Beats Solo 3 Review

The incredible battery life of the Beats Solo 3 headphones makes them better than any other on-ear headphones for iPhone 7 users. They’re pricey and a little heavy on bass, but the Beats Solo 3’s 40-hour battery life is well worth it. The Beats Solo 3 headphones sound pretty good, and while they do include iPhone-specific features, they’re priced at over $299.

Bluetooth headphones have been a hot topic ever since Apple ditched the iPhone’s headphone jack when it introduced the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. For years I ignored Beats headphones, preferring and recommending Bose, Plantronics and Sennheiser headphones over the flashy Beats brand. All that changed after I used Beats Solo 3 headphones myself. While the Beats Solo 3 headphones aren’t the best price point, I would recommend this product to people with multiple Apple devices as long as they don’t mind spending a little extra for comfort.

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Beats Solo 3 headphones look almost identical to Beats Solo 2 headphones. The old earbuds only last 12 hours on a single charge, less than a third of the new model. This is because the new Beats Solo 3 includes Apple’s W1 wireless chip. This is the same chip found inside Apple’s AirPod earbuds. Apple owns Beats, meaning Beats will be the only premium headphone brand with the W1 chip and the incredible battery life it offers.

Beat Solo 3 Value

Popular Bose QC 35 Alongside Beats Solo 3

I really enjoy my Bose QuietComfort 35 headphones, but they’re a little too big to carry around without thinking twice about where to put them. The news that the Beat Solo 3 headphones will have 40 hours of playback time between charges really caught my attention. I also wanted a more compact headphone. I just couldn’t justify the $299 for the Beats Solo 3 without active noise canceling. Fortunately, Amazon.com has slashed the price to $219 in a recent sale, I made them a little tastier and bought my first set of Beats headphones. That’s still a lot of money to spend on headphones, but I feel like I got my money’s worth as I use them a little more on the go than my Bose headphones.

Spending $299 on a pair of headphones is a pretty serious investment, and people are usually willing to make such a purchase. If you’re a frequent traveler, you might be better suited with noise-cancelling headphones like the Bose QuietComfort 35 headphones, which retail for $349.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hiNNGG24UA

Beats By Dre headphones are loud in more ways than one. Dr. Dre and company have long marketed Beats headphones with a combination of flashy ads, celebrity endorsements, and embedding products in music videos. Many Beats headphones come in striking color combinations. I prefer more reserved headphones and I don’t like flashing giant logos when I go out.

I chose the black-on-black Beats Solo 3, which is as reserved as it gets. The logos are almost invisible, which helps me feel like a less wannabe hip-hop artist when I wear them. The black finish is glossy and attracts fingerprints. Bose offers matte black, which is probably a better choice.
Beats Solo 3 headphones are made almost entirely of plastic. While the design is modern enough, the plastic wrap doesn’t exactly show off the premium earphones and makes them feel cheap when I put them on or fold them.


The headphones fold into a pretty small package that fits easily in my jacket pocket or laptop bag. One thing to note is that the Beats Solo 3 doesn’t have a bunch of visible controls like other popular premium headphones. There is only the power button on the right earcup. The volume up and down buttons on the left earcup are hidden in the black circle around the Beats logo. The logo itself acts as a multi-function button that can be used to pause music, skip tracks, answer calls and activate Siri.

Beats Solo 3 Review: Setup, Sound and Battery Performance

Pairing Bluetooth devices like wireless headphones can be a pain for some people. You don’t need to navigate iOS settings or MacOS system preferences to install Beats Solo 3. Instead, simply turn on the headphones and a prompt will appear on your Apple device’s screen asking if you want to connect to Beats Solo 3. Click ‘yes’ and the earphones are essentially paired with all your other Apple devices. .
If you expect absolutely great sound from these headphones, you may be disappointed. While they sound pretty good compared to most inexpensive headphones, I still prefer the overall sound quality of the Bose QC35 and other premium over-ear headphones. Beats Solo 3 is not designed to hug your ears, which means you will hear ambient noise.

One area where the Beats Solo 3 beats the competition is battery life. I’ve been using the Beats Solo 3 headphones with my iPhone 7 Plus, iPad Pro, and MacBook Pro ever since I got them, and it took me two weeks to charge them. While I don’t keep track of exactly how many hours I use them between charges, they definitely last more than 40 hours per advertised charge. I was listening to music for two hours while working one afternoon and the battery level dropped by only three percent. A feature called Fast Fuel ensures that the Beats Solo 3 headphone batteries charge enough for three hours of music playback in just five minutes. On a recent trip to New York, my son wanted to use Beats Solo 3 headphones with his iPad mini. They had no charge, so I plugged them into a portable battery before takeoff. Once we got to cruising altitude, I gave him the earplugs and the iPad and he got ready for the rest of the five-hour flight.

While you won’t need to charge the Beats Solo 3 headphones as often, you will need to use a micro USB cable to do so. This is not something most iPhone users are ready for. It would be very logical to charge a headset specially designed for iPhone users through the Lightning connector.

The Beats Solo 3 headphones come with an audio cable that can be used with MacBooks, iPads, and iPhones that have a standard headphone jack. If you want to use an adapter, you can also use these headphones with iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus. The cable has volume controls and an additional control button that can activate Siri.

Android users should avoid the Beats Solo 3 headphones, as many features are exclusive to Apple. If you’re a music buff or an avid music fan, you probably want to stay away from Beats Solo 3. Most people will be overjoyed with how clear their music sounds, especially if they’re listening in relatively quiet environments. If the Beats Solo 3 headphones sound like something you’re looking for, I suggest you wait to buy them until you find them under the $299 MSRP. Apple certainly has huge margins on Beats headphones, and you’ll be overpaying if you buy them at full retail price.