Odi Productions
In this article, I’m going to share my HONEST Beats Solo 4 review for those who are wondering whether they are WORTH IT in 2026. I’ll also be comparing the Beats Solo 4 vs Beats Studio Pro, Solo 3, Sony WH-CH720N, Apple AirPods Max 2, Bose QuietComfort, JBL Live 770NC, and more!
I’m going to do my best to share whether these headphones are worth it, and ideally who these headphones are for. I bought these headphones with my own money, and was NOT sponsored, paid, or received a free copy for review. All thoughts are my own.
I’ll be sharing my critical opinion with 10 years of experience as a professional music producer, audio engineer, and tech journalist. I also run the RecordingNow YouTube channel with over 25,000+ subscribers and over 5 million views.
Let’s dive right in!
Beats Solo 4 Headphones Review in Short
I would only consider the Beats Solo 4 on sale for $99 and below, due to the uncomfortable on-ear design and zero active noise cancellation. Otherwise, I recommend upgrading to the Beats Studio Pro which is better all-around in comfort, sound quality, and includes active noise cancelling. Competes with Sony WH-CH720N, Soundcore Space One, Apple AirPods Max 2, Bose QuietComfort, JBL Live 770NC, Anker Soundcore Space One Pro, Soundcore Space 2, Soundcore Space Q45, Sony ULT Wear, JBL Tune 770NC, and Skullcandy Crusher ANC 2.
Pros and Cons
- Surprisingly balanced sound profile
- 50-hour battery life
- Lightweight
- Uncomfortable on-ear design
- Clamping force is too strong
- No active noise cancelling
- Beats Studio Pro is a better buy
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Sound Quality
Full Sound Quality Test
The Beats Solo 4 has a surprisingly more balanced and mid-range focused sound profile than I was expecting.
If you were expecting the classic V-shaped heavy bass and treble with scooped mids, the Solo 4 is actually a bit more refined than that.
I actually like this vocal-forward and detailed tuning from the Solo 4, but I admit that I would like to hear more bass response, as the sub-bass is quite underwhelming.
Being an on-ear headphone as opposed to the larger over-ears like the Beats Studio Pro, the sound is also not as spacious in the soundstage, as there’s simply less space in the earcup.
Overall, the Solo 4 actually sounds a little better than I was expecting, but it’s definitely a clear cut below most over-ear headphones in sound quality.
Sound Quality Comparisons
vs Beats Studio Pro
Against the more expensive and over-ear Beats Studio Pro, the Solo 4 is clearly a class below in sound quality.
They both share similar mid-forward tuning that is not nearly as bass-heavy and consumer-friendly as the Beats brand was associated with in the past.
But the Studio Pro has both the benefits of acoustics in the physical space, and higher quality drivers.
The result is that the Studio Pro has better detail and higher resolution across the board, from the bass to the treble.
vs Beats Solo 3
The Beats Solo 4 is much-improved in sound quality over its predecessor, the Solo 3.
The Beats headphones from the Solo 3 era had more distortion from lower-quality drivers, and a less-refined tuning than the Solo 4 and Studio Pro.
The Solo 3 just ends up sounding muddier with less detail and clarity versus the newer Solo 4.
