The first true wireless headphones from Beats (and, by extension, Apple) under €100.
Starting today, the $79.99 Solo Buds have been uploaded to the official US Apple Store in four different colors — black , purple , red , and gray — and will be available in US stores on June 20 .
Information regarding the price and release date of the Beats Solo Buds in Greece has not been officially announced yet. However, given that the official price in the US is $79.99, it is expected that the price in Greece will be similar, adjusted for local tax and customs differences.
For the exact price and release date in Greece, it would be a good idea to follow the announcements from the official Apple and Beats representatives in Greece or contact an authorized store directly.
The red earbuds have one advantage over the others: they include a translucent case that's reminiscent of the one that came with the Studio Buds Plus. The earbuds themselves are opaque, but it's still a great look. Whichever color you choose, it's the smallest carrying case for any Beats headphone to date.
There are obvious compromises — like a charging case with no extra battery power — but the price and cultural value of Beats are likely to guarantee the success of the Solo Buds.
But here’s one of the compromises the company made to achieve that lower price point. You see, unlike almost every competitor on the market, this case doesn’t include a battery to recharge the earbuds when you’re storing them. Instead, Beats decided to give the earbuds themselves an 18-hour battery life , after which you’ll have to place them in the case and recharge them via USB-C. In theory, this could help the Solo Buds last longer, as they’re likely to go through fewer charge cycles over their lifespan. But it’s something important to know.
The other feature that's missing is noise cancellation. The Solo 4 earbuds don't have ANC, and the Solo Buds similarly rely on the natural noise isolation of the earbuds' silicone tips to reduce the volume of your surroundings. Beats includes four sets of tips with them, including an extra-small size for those who need it.
In terms of sound, these headphones are comfortably in third place compared to the Beats Fit Pro and Studio Buds Plus.
As with most recent Beats products, the Solo Buds are platform-agnostic, meaning they natively support one-touch pairing and Find My/Find My Device on both Android and iOS. These are nice perks for the price, even if you don't get any of the extra features like head tracking for surround sound. Multi-room connectivity is also absent.
The Solo Buds are likely to sell very well. Even if the sound isn't great, there's no denying the appeal of the $79.99 price tag. And Beats still has a lot of market power with athletes and celebrities. But there are plenty of alternatives worth checking out. Beats faces competition from Anker (with its Soundcore brand), JBL, EarFun , and others in this price range, and many of those options include noise cancellation and come with a battery case — albeit without the 18-hour battery life.
Source: theverge
