The Beats Solo 3 2019 Wireless are the next generation of the Beats Solo3 2018 Wireless. These colorful on-ear headphones have kept the well-built and iconic design that's emblematic of Beats' brand, as well as the same W1 chip as their predecessor for seamless pairing with Apple devices. With this updated version, their companion app is now compatible with Android devices, although it still doesn't offer much functionality. Unfortunately, while this new edition have an AUX port, they've done away with the AUX cable included with the 2018 model.
The Beats Solo 3 are satisfactory for neutral sound. They have a bass-heavy sound profile, which muddies vocals and lead instruments. Their companion app also doesn't allow you to customize their sound profile to better suit your needs either. Their treble range is better-balanced than their predecessor, so vocals and lead instruments sound clear and present. They're also consistent in their audio delivery as long as you ensure they're well-placed on your head.
The Beats Solo 3 Wireless are okay for commuting and travel. While these on-ears are comfortable, they have a tight fit, which can become fatiguing when worn for several hours at a time. They barely block out bass-range noise like bus engines or passing traffic, and their bulky design can be hard to take with you on the go. On the upside, they offer over 38 hours of continuous playback time, so they easily last through long-distance plane trips.
The Beats Solo 3 aren't ideal for sports and fitness. They have an on-ear fit that can easily fall off your head during moderate exercise. They're also bulky and aren't stable enough for going on runs. However, they feel durable enough to survive a few accidental drops if you bring them to the gym, and their wireless design means you won't get them caught on any equipment.
The Beats Solo 3 are passable for office use. They're comfortable, but some users won't like their tight on-ear fit. They also don't support multi-device pairing and leak some audio at high volumes, which can annoy your coworkers. You can't block out noisy deskmates either since these have no ANC and poor passive noise isolation. They have a continuous battery life of over 38 hours, so you don't need to worry about charging them so often.
The Beats Solo 3 aren't recommended for wireless gaming. While you can connect them to a Bluetooth-enabled PC, the latency will be too high for gaming. They also aren't compatible with Xbox or PlayStation consoles.
The Beats Solo 3 are Bluetooth headphones. While they can be used with a wired connection, Beats doesn't include a TRS cable in the box.
The Beats Solo 3 Wireless are mediocre for phone calls. Their integrated mic has an alright recording quality, and your voice sounds natural, although slightly thin and muffled. However, it struggles to separate your voice from even moderately noisy environments, so you may need to take calls in quieter spaces. These headphones also struggle to reduce noise around you, making it hard for you to hear whoever's on the other line.
We tested the 'Club Red' variant of the Beats Solo 3, which was part of Beats' limited edition, and now discontinued, 'Club Collection'. This collection included the following colorways: 'Club Navy', 'Club Red', 'Club White', 'Club Yellow'. These variants differ from the original 2018 model only in style, as they have a color-block design. Over the years, more simple colorways have been added, and you can find these headphones in the following variants: 'Matte Black', 'Rose Gold', 'Satin Silver' and 'PRODUCT(RED) Citrus Red'. While they look and perform similarly to the 2018 edition, they don't have a 1/8" TRS cable in the box.
If you come across another variant, please let us know in the discussions, and we'll update our review.
Not much has changed between these headphones and their predecessor, the Beats Solo3 2018 Wireless. They perform very similarly in terms of battery life, design, and sound profile. Just like the 2018 model, they also have a W1 chip, making it easy to seamlessly pair with Apple devices. However, Beats doesn't include a TRS audio cable in the box anymore, meaning if you want to listen to audio passively, you need to supply the cable yourself.
Check out our recommendations for the best Beats headphones, the best wireless Bluetooth headphones, and the best bass headphones.
The Beats Studio3 Wireless are better headphones than the Beats Solo3 2019 Wireless. The Studio3 are over-ear headphones that are more comfortable and have a good-performing ANC feature. However, the Solo3 2019 deliver audio more consistently and have a better battery performance. Some users may also prefer their bass-heavy sound profile.
The Beats Solo Pro Wireless and the Beats Solo3 2019 Wireless 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 too as their fit is more stable.