Sound Quality Score: 7.4 out of 10
Comfort
The Beats Solo 4 is one of the lightest in weight for the wireless noise cancelling headphones as weighed on my scale:
- Sony WH-CH720N – 186.4 grams
- Beats Solo 4 – 217.6 grams
- Sennheiser Accentum – 223.0 grams
- JBL Tune 720BT – 223.2 grams
- Sennheiser Accentum Plus – 225.8 grams
- JBL Tune 770NC – 227.1 grams
- Skullcandy Hesh ANC – 229.6 grams
- Bose QuietComfort – 236.1 grams
- Sony WH 1000XM5 – 245.9 grams
- Sony WH 1000XM4 – 251.6 grams
- Bose QuietComfort Ultra – 254.4 grams
- JBL Live 770NC – 254.5 grams
- Anker Soundcore Space One – 260.6 grams
- Anker Soundcore Space 2 – 262.8 grams
- Anker Soundcore Life Q30 – 264.6 grams
- Beats Studio Pro – 268.6 grams
- CMF Headphone Pro – 280.8 grams
- Anker Soundcore Space One Pro – 286.3 grams
- Sennheiser Momentum 4 – 292.9 grams
- Anker Soundcore Space Q45 – 297.5 grams
- Nothing Headphone (a) – 311.4 grams
- Sonos Ace – 318.1 grams
- Nothing Headphone (1) – 328.3 grams
- Skullcandy Crusher ANC 2 – 332.3 grams
- Apple AirPods Max – 387.8 grams
Now the Beats Solo 4 is one of the lightest, but this is mainly due to its smaller on-ear design versus the majority over-ear headphones we’ve tested.
Unfortunately, the smaller on-ear design combined with an overly-strong clamping force results in the Beats Solo 4 feeling a bit uncomfortable.
The on-ear design presses onto your ears directly, while over-ears surround the ear instead.
The earpad cushions are fairly decent in plushness to counteract the clamping force, but the headband puts quite a bit of pressure on the ears.
The plus side to this is that the Solo 4 is quite secure when wearing, which is an advantage for working out and movement.
Comfort Score: 5.0 out of 10
Features / Battery Life / Build Quality / Practicality
Features
The Beats Solo 4 was originally released in May 2024, so they have many modern wireless headphone features:
- Built-in microphones for taking calls
- Bluetooth 5.3
- Multi-point connection
- Personalized Spatial Audio
- Includes soft shell case
- Stereo cable
Are Beats Solo 4 Waterproof?
No, the Beats Solo 4 headphones do not carry an official IP rating for water or dust resistance, so it’s not recommended to get them wet.
Battery Life
The Beats Solo 4 has 50 hours of battery life and does not include ANC.
- Nothing Headphone (a) – 75 hours (ANC on), 135 hours (ANC off)
- Marshall Monitor III – 70 hours (ANC on), 100 hours (ANC off)
- Cambridge Audio Melomania P100 SE – 60 hours (ANC on), 100 hours (ANC off)
- Sennheiser HDB 630 – 60 hours
- Sennheiser Momentum 4 – 60 hours
- Sennheiser Momentum 5 – 57 hours
- Anker Soundcore Space 2 – 50 hours (ANC on), 70 hours (ANC off)
- Anker Soundcore Space Q45 – 50 hours (ANC on), 65 hours (ANC off)
- JBL Live 770NC – 50 hours (ANC on), 65 hours (ANC off)
- Sennheiser Accentum Plus – 50 hours (ANC on)
- Sennheiser Accentum – 50 hours (ANC on)
- Beats Solo 4 – 50 hours (no ANC included)
- JBL Tune 770NC – 44 hours (ANC on), 70 hours (ANC off)
- Anker Soundcore Space One Pro – 40 hours (ANC on), 60 hours (ANC off)
- Anker Soundcore Space One – 40 hours (ANC on), 55 hours (ANC off)
- Nothing Headphone (1) – 35 hours (ANC on), 80 hours (ANC off)
- Sony WH-1000XM6 – 30 hours (ANC on), 40 hours (ANC off)
- Bose QuietComfort Ultra (2nd Gen) – 30 hours
- Sony WH-1000XM5 and WH-1000XM4 – 30 hours
- Sonos Ace – 30 hours
- Bose QuietComfort Ultra (1st Gen) – 24 hours
- Apple AirPods Max 1 and 2 – 20 hours
In my testing, I found this rating to be accurate.
50 hours would be considered above average, but it’s important to note that the Solo 4 does NOT include noise cancelling, which uses up more battery in general (like the Studio Pro).
There is a fast-charge feature that adds 5 hours with just 10 minutes of charging time.
Build Quality
The Beats Solo 4 has surprisingly decent build quality thanks to a metal headband core and steel hinges.
