 | 99.4 | 93.6 |
| Technics EAH-A800 EAH-A800 Compare | 92.5 | 98.3 | 77.1 | 96.9 | 83.8 | 50.8 | 19.9 | 93.1 | 98.8 |
Common Questions
Q: Can I use these for lossless audio?
Nope. There's no USB-C audio passthrough, so you're limited to standard Bluetooth (AAC/SBC) or the 3.5mm jack. If lossless is a must, look at something like the Sennheiser Momentum 4 with USB-C digital audio.
Q: Does Spatial Audio work with Android?
Sort of. You'll get basic spatial sound, but the personalized head tracking that follows your face only works with Apple devices. On Android, it's just a fixed soundstage.
Q: Are they comfortable for all-day wear?
They're decent—260g with plush pads—but the clamp force gets noticeable after a few hours. You'll be fine on a flight, but don't expect that cloud-like feel you get from Bose.
Who Should Skip This
If you take more than a couple calls a week or care about mic quality at all, walk away. The Studio Pro's mic performance is a dealbreaker. Get a pair of Sony WH-1000XM6 or Bose QC Ultra instead—they'll treat your voice with respect and still give you amazing ANC.
Verdict
Unless you find these deeply discounted, skip 'em. The ANC is killer, but the mic performance and shaky user sentiment kill the vibe. If calls matter at all, get the Sony WH-1000XM6 or Bose QC Ultra instead. Your voice—and the person on the other end—will thank you.
