The Beats Solo Pro Wireless are very well-built on-ear headphones with a sleek, premium-looking design. They have a fairly neutral, although slightly excited sound profile, and a very good active noise cancellation feature that does a good job of blocking out ambient sound. However, their fit is very tight for some people, which can be uncomfortable, and they can only be used via Bluetooth out-of-the-box as the included charging cable doesn't provide audio. On the upside, their continuous battery life of 24 hours should be more than enough for most people.
Our Verdict
The Beats Solo Pro are decent for neutral sound. They have a well-balanced sound profile, although it's a bit on the excited side with some extra bass and treble. However, they deliver sound quite consistently, and the peaks and dips in the response aren't very audible. However, their on-ear design isn't great for a very wide and natural soundstage.
- Very well-built design.
- Fairly neutral sound profile, although a bit excited.
- No EQ or presets.
The Beats Solo Pro are decent for commuting. These on-ears have a great ANC feature that blocks a lot of ambient noise. Their continuous battery life is also very long and should be more than enough for long flights. However, they may be uncomfortable for some because they fit fairly tightly.
- Great battery life.
- Great isolation performance.
- Tight fit may not be comfortable.
- Not very portable.
The Beats Solo Pro are satisfactory for sports. They fit tightly and don't trap as much heat as over-ear headphones. They aren't the most portable, but you should still be able to fit them in most gym bags easily. They aren't as good as in-ears or earbuds for working out, but if you prefer on-ear headphones, they're a decent option for this use.
- Great battery life.
- Great isolation performance.
- Tight fit may not be comfortable.
- Not very portable.
The Beats Solo Pro are okay for office use. They block out a lot of ambient chatter and work environment noises thanks to their ANC feature. However, they aren't the most comfortable option to wear for long periods because of their tight fit, and they can't connect to two devices simultaneously, which is disappointing. On the upside, their long continuous battery life means you probably don't need to charge them every day.
- Very well-built design.
- Great battery life.
- Great isolation performance.
- Sub-par recording quality.
- No audio cable included.
- Tight fit may not be comfortable.
The Beats Solo Pro are compatible with Bluetooth-enabled PCs, but their latency is likely too high to be suitable for wireless gaming. They aren't compatible with Xbox One or PS4 consoles.
These headphones can't be used wired and therefore can't be used for wired gaming.
The Beats Solo Pro are alright for phone calls. The microphone makes your voice sound thin and muffled. On the upside, the mic is able to separate your voice from ambient noise well enough that you should be heard clearly, even though background noise is still present. These headphones also have a great ANC feature that effectively isolates you from a good amount of noise, like the rumble of plane and bus engines and background conversations.
- Great battery life.
- Great isolation performance.
- Sub-par recording quality.
- Tight fit may not be comfortable.
Changelog
- Updated May 31, 2024: We've added a comparison between these headphones and the Beats Solo 4 Wireless in Noise Isolation.
- Updated Apr 06, 2023: We've added more information about the lightning to 1/8" TRRS cable in Wired.
- Updated Aug 06, 2021: Converted to Test Bench 1.5.
- Updated Mar 16, 2021: Updated review for accuracy and clarity.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The Beats Solo Pro are available in a variety of color variants: 'Black', 'Dark Blue', 'Light Blue', 'Gray', 'Red', and 'Ivory'. We tested the 'Ivory' variant, but we expect our results to be valid for the other colors as well. If you come across another variant or your headphones are different, please let us know in the discussions below so we can update our review.
Popular Headphones Comparisons
The Beats Solo Pro have a surprising and very efficient ANC feature that blocks out a lot of ambient noise. However, they aren't the most comfortable headphones we've tested as they're rather tight.
See our recommendations for the best noise cancelling headphones, the best on-ear headphones, and the best wireless Bluetooth headphones.
The Beats Solo Pro and the Beats Solo 4 have different strengths, and depending on your preferences, you may like one of the other. The Solo Pro have the edge over the newer Solo 4 if you're looking for noise cancelling. Only the Solo Pro have an ANC system, and they do a significantly better job of reducing ambient sound around you. They also have an H1 chip for seamless pairing with iOS devices, though the Solo 4 support their own quick pair feature with both iOS and Android. That said, the Solo 4 support Spatial Audio and can be used via analog or USB in addition to Bluetooth. Their battery life is longer, too.
The Beats Solo Pro and the Beats Solo3 2019 are headphones with different strengths, and depending on your usage, you may prefer one over the other. The Solo Pro are more suitable for casual and office use. They feel better built, their sound profile is more neutral, and they have a great ANC to help cut down ambient noise around you. However, the Solo3 2019 have a better battery performance and a bass-heavy sound profile, which some users may like. They're better suited for sports, as their fit is more stable.
The Beats Solo Pro are slightly better than the Beats Studio3 Wireless if you don't mind the on-ear design. The Solo Pro have a slightly better noise cancellation feature, and their sound profile is better balanced than the Studio3. On the other hand, the Studio3 are more comfortable thanks to their over-ear design and come with an audio cable to use when wired, which you need to buy separately for the Solo Pro.
The Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless are better over-ear headphones for most uses than the Beats Solo Pro. The Sony are more comfortable and their companion app offers a graphic EQ plus presets to help you adjust their sound to your liking. Their ANC also does a significantly better job of blocking out noise around you, and they have longer a continuous battery life. However, the Beats have an H1 chip, which makes it easy to seamlessly pair them to your Apple devices.
Our How We Test Headphones article takes you behind the scenes in our lab. You'll learn how we choose and purchase products and dive into the details of our review philosophy, from testing and scoring to writing and editing.
You can also discover how we produce recommendations like this one so that you can find the best headphones (or earbuds!) for your needs.
Test Results
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