The Beats Solo Buds True Wireless are a relatively affordable pair of earbuds within the brand's lineup. They come in four sleek colors, including a 'Transparent Red' that lets you see the electronics inside the buds' case. There's not much to see, though, as the tiny case—Beats' smallest yet — doesn't include a battery for charging the buds on the go. Instead, Beats advertises the buds themselves have an extended 18-hour battery life. You can charge them directly from your phone, tablet, or laptop if you need to top them up. They also support quick pairing and automatic pre-pairing with both Apple and Android ecosystems. So, do these buds pack a big sound despite their small size? Have Beats cut one too many corners in search of a low price in a tiny package? Read on to find out.
Our Verdict
The Beats Solo Buds True Wireless are decent for neutral sound. They have a generally neutral sound profile with a boost in the mid-range that brings voices forward but can also make them sound honky and harsh. They have enough bass to ensure mixes sound full. Their treble range is a bit recessed relative to their prominent mid-range but has a large peak that can make sibilants sound piercing. Their companion app doesn't have an EQ or other sound customization features to help you adjust their sound to your liking. Since they're in-ears, their passive soundstage isn't very speaker-like.
- Deliver audio very consistently.
- No EQ or other sound customization features.
The Beats Solo Buds True Wireless are good for commuting and traveling. With an impressive 18-hour battery life, they'll see you through all but the very longest journeys, and their small size and tiny carrying case will easily fit into any pocket. They leak almost no audio, even at high volumes, so fellow passengers won't be annoyed by your audio. On the other hand, since they don't have ANC, these buds do a very poor job of blocking out engine rumble. Their carrying case also doesn't supply any extra charges.
- Long 18-hour continuous battery life.
- Fantastic leakage performance.
- Buds and carrying case are both small and lightweight.
- Carrying case doesn't hold extra charges.
- No ANC.
The Beats Solo Buds True Wireless are great for sports and fitness. These small, lightweight buds offer a comfortable fit and long battery life, ensuring you stay powered throughout all-day excursions. The buds are certified IPX4 against water splashes, so you can take them out on a rainy day jog. On the other hand, they lack stability fins, and their seal can be compromised by intense head movement, which reduces their sound quality.
- Long 18-hour continuous battery life.
- Buds and carrying case are both small and lightweight.
IPX4 rating.
- Carrying case doesn't hold extra charges.
The Beats Solo Buds True Wireless are decent for office use. They're small enough to pop into any pocket, even when they're in their case, and their 18-hour battery life means you can get through long days at the office without recharging. Their fantastic leakage performance means you can blast tunes without anyone around you hearing them. On the other hand, their mic is disappointing, they don't have ANC, and they don't support true multi-device pairing, so while you can connect them to two devices at a time, you can't hear audio from both your PC and smartphone simultaneously.
- Long 18-hour continuous battery life.
- Fantastic leakage performance.
- Buds and carrying case are both small and lightweight.
- Disappointing microphone.
- No ANC.
- No true multi-device pairing.
The Beats Solo Buds True Wireless are Bluetooth-only headphones with high latency on PCs, making them unsuitable for gaming. On the other hand, they provide over 18 hours of continuous audio playback and have a comfortable fit.
The Beats Solo Buds True Wireless are truly wireless earbuds; you can't use them wired.
The Beats Solo Buds True Wireless are acceptable for phone calls. Their integrated mic is disappointing and does a mediocre job of separating your speech from background noise. If you need to take calls from busy offices or trains, your conversation partner will find your voice hard to understand. On the upside, these buds have a fantastic leakage performance, so people around you won't hear what the person on the other end of the line is saying.
- Fantastic leakage performance.
- Disappointing microphone.
Changelog
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Updated Nov 20, 2025:
The Build Quality and Sports/Fitness verdict sections were corrected to state that these have an IPX4 rating.
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Updated Jan 06, 2025:
Several Sound tests have been updated following Test Bench 1.8. There have also been text changes made throughout the review, including to the usages and product comparisons to match these results.
- Updated Dec 16, 2024: We've converted this review to Test Bench 1.8, which updates our target curve and Sound tests. You can read more about this in our changelog.
- Updated Jul 26, 2024: We made small changes to the text for clarity and style.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The Beats Solo Buds True Wireless come in four colors: 'Matte Black,' 'Storm Grey,' 'Arctic Purple,' and 'Transparent Red.' You can see our model's label here. If you come across another variant of these headphones, please let us know in the comments.
Popular Headphones Comparisons
The Beats Solo Buds True Wireless' standout feature is their 18-hour continuous battery life. This is much longer than comparable earbuds in their price range, like the OnePlus Buds 3 Truly Wireless, which provide just less than seven hours off a single charge. The downside is that the Beats' case doesn't contain any extra charges, so their overall battery life is much lower than the OnePlus' 40 hours. On the other hand, the Solo Buds don't have active noise cancelling (ANC), unlike more expensive headphones in the Beats lineup, like the Beats Fit Pro True Wireless. Still, these headphones support quick and automatic pairing with other devices in your Apple or Android ecosystems, unlike their more expensive cousins, the Beats Studio Buds + True Wireless.
Check out our recommendations for the best wireless Bluetooth earbuds, the best Beats headphones, the best budget and cheap wireless earbuds, and the best wireless Bluetooth earbuds under $100.
The Beats Solo Buds and the Beats Fit Pro True Wireless are designed for different purposes, although both feature IPX4 ratings against water splashes. The Fit Pro are meant for working out and have added stability fins. On the other hand, the Solo deliver audio more consistently between wears and can be connected to two devices at once (though you can only listen to audio from one device at a time). The Fit Pro also have a more neutral sound with less honk in the mid-range, but they're significantly more expensive than the Solo.
The Beats Solo Buds are slightly worse headphones than the Beats Studio Buds + True Wireless. Not only do the Buds + have ANC and do a much better job blocking out engine rumble, they also have easier-to-use controls and a case with extra charges. On the other hand, the Solo Buds have a much longer continuous battery life, and they deliver audio much more consistently from wear to wear.
The Beats Solo Buds are better for most people than the Apple AirPods (3rd generation). The Beats have much better battery life and significantly better compliance with our target curve in the bass range. The in-ear Beats also do a much better job blocking out office chatter and A/C hum, and they offer four sizes of silicone tips if you don't like the one-size-fits-all earbuds of the AirPods. However, the AirPods have more Apple-centric OS features and a carrying case with extra recharges.
The Beats Solo Buds are slightly better than the Beats Studio Buds True Wireless. The Solo have better noise isolation, a better mic, and a far superior battery life. They also supply more thump in the bass, which might be important for anyone who chooses Beats because of their famed low-end. On the other hand, the Studio Buds deliver audio a little more consistently.
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