The Beats Studio3 Wireless are over-ear headphones that are decent for a lot of uses. They have the same stylish and polished design of the previous Beats Studio Wireless but with an improved noise cancellation performance. Their audio reproduction and ANC automatically adapts to the listener and their environment - a great feature when done right, but it can sometimes be a bit inconsistent.
The Beats Studio3 Wireless are decent for mixed use. They look great and have a simple-to-use design that offers a good control scheme and a comfortable fit. The noise cancelling is a lot better than on the original Beats Studio Wireless, although it can be a bit inconsistent at times. This is also true for their adaptive sound quality, which is decent but not as balanced as the Beats Solo3 2018 Wireless. Still, their battery life is long enough to get you through your 9-5 or a long flight.
The Beats Studio3 Wireless are okay for neutral sound. They have an audio reproduction that adapts to each listener. However, they tend to have a bit more high bass and low mids than the original Beats Studio Wireless. This gives them less thump and rumble and slightly muddier sound quality. They're still sufficiently well-balanced to satisfy most listeners; however, their somewhat inconsistent audio reproduction and poor soundstage due to their closed design mean they won't be ideal for more neutral listeners.
The Beats Studio3 Wireless are decent for commuting. The noise cancellation is strong enough to use on public transit and they're sufficiently comfortable and easy to use. They also fold to be a bit more portable but they won't be as easy to carry on your person as the Beats Solo3 2018 Wireless or Beats BeatsX. They also have a long battery life that should last throughout a long flight.
The Beats Studio3 are decent for sports. They're comfortable and stable enough to exercise with. They're also wireless with a great range, so you can leave your phone on a bench while you run or have a fixed Bluetooth source. However, they'll get your ears a bit warm and sweaty after a good 30 minutes of working out.
The Beats Studio3 are satisfactory for office use. They're comfortable, have a decent noise isolation performance, and have really low leakage. This means they should rarely be distracting to those around you and should block enough chatter for a moderately noisy office. Their 23 hours of continuous battery life should also be enough to get you through a couple of workdays.
The Beats Studio3 only connect wirelessly via Bluetooth and therefore aren't compatible with PS4 or Xbox One. They're compatible with Bluetooth-enabled PCs or mobile devices, but their latency is likely too high for competitive gaming.
The Beats Studio3 are decent for wired gaming. They're comfortable for long gaming sessions thanks to their lightweight frame and padded ear cups. The sound profile also leans towards more bass, making effects like footsteps in FPS games easier to hear. However, they have a mediocre microphone that only works on PC and PS4. Xbox users can only receive audio, which is a little disappointing.
The Beats Studio3 are alright for phone calls. Their integrated mic has a just okay recording quality, so your voice sounds thin and lacking in detail. If you're taking calls in even moderately noisy environments like an office, the person on the other line may have difficulties hearing you.
The Beats Studio3 Wireless, like many other headphones from Beats' lineup such as the Beats Solo3 2019 Wireless, have a sleek look that's available in several understated or flashy colors to suit your preferences.
The Beats Studio3 are very comfortable. The ear cups are well-padded and the pressure is distributed well around your ears. While the headband isn't as cushioned as the ear cups and can feel rigid, it shouldn't be too much of an issue. You should be able to wear them for long listening sessions without feeling too much fatigue.
The Beats Studio3 have decent controls. They're slightly improved from the previous model and now allow you to switch noise cancelling by double-tapping the power button. The rest of the control scheme is pretty much the same. They have an identical button layout that's simple and efficient to use. They provide call/music, track skipping, and volume controls. The buttons have good tactile feedback, although they're completely flat on the ear cup, which may be a bit difficult to distinguish at first.
The Beats Studio3 Wireless have mediocre breathability. They're closed-back over-ears with a decent seal, so they trap a lot of heat which can make you sweat after 30 to 40 minutes of vigorous exercise. They should be okay if you're just using them casually to listen to music, though. They won't be ideal for more intense workout routines, although if you want over-ear headphones for the gym, they're a decent option.
These headphones have mediocre portability. They fold into a more compact format that's easier to transport with the provided hard case. While they won't fit in a pocket, they can be placed in most small bags, but they're still quite bulky.
The Beats Studio3 Wireless are well-built and sturdy-looking headphones. Their ear cups are made from dense plastic that feels sturdy while their headband has a tough yet flexible metal frame. They're a bit thinner and less robust than the Beats Executive, and the plastic coating on the headband is prone to scratches and scuffs, but their overall build quality feels high-end and well-made.