The Sony WH-CH520 Wireless are better wireless on-ears than the Beats Solo3 2019 Wireless. The Beats are better built than the Sony, but they lack some key features that the Sony headphones provide. For instance, their companion app doesn't have a graphic EQ, meaning you can't change the sound if you're not a fan of the Beats' bass-heavy sound profile. The Beats also don't support multi-device pairing and have a shorter continuous battery life than the Sony, making them less ideal for use at the office. You'll want to consider the Beats if you're already in Apple's product ecosystem. Thanks to their H1 chip, they can pair seamlessly with Apple devices.
The Jabra Evolve2 85 Wireless are better on-ear headphones for most uses than the Beats Solo3 2019 Wireless. The Jabra are more comfortable and have a more neutral sound profile as well as an ANC feature that helps reduce ambient noise. Their mic performs better, and their companion app offers a graphic EQ and presets so that you can customize their sound profile. However, the Beats have a more stable fit and a longer continuous battery life.
The Beats Solo3 2019 Wireless are the next generation of the Beats Solo3 2018 Wireless. They're almost identical in design and are very similarly performing. 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 Astro A40 TR Headset + MixAmp Pro 2017 are better for wired gaming and neutral sound than the Beats Solo3 2019 Wireless. The Astro are more comfortable, better-built, and have a better-performing boom microphone. They have a wired design and can be used with Astro companion software, which offers a graphic EQ plus presets. on the downside, some users have reported issues using the software, which can be a deal breaker if you want to use them on newer consoles. However, the Beats are better for casual use as they have a wireless design, a more stable fit, and their sound profile is more neutral out-of-the-box.
The JBL Live 400BT Wireless are better on-ear headphones than the Beats Solo3 2019 Wireless. The JBL have a better-balanced sound profile and can passively isolate more sound. Their leakage performance is significantly better too and while their battery doesn't last as long as the Beats, there's an auto-off timer to help conserve battery life. They also come with a companion app that has a parametric EQ plus presets so you can tweak its sound to your liking. However, the Beats are more comfortable, feel better built, and come with a carrying case.
These on-ear headphones look identical to the Beats Solo3 2018 Wireless. They have a sleek and curved look with no sharp edges, as well as a recessed manufacturer's logo on either ear cup. They were originally available in several multicolor designs as part of the now discontinued 'Club Collection'. Since then, they're only available in four colors: 'Matte Black', 'Rose Gold', 'Satin Silver' and 'PRODUCT(RED) Citrus Red'.
These are decently comfortable headphones. The ear cups are well-padded, but their clamping force can cause fatigue over time, depending on the shape of your head. Their headband also doesn't feel comfortable enough for long listening sessions as it puts pressure on the top of your head.
These headphones have reasonable controls. Most of the physical controls are on the outside of the left ear cup and are built into the logo's design. They feel very responsive and clicky, which helps know when you've properly entered a command. However, the headphones lack any L/R indication on the ear cups, which can make it difficult to quickly know which side the controls are on.
The inner 'b' button:
The outer circle button:
Power button on the right ear cup:
These headphones have okay portability. They fold up slightly to take up less space, making it easier to slide them into your bag. However, they're still bulky, especially if you put them in their case.
These headphones have a good soft case. It has a zipper to keep your headphones fully enclosed, and the material feels thick. It'll protect your headphones from dust, scratches, and the occasional drop, but it won't shield them from water damage. It's also pretty bulky, which makes it hard to take on the go.
These headphones have a stable fit. They clamp well on your ears, so they don't move too much while on your head. They also don't have any cables to catch on something and pull them off your head. However, they're not the best choice for high-intensity workouts as they can fall off with large head movements.
The Beats Solo 3 have a bass-heavy sound profile that delivers intense thump and boom to genres like EDM and hip-hop. The extra bass clutters vocals and lead instruments, which are already nudged back in the mix. Unfortunately, their companion app doesn't offer any way to customize their sound.
The Beats Solo 3 have a good frequency response consistency. If you have thick hair or wear glasses, you may experience a slight drop in bass. Treble delivery is more noticeably inconsistent depending on fit and position, though. However, once you get a good fit, you can achieve a more consistent sound.
