Beats Solo 4 review

There’s something timeless about the Beats look – sleek, clean, and minimal. Beats has always been about a combination of luxury and premium sound, and the new Beats Solo 4 carries the same DNA forward.

The Beats Solo 4 looks just like its predecessor, the Solo 3, with some internal upgrades that make it a pair of headphones for those looking to add style and luxury to their audio game. Having tested it for over a month, here’s our Beats Solo 4 review.

Beats Solo 4 design: Clean, stealthy look

The Beats Solo 4 doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel, and frankly, it doesn’t need to. It leans on the signature Beats aesthetics – sleek, minimal, and premium. It’s unmistakably Beats, going for simplicity over loudness. 

The matte finish and limited controls of the Solo 4 keep things clean, with the stealth black shade offering a quiet swagger. At 216 grams, which is about the same weight as the predecessor, the Solo 4 feels lighter on the head – sturdy yet subtle, just like a well-tailored jacket. 

The foldable design makes it easy to slip into your backpack, and the adjustable headband makes it comfortable to wear. And while on-ear headphones aren’t always known for marathon comfort, these feel comparatively comfortable. The plush ear pads tightly cushion your ears to give you passive noise cancellation. 

As for controls, the left ear cup has a physical button that lets you play and pause tracks. In case you are looking for the actual button, wait up, it’s the ‘b’ button that you need to press. The ring around it acts as a volume control knob.

There’s also a small button below the Beats branding that lets you pair the headphones to your Android phone or iPhone. It’s a one-tap pairing experience, and we faced no connectivity issues here. Overall, the Solo 4 carries the same design aesthetics as the Solo 3, yet it feels slightly more premium. 

Beats Solo 4 audio performance: Balanced sound

With the Solo 4, Beats is playing it safe, offering a more balanced sound stage. The sound is crisp, with mids and highs on point. The bass isn’t overtly punchy, but good enough to have you nodding to Blinding Lights by The Weeknd. 

Throwing on some ‘80s classics, like