These headphones have good stability. They don't move much when running and since they're wireless, they won't accidentally fall off your head because the audio cable got hooked on something. However, they're still somewhat big over-ears and can slide a bit depending on the intensity of your workout routine.
The Beats Studio3 have a slightly dark sound profile. While they auto-calibrate to the user and their environment, sound isn't always consistent; bass is slightly boomy while treble is weak, resulting in some audio sounding muddy or lacking detail. They can also perform inconsistently across users due to fit. However, they'll be alright for most audio genres, especially if you like more bass-driven music.
The Beats Studio3 have a mediocre frequency response consistency. Despite their noise cancelling and self-calibrating systems, they perform less consistently than other noise cancelling headphones such as the Sony MDR-1000X and the Sony WH-1000XM2 Wireless. Their bass and treble delivery can vary based on fit, seal, and positioning. It can also be a bit difficult to achieve a consistent listening experience, especially if the user has thick hair or glasses.
The Beats Studio3's bass accuracy is great. While their low-bass struggles to produce thump and rumble, the rest of the bass-response is slightly over-emphasized, which adds punch and boom. However, they may sound a little muddy. Unfortunately, their bass delivery can vary noticeably across users: the quality of fit, seal, and whether you wear glasses all affect how the bass sounds to you. Our response represents the average bass response and your experience may vary.
The Beats Studio3 Wireless have good mid accuracy. The low-mid is overemphasized, resulting in a slightly muddy mix. The rest of the range is well-balanced, although there's a little dip in the high-mids that slightly reduces the intensity and clarity of vocals and lead instruments.
The Beats Studio3 have a good peak and dips performance. The peaks in the mid-bass and low-mid may give a bit more kick to your audio, although the dip in the mid-mid nudges vocals and lead instruments to the back of the mix. There's also a peak as well as a dip in the low-treble which makes the detail and presence of these lead instruments and vocals sound uneven.
The Beats Studio3's stereo imaging is okay. The group delay has spikes in the low-bass range which may make the bass a bit loose. There's also a noticeable phase and frequency mismatch between the L/R drivers of our unit, which could have a small negative effect on the stereo image and the accurate placement and localization of objects (voices, instruments, video game effects) in the stereo image. These results are only valid for our unit and yours may perform differently.
The Beats Studio3 Wireless' passive soundstage is poor. Even though they're over-ear headphones, they don't really activate the outer ear with resonances, which results in a small soundstage that seems like it's coming from inside your head. Their closed-back design also makes their soundstage seem less spacious, especially when compared to open-back models.
These passive headphones don't have any virtual soundstage features.
The Beats Studio3's weighted harmonic distortion performance is decent. At average listening volumes, they generally fall within good limits, although a spike between the low and mid-treble may produce minor distortion. At higher volumes, this frequency is within acceptable limits, which should result in a clear and pure audio reproduction.
Our Beats Studio3 Wireless results are only valid for these test settings.
The Beats Studio3 Wireless have good isolation. However, they don't perform as well as competing models like the Sony WH-1000XM3 Wireless, Bose QuietComfort 35 II/QC35 II Wireless 2018, or the Microsoft Surface Wireless Headphones. While they barely reduce bass-range noise like bus or plane engines in the bass range, they do a better job of cutting down mid-range sounds like ambient chatter. They also do an outstanding job at blocking high-pitched noise like the hum of an AC unit. However, they produce a lot of self-noise with the ANC on, which can be distracting if there's no audio playing.
The Beats Studio3 have an integrated microphone. If you prefer to use these headphones wired, the cable also has an in-line microphone.
The Beats Studio3's battery performance is good and it's much better than that of the Beats Studio Wireless. They have almost twice the battery life, at 23 hours of continuous playback on a single charge. They also only take about 30 mins more than the previous model to fully charge. They're also advertised to have a quick charge feature which gives you about 2.5 hours of playback from 10 minutes of charging. Unfortunately, they don't have passive playback, so if the battery is completely dead, you won't be able to use the headphones.
The Beats companion app is disappointing. Like the Beats Solo3 Wireless and the Apple AirPods 1 Truly Wireless 2017, the Beats Studio3 have a few features available on iOS that aren't as well-implemented on Android. On iOS, they connect with a pop-up that displays basic battery information. You can also disable the ANC in the Bluetooth settings. However, this setting isn't available on Android, which is a little disappointing. However, you can always manually switch off noise cancelling by pressing the power button twice.
The Beats Studio3 have satisfactory Bluetooth compatibility. Unfortunately, they don't support multi-device or NFC pairing. However, they're easier to pair than the original Beats Studio Wireless. These headphones have high latency on PC, iOS, and Android, which isn't great if you like to stream video. However, some apps and devices tend to compensate for latency differently and your mileage may vary.
The Beats Studio3 Wireless are Bluetooth-only headphones.
These headphones can only be used via Bluetooth on PCs and aren't compatible with the PS4. Due to their high latency, they aren't recommended for gaming. However, if you use the provided audio cable, you can plug them into your PS4 controller to receive audio and use the microphone.
These Bluetooth-only headphones aren't compatible with the Xbox One. However, if you use the provided audio cable, you can plug them into your controller for audio. However, the microphone won't work on this console.
They don't have a base/dock. If you want a versatile headset with a base that you can also use wired, check out the SteelSeries Arctis 7 Wireless 2017.
The Beats Studio3 Wireless come in four color variants: 'Black', 'Blue', 'Red', and 'White'. Since these differences are only in color, we expect each of these to perform similarly to our test unit. If you come across a pair that are different from ours, please let us know in the discussions and we'll update our review.
The Beats Studio3 Wireless are the updated version of the Beats Studio Wireless' design. They have better isolation thanks to their adaptive noise cancelling and have a comfortable over-ear fit. However, their dynamic audio reproduction tends to sound a bit inconsistent at times and they don't isolate better than some of the other headphones they're often compared to, like the Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless. See our recommendations for the best wireless Bluetooth headphones, the best over-ear headphones for working out, and the best closed-back headphones.
The Beats Solo Pro Wireless are slightly better than the Beats Studio3 Wireless if you don’t mind the on-ear design. They 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 the Solo Pro lack, but can be purchased.
The Beats Studio3 Wireless are somewhat better headphones than the Beats Studio Wireless. They have the same stylish and polished design, but the Studio3 have a better control scheme and improved noise cancellation. They sound quite similar, but the Studio3 sound slightly better overall. The Studio3 also have a much better battery than the Studio Wireless and feature the W1 chip for improved ease-of-use with Apple devices. The Studio have better latency and microphone noise handling performance. They’re both decent headphones for most uses, but the more intuitive pairing process and control scheme of the Studio3 gives them an edge.
The Sony WH-1000XM3 Wireless are better headphones than the Beats Studio3 Wireless. The Sony feel slightly more premium and sound a bit more neutral, but with a small excess in thump and rumble. Additionally, you can customize their sound to your liking easily inside the Sony app, which Beats is lacking. The ANC of the Sony is also noticeably better and will block out more ambient noise. On the other hand, the Beats have an audio cable with an in-line mic. They also have physical buttons, which can be easier to use for some.
The Sony WH-H900N/h.ear on 2 Wireless have similar performance to the Beats Studio3 Wireless. The Sony have a better-balanced default sound profile and more customization options, thanks to their companion app. The Sony also have a sleeker-looking build quality that feels a bit more high end than the Beats. The Beats, on the other hand, have a slightly stronger noise isolation performance and lower leakage. They also charge a lot faster and have a greater wireless range than the Sony. They're more stable for the gym, and a lot more comfortable for most users.
The Bose QuietComfort 35 II/QC35 II Wireless 2018 are better headphones than the Beats Studio3 Wireless. The Bose are very comfortable and their sound profile is well-balanced. Their ANC feature is also one of the best on the market and blocks noticeably more background noise than the Beats. On the other hand, the Beats will be slightly better-suited for bass-heavy genres and they leak less than the Bose. They also have an in-line microphone for calls, which the Bose are lacking. The battery life of the Beats is about three hours longer than the Bose, but they don’t have a power-saving feature.
The Bose QuietComfort 35/QC35 Wireless 2016 are a better headset overall than the Beats Studio3 Wireless. The Bose have a more comfortable over-ear fit and stronger noise cancellation that will isolate better in noisy environments. On the upside, the Beats have a better wireless range and a faster charging battery life than the Bose. The Beats are also a bit more stable for sports and some will prefer their sleek and stylized over-ear design over the Bose's somewhat bland but more professional look.
The Audio-Technica ATH-M50x are better headphones for neutral sound than the Beats Studio3 Wireless. Although they're both closed-back, over-ear headphones, the Audio-Technica have a more neutral sound and a slightly better passive soundstage. However, unlike the Audio-Technica, the Beats are wireless and they have controls, a microphone, and active noise cancelling, making them more versatile headphones overall. They're also slightly more comfortable and their battery lasts up to 23 hours.
The Beats Studio3 Wireless are slightly better headset than the Beats Solo3 Wireless thanks to noise cancellation. The Studio3 isolate a bit better in noisy conditions, which makes them a better option for commute and travel than the Solo3. They also have a more comfortable over-ear design that most will 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 Studio3 Wireless are slightly better headphones than the Sennheiser HD 4.50 BTNC. The Beats are noticeably more comfortable, slightly better-built, and have a more premium feel than the Sennheiser. They also have a better-balanced sound profile, but our unit had significant phase mismatch and performed differently on various users. The ANC feature of the Beats is quite good, but the self-noise is pretty high and can be heard when no audio is being played through the headphones. The Sennheiser can connect to two devices simultaneously and can be used passively, which you can’t do with the Beats.
The Beats Studio3 Wireless are better headphones than the Skullcandy Venue Wireless. The Beats have a more neutral sound profile, especially in the mid-range, while still sounding exciting. They are better-built and are more comfortable. Their ANC feature blocks more noise than the Skullcandy's and the provided case is better. On the other hand, the Skullcandy can connect to two devices, and their bass isn’t as prone to inconsistencies as the Beats.
The Sennheiser PXC 550 Wireless are marginally better than the Beats Studio3 Wireless if the most important thing for you is an accurate and neutral sound. The Beats are slightly more comfortable and a noticeably better ANC feature, but when it comes to sound, the Sennheiser are more accurate. You can also customize the sound of the Sennheiser to your liking with their dedicated app, which the Beats don't have. They can also connect simultaneously to two devices and can be used wired when the battery is dead, which the Beats can't do.
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 more bass-heavy sound profile.
The Sony WH-1000XM2 Wireless are a better wireless over-ear than the Beats Studio3 Wireless. The Sony have a better noise cancellation performance, which makes them a bit more suitable for commute and travel than the Beats. They have a slightly more polished design that looks and feels more high-end than that of the Beats. The Beats have a more stylish looking build quality that some will prefer over that of the Sony. They also have a faster charge time, a longer wireless range, and slightly better latency performance, especially on iOS devices. The Beats are also a bit more lightweight, comfortable, and stable for the gym.
The Plantronics BackBeat Pro 2 Wireless are a better wireless over-ear than the Beats Studio3 Wireless. The Beats have a slightly better-balanced default sound than the Plantronics. They're also more comfortable, portable, and have a sleeker design that's stable enough for the gym and sports. The Plantronics, on the other hand, have a better wireless range and battery life than the Beats. They also have easier to use controls with more functionality, and they sound a bit more exciting thanks to their deep and powerful bass range.
The Bowers & Wilkins PX Wireless have a fairly similar performance to the Beats Studio3 Wireless. The Bowers & Wilkins isolate a lot better in noisy environments than the Beats, so they will be a bit more suitable for traveling and commuting. They also have a better more premium looking build quality. The Beats have more consistent audio delivery than the Bowers & Wilkins despite their adaptive audio reproduction. They also have a sleeker over-ear fit that's more comfortable and a bit more suitable for physical activities. The Beats also have longer battery life and charge a lot faster.
The Beats Studio3 Wireless will be a better-mixed usage pair of headphones than the Nura Nuraphone Wireless. The Beats are more comfortable and have better bass noise isolation, which is better suited for public transit. They also come with an audio cable and an in-line microphone, which the Nura is lacking inside the box. On the other hand, the personalization feature of the Nura is a unique experience that you can’t get on the Beats headphones. The Nura also offer more battery life than the Beats.
The Microsoft Surface Wireless Headphones are better headphones for bass fans, while the Beats Studio3 Wireless have a more neutral sound quality with a not-so-veiled treble range. The Microsoft have a better and more complete control scheme that is satisfying to use. The feedback is better on the physical buttons of the Beats, but you get limited controls. Also, the Microsoft have better noise isolation performance but have about half of the Beats' battery life.