These headphones have passable bass accuracy. It's overemphasized across the entire range, so EDM songs like Hand in the Fire by Mr. Oizo feat. Charli XCX have lots of thump and rumble. However, if you don't like extra bass, you'll find your mixes sound overly muddy.
These headphones have good mid accuracy. There's a bit of overemphasis continuing from the bass range into the low-mid, making mixes sound muddy and cluttered. A dip in the mid-mid also nudges vocals and lead instruments to the back of the mix. However, the high-mid is very neutral, resulting in clear and present vocals and instruments.
These headphones have satisfactory peaks and dips performance. The left and right drivers are mismatched in the low-bass, which means that the left driver produces more thump and rumble than the right driver. Outside of the bass range, the L/R drivers are fairly well-matched. There's a big peak between the high-bass to the low-mid, resulting in a boomy, muddy sound. The dip in the mid-mid pushes vocals and lead instruments to the back of the mix, while a couple of peaks in the low-treble add a bit of harshness. Another peak in the mid-treble makes sibilants piercing.
The Beats Solo 3 have great imaging. Although we've tested a couple of headphones from Beats that have less than stellar imaging performances, like the Beats Studio3 Wireless, these products seem to be outliers. Generally, Beats has good quality control and ergonomics, which ensure proper driver matching. Our unit's L/R drivers are also well-matched. The weighted group delay is below the audibility threshold, resulting in a tight bass and transparent treble reproduction. The drivers are also very well-matched in phase, amplitude, and frequency response, which is important to accurately place objects like voices and instruments in the stereo image.
The Beats Solo 3 have a poor passive soundstage. Due to their on-ear design, they have limited interaction with your outer ear, which is one of the factors in creating a large and out-of-head soundstage. As a result, sound seems like it's coming from inside your head rather than from speakers placed in the room around you. These headphones also have a closed-back design, so their soundstage is perceived as less open and spacious than open-back headphones.
These are the settings used to test these headphones. Our results are only valid for these test settings.
The Beats Solo 3 have poor noise isolation performance. They block out almost nothing from the bass-range and struggle to cut down mid-range noise, which will frustrate commuters looking for a reprieve from loud bus engines and chatty passengers. They do a bit better with higher-pitched noise, like the whir of a PC fan.
The integrated mic's recording quality is alright. Your voice sounds natural, though a bit thin and muffled. The person on the other end of the line may have a little bit of trouble hearing you clearly.
The mic's noise handling is sub-par. It struggles to separate your voice from ambient noise, even in moderately loud environments. If you take a call from a busy street, your voice is drowned out.
These headphones have impressive battery performance. The manufacturer advertises them to have 40 hours of continuous playback, and we measured just under 39 hours, so they'll last through a few workdays without needing a recharge. However, battery life can vary depending on use. They also have a 'Fast Fuel' quick-charge feature, which can deliver three hours of continuous battery life after being charged for five minutes. You can use these headphones wired via their AUX port if you want to save power too. Unfortunately, a 1/8" TRS cable isn't included in the box, which is disappointing. If you're looking for longer-lasting on-ears, consider the Sony WH-CH520 Wireless.
These headphones have a disappointing companion app. The Beats app is a pop-up on iOS devices that displays basic battery information when you first connect with your device, but it doesn't offer much more. It doesn't come with a graphic EQ or presets, so you can't adjust the sound to suit your tastes. You can download this app for Android, but it offers the same minimal functionality.
These headphones have satisfactory Bluetooth connectivity. While they don't have multi-device or NFC pairing, they have a W1 chip, making it easy to seamlessly pair with other Apple products. While their latency is high on PCs, so they're not ideal for streaming video, their latency on iOS and Android is lower, so you can watch content without experiencing lip sync issues. Some devices and apps seem to compensate for latency differently.
These headphones are fully compatible with Bluetooth-enabled PCs. You can also use a 1/8" TRS cable to connect them via analog, but this cable isn't included in the box, and you can only receive audio.
You can connect these headphones to PS4 and PS5 consoles via an analog connection. However, you can only receive audio, and you need to buy this cable separately.
You can only use these headphones wired with Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S consoles. You can only receive audio, and the cable itself isn't included in the box.