One of the greatest tools in the Beats Solo Pro’s audio arsenal is its amazingly effective noise-canceling properties. The Beats Studio 3 is made using a blend of high-grade plastics and softer finishing materials. The headset has a soft-matter finish that provides both cushioning and passive grip for studio use.
Just tap the small button on the bottom of the left ear cup to toggle. The aforementioned joints mean that the headphones fold up nicely and won’t take up too much space in a bag. Beats bundles a stylish fabric soft case to protect the Solo Pros from getting scuffed during transit. You also get a Lightning charger, because Apple refuses to join the big, beautiful world of USB Type-C.
Compared to the Bose 700, I got cleaner details and an overall warmer presentation. Sign up for Lab Report to get the latest reviews and top product advice delivered right to your inbox. Lesley Chen is a San Francisco-based freelance writer who covers shopping, tech, health/fitness, travel, and general lifestyle topics. She’s written for BuzzFeed, Byrdie, PureWow, and Well + Good, among others. When not writing, she’s out looking for the flattest walking route around the city.
And yes, you can still get a colorful, eye-catching pair of cans. All you have to do to start the party is swipe up on the notification screen on your iPhone and hit the Airdrop symbol. From there, tap the Share Audio prompt and you’ll get a notification telling you to bring the second pair of headphones close to the iPhone. When I used the Powerbeats Pro, I was prompted to press the button inside the charging case.
The Beats Solo Pro offer better overall noise cancelling performance than the Microsoft Surface Headphones 2, but this is under optimal conditions. Since the Solo Pro is an on-ear headset, it’s unlikely that you’ll maintain a consistent fit as it jostles on your head as you walk around. If you want more reliable, albeit slightly less effective noise-cancelling, beats studio3 you should get the Surface Headphones 2. Microsoft’s headphones feature an over-ear design and they apply much less force to the sides of your head than the Beats on-ear headphones. If you want a headset for conference calls, few options are better than the Microsoft Surface Headphones 2, because they have very good microphone quality and an onboard mute switch.