Comfort, convenience and pocketability are my priorities above many of the other features you can find in truly wireless earbuds, and these appear to be some of the elements Beats has prioritised the most in its latest launch: the brand-new Beats Solo Buds, which cost an affordable £79.
I’ve been testing them for almost a week, comparing them to their key rivals and the range of existing Beats buds to see how they line up. Are these super small and simple buds the best pick for you? Are they the AirPods alternative you’ve been waiting for? Read on to find out.
Firstly, what are the benefits of the Beats Solo Buds? They’re among the most compact options I’ve ever tested with the ultra-tiny storage case being even slimmer and smaller than the case for Apple’s AirPods Pro. You won’t have any trouble slipping them into a small jeans pocket to bring with you for the day.
They’ve got fast pairing with both Apple and Android devices, work within Apple’s Find My setup and have Android Find My Device support. They come with four sizes of ear tips, there’s a USB-C port for charging and a long battery life.
However, they lack certain appealing features like noise-cancelling, a transparency mode, or automatic in-ear detection. Their case is also non-traditional and doesn’t contain extra juice to recharge the bud batteries when not used (more on that later).
Like other Beats models, they come in several fun colours: there’s black, “Transparent Red”, “Arctic Purple” and “Storm Grey’ (which is the colour I reviewed).
Beats Solo Buds: Comfort and design
If you’re after the basics, comfort for long wearing is essential. That’s one of the first things I could tell when trying these out and comparing them to the Beats Studio Buds (£129) and Studio Buds Plus (£179) – the comfort has been improved and they’re made in a way that’s easier to get each bud out of the carry case.
The bud shape is ergonomic but I found them chunky. They stuck out of my ears in a way that feels noticeable.
It’s important to note too that the carry case is just that. Unlike rivals, the buds don’t recharge once put in the case, they just disconnect from the connected device when the lid is closed.
For control, you’ve got a simple button on each bud. By default, a long press triggers your phone’s voice assistant (Siri or Google Assistant) but it can also be set to turn the volume up or down with a long press on either side. That’s handy, and something I turned on right away.
As mentioned, these have quick pairing for your Apple and Google devices, which is a handy feature. You can also put both buds in the case and hold down the buttons simultaneously to quickly pair with other devices that aren’t on your Google or Apple accounts. This is a quick and simple process.
They won’t auto-switch between devices using Bluetooth multipoint, though; you need to select them again from the menu each time.
Beats Solo Buds: Battery life and features
Battery life is one of the major selling points of the Beats Solo Buds. On a single charge, they’re rated to deliver a full 18 hours of playback. This is impressive, and you’ll find that many of the best earbuds tend to last for a maximum of 10 hours on a single charge, replenishing the juice each time they go back into the case.
These are different because they don’t have any battery in the case but can last for almost an entire day with the batteries in the buds alone. This may account for their slightly chunkier size, but as mentioned, they’re soft, contoured and comfortable – I haven’t had any trouble with wearing them for the whole day during work. Are you really going to listen for 18 hours straight, though?
When they’re down to less than 10% battery, they make a little chirp when put in their carry case. They also signal to you with an audible alert when they’re running low. Just pop them onto a USB-C cable (this isn’t provided, however) to charge them up via a wall adapter or power bank.
They can also charge with power from your laptop or phone if you connect the cable directly to the USB-C port. They’re quick to refuel – a five-minute charge should get you an hour of battery life.
Beats Solo Buds: Sound quality
It’s a shame there’s no noise-cancelling or transparency, but those are battery-draining features and you may not want them anyway. In terms of sound isolation, these are very good for a passive seal and keep out the loud sounds of my commute on the train in the morning.
I did also notice a handful of bugs that will hopefully be remedied with a firmware update, but during even my brief tests I experienced some times when the connection wavered and dropped out while walking through busy areas.
What about the sound quality for music and podcasts, though? It’s reasonable but unspectacular. I’d describe the sound as bouncy and well-tuned for popular music, but lacking depth.
Depending on whether or not you’re an audiophile, you may not notice a difference between these and more expensive rivals, but I have tested several excellent buds and think that these Beats are beaten on sound quality by some of the more affordable competition.
To test them out, I listened to loads of music and spoken word content, and I’ve found that they do sound better than the Studio Buds but not as good as the Studio Buds + or Fit Pro from Beats (both of which feature in the GHI’s roundup of the best headphones for workouts).
For a lower cost but better sound, I’d recommend going for the Sony WF-C500 or the Final Audio ZE3000, both of which are simple, no-frills buds with excellent sound quality for the price.
Good Housekeeping’s verdict on the Beats Solo Buds
Overall, I think the Beats Solo Buds are a solid option considering their ear tip sizes, compact case, longevity, portability, comfort, fun colour range and convenience. It’s great that they offer seamless setup and “Find My” features no matter whether you’re an iPhone or Android user, and they deliver an impressive 18-hour battery life on a single charge.
However, they’re far from the only option when it comes to budget earbuds — there are so many good headphones under £50 out there. You can find pairs with a much better sound quality at a lower price and they’re also not the smallest or most compact buds (despite having an ultra-tiny case). They don’t offer much when it comes to extra features or app support either.
If you’re sure you just want the basics, though, these work well and I think the sound and control is more than good enough for most of us wanting ease of use when putting on a playlist or podcast.
Beats Solo Buds
Nothing Ear (a)
Now 20% Off
Simon Cocks is Hearst UK’s Technology Ecommerce Editor, overseeing tech shopping content and strategy across a range of titles including Good Housekeeping UK, Esquire UK, Digital Spy, Men’s Health UK and Women’s Health UK.
Simon specialises in testing the latest smart gadgets, home entertainment gear, headphones, speakers, portable chargers, radios, ebook readers and smartphones. He’s reviewed top tech products from brands including Google, Apple, Amazon, JBL and Bose.
A magazine journalism graduate from Kingston University in 2014, Simon also worked on the Discovery and Silkroad inflight magazines. He then gained experience writing about entertainment at SFX and Total Film. He also contributed reviews and interviews to TwitchFilm (later ScreenAnarchy), CultBox and Frame Rated.
He joined Good Housekeeping UK as the Editorial Assistant for Special Projects and was part of Good Housekeeping’s Consumer Affairs Team between 2014 and 2019. In this role, he conducted price comparison research, wrote detailed household and money-saving advice guides and edited thousands of in-depth reviews for the Good Housekeeping Institute.
He has focused on technology and gadgets since 2020, where he started by testing out power banks and instant cameras. He writes reviews, roundups, news articles and deals updates, and also covers top tech deals during sales like Amazon Prime Day, Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
When not testing out the latest gizmos, you’ll find Simon either catching up with the newest releases at his local cinema or out shooting with his beloved compact camera.
You can follow Simon on Instagram at @simonrcocks, on Threads at @simonrcocks, and on Twitter/X at @simoncocks.