Although the majority of the exterior is plastic (like most budget headphones), the use of metal underneath is actually a step above most budget headphones in this price range.
Handling the Solo 4, they actually feel pretty solid.
The previous over-ear Beats Studio 3 Wireless has a similar design and materials, and those lasted me years up till today, so I think that is a positive sign for the Solo 4’s longevity.
Practicality
The Beats Solo 4 makes for a solid daily driver and travel headphone due to its lightweight foldable design, that fits neatly into a very compact included softshell case.
The battery life is also strong.
But the major downside to the Solo 4 is that it does NOT have any true active noise cancelling or transparency mode.
This limits its effectiveness for travel, commuting, and studying.
Features / Battery Life / Build Quality / Practicality Score: 7.0 out of 10
Do Beats Solo 4 have noise cancelling?
The Beats Solo 4 does NOT include any Active Noise Cancelling technology or transparency mode, like the over-ear Beats Studio Pro or AirPods Max.
Because of this, the Solo 4 relies on its on-ear design and passive noise isolation to block sound.
The passive noise isolation from the on-ear cushions and strong clamping force does indeed block out some sound, but it’s not nearly as effective as true ANC technology.
Noise Cancelling Performance Score: 3.0 out of 10
Value
The Beats Solo 4 retails for $199.95 USD, but is frequently on sale down to $149.95 and even as low as $99 at its historical lowest price.
Honestly, I would never pay full price, and even at $150 I’d be hesitant.
The superior Beats Studio Pro has dropped down to as low as $149-$169, and I would highly recommend you just upgrade.
I think these start to make sense at $99, which is a pretty fair price for these.
At $150, there’s way too much competition from really good over-ear wireless headphones like JBL Live 770NC, Sony ULT Wear, and Sennheiser Accentum Plus, to name a few.
Value Score: 6.0 out of 10
Overall Scoring Breakdown
Sound Quality (50% of score): 7.4 / 10
Comfort (10% of score): 5.0 / 10
Features / Battery Life / Build Quality / Practicality (10% of score): 7.0 / 10
Noise Cancelling (20% of score): 3.0 / 10
Value (10% of score): 6.0 / 10
Overall: 6.10 / 10
Is the Beats Solo 4 Worth it?
Overall, I think the Beats Solo 4 is only worth it on sale for $99 and below.
I would personally skip it and try to find the more premium over-ear Beats Studio Pro for around $169 and below on sale.
With the Beats Studio Pro, you’ll get proper active noise cancelling and transparency mode that makes a massive difference out in the real-world and for traveling.
Some very strong alternatives in this class of wireless headphones are:
- Beats Studio Pro
- Sony WH-CH720N
- Apple AirPods Max 2
- Bose QuietComfort (2023 model)
- JBL Live 770NC
- JBL Tune 770NC
- Anker Soundcore Space Q45
- Anker Soundcore Space One
- Sennheiser Accentum
- Anker Soundcore Space 2
- Sony ULT Wear
- Anker Soundcore Space One Pro
- Sennheiser Momentum 4
- Sony WH-1000XM5
- Nothing Headphone (a)
- CMF Headphone Pro
- Skullcandy Crusher ANC 2
I highly recommend you check those out next!
Order HERE for the LOWEST PRICE AVAILABLE (Do NOT pay retail):
Save money with USED!
Disclosure: These affiliate links may provide a discount and in return, give us a commission in order to keep this website 100% independent to ensure honest unfiltered reviews 🙂
How We Tested and Our Methodology
RecordingNOW.com is a 100% independent publisher with over 10 years of experience testing and reviewing consumer electronics and headphones.
We currently purchase the products we test with our own money, and are not paid by any company or manufacturer to influence our opinions or decisions.
After purchasing the product, we conduct up to hundreds of hours of detailed hands-on testing in a controlled, acoustically-treated environment.
ODi Productions is our resident expert and author of this article, with 10 years of experience as a professional music producer, tech journalist, and audiophile.
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