The Beats Solo3 2018 Wireless are decent mixed usage headphones with a reasonably balanced sound profile. They're almost identical to the Beats Solo2 Wireless but have a better range and battery life thanks to the W1 chip. They're comfortable but fit a bit tight on the head, so they're not ideal for long listening sessions. Unfortunately, they also have fairly weak noise isolation, so they won't be ideal headphones to use in noisy environments.
Our Verdict
The Beats Solo3 2018 Wireless are fair for mixed use. They're versatile headphones that deliver a decently balanced sound with a slight emphasis on bass. Although they struggle in loud environments, their comfortable and wireless design makes them a viable choice at the gym. The long battery life is also a plus if you're always on the go.
- Sturdy design.
- Excellent wireless range and battery life.
- Poor noise isolation.
- Leaky at higher volumes.
The Beats Solo3 2018 Wireless are satisfactory for neutral sound. Their powerful bass caters decently well to instruments and vocals, although they sound slightly more muddy compared to some other neutral listening models. Unfortunately, due to their small, circular, and closed-back ear cups, they won't have the best soundstage.
The Beats Solo3 2018 Wireless are okay for commuting. They have an efficient and straightforward control scheme. They have a great battery life, and they're also somewhat compact, which makes them a bit easier to carry around on your person. However, they don't isolate well in loud environments, which isn't ideal for commuting or traveling.
The Beats Solo3 2018 Wireless are on-ears, so they may not be the best choice for sports and fitness. While they have a tight fit, they're still bulky and can fall off your head with high-intensity movement. Their ear cups also get a little steamy when exercising for long periods since they trap heat. They lack an IP rating for water resistance, too, but that's to be expected by their design.
Fair for office use. They won't isolate well in a loud, lively office, and they leak a bit at higher volumes, so your coworkers might hear what you're listening to. They have a good wireless range, so if you pair them to your PC, you can walk around in your office. They're also decently comfortable.
The Beats Solo3 2018 Wireless are disappointing for gaming. You can only use them via Bluetooth on PC. However, they have a mediocre microphone and slightly too much latency to be suitable for gaming.
The Beats Solo3 2018 Wireless are decent for wired gaming. These headphones come with an in-line microphone audio cable. While you won't be able to use the microphone when plugged into an Xbox One, you can receive audio. On PS4, however, you can use both the microphone and receive audio.
The Beats Solo3 2018 Wireless are mediocre for phone calls. The microphone has trouble separating speech from ambient noise in moderate to loud environments, while its overall recording quality muffles your voice. You should still be understandable on the other end of the phone, but you probably don't want to be making calls in busy restaurants.
Changelog
- Updated Oct 11, 2023: We've updated the Sports and Fitness verdict and Stability text to improve their clarity.
- Updated Dec 07, 2020: Updated the Case score and text to better reflect its design.
- Updated Feb 13, 2020: Converted to Test Bench 1.4.
- Updated Nov 21, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.1.
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Popular Headphones Comparisons
The Beats Solo3 2018 Wireless are on-ear headphones that deliver a well-balanced sound profile. They're wireless and have a great range and battery life, but they can be a bit tight on the head and lack decent isolation for noisy environments.
See our recommendations for the best noise cancelling headphones and the best on-ear headphones.
The Beats Studio3 Wireless are slightly better headset than the Beats Solo3 2018, thanks to noise cancellation. The Studio3 isolate a bit better in noisy conditions, which makes them a better option for commuting and travel than the Solo3. They also have a more comfortable over-ear design that most may prefer over the on-ear fit of the Solo3. The Solo3, on the other hand, are a bit more compact and have a much better battery life than the Studio variant. They also have a greater wireless range and better latency performance.
The Beats Solo3 2019 are the next generation of the Beats Solo3 2018. They're almost identical in design and perform very similarly. This model also has a companion app that can be used on Android in addition to iOS. That said, the 2018 model includes an audio cable so that you can listen to audio passively. You need to buy this cable separately if you want to use your 2019 model wired.
The Bose QuietComfort 25/QC25 are better headphones than the Beats Solo3 2018. The Bose are noticeably more comfortable, have a better neutral-sounding audio reproduction, and have a great noise isolation performance, which is great for commuting. However, they are wired headphones, so if you prefer a wireless design, then the Beats may be better. They also have more battery life and are rechargeable, while you need to use AAA batteries for the Bose.
The Beats Solo3 2018 are slightly better headphones than the Beats Solo 2. While both headphones have a similar sound profile, the Solo3 have a noticeably better battery life with about 40 hours of continuous playback. They also take advantage of the W1 chip on iOS devices, which the Solo 2 don’t do. Design-wise, there isn’t much difference between the two models.
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.
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