The Beats Studio Pro Wireless Audio System, and Why Is It Necessary: Is the ioT-based Android OS Worthwhile?
On your head, the Solo 4 wear well. They’re narrower, sleeker, and significantly lighter than the Studio cans. And they use the same “UltraPlush” memory foam pads as the Studio Pro, which are a key part of the comfort. Beats claims the new cover material — a failure point of some past headphones — should provide better durability and extended longevity compared to the Solo 3. There’s always a moderate amount of clamping force with Beats headphones; plenty of people use them at the gym or during outdoor activities. But despite my huge noggin, I never found the pressure to reach unpleasant territory.
I like the included fabric carrying case, too, but why doesn’t it match the color of your headphones? Blue, pink, and black are the hardware choices at launch, but Beats has a history of churning out many other colors as time goes on. The design of the headphones is similar to past models, and so are the controls. The Beats headphones have volume controls above and below, so using them is as easy as it gets. You can doubletap the logo and skip forward a track or triple press, all of which are familiar to Beats fans.
The studio pro was easy to win against the ANC. They do have one thing going for them, and that is passive tuning. On many wireless headphones, there’s an active EQ profile running at all times that provides the fullest sound. That’s all driven by the battery. Once you’re out of power, some headphones will stop playing — even when wired — or will fall back to very meager audio quality until you recharge. The Solo 4 will keep playing endlessly when plugged in even if the battery is dead thanks to that passive tuning, and the sound never changes. There are bullet points on the back of the box for things like unlimited wired playing. We love to see it, but we have to get out a cable to listen to it.
Contrary to popular opinion, Beats is not using an Apple chip, which would make these much more appealing to iPhone owners. Even if you are using an operating system other than the one you’re on, you’ll still get some software tricks. This feels like the right approach to me. Apple fans get at least one exclusive: personalized spatial audio with head tracking. But the Android crowd gets automatic device switching between Android, Chromebooks, and other devices.
Can You Trust Your Smart Device? Counting Contracts that No One Really Reads about to Use Your Devices with The Beats App
Every smart device now requires you to agree to a series of terms and conditions before you can use it — contracts that no one actually reads. It’s impossible for us to read and analyze every single one of these agreements. But we started counting exactly how many times you have to hit “agree” to use devices when we review them since these are agreements most people don’t read and definitely can’t negotiate.
You can use the headphones out of the box and not have to worry about the box being opened or something. You’re subject to Apple’s privacy policy if you use the Siri assistant on the iPhone.
Additionally, if you install the company’s Android app, you’re asked if you want to automatically send analytics data to Apple. In order for Apple to improve the product, they collect information about your Beats product such as the software versions, device name occurrences, and device update success and fail rates. Apple says none of this data allows the company to personally identify you. Firmware can also be updated via Beats’ desktop app.
The Beats app also requests background location permission so it can “connect to your Beats instantly, check battery status on the fly, and access deeper functionality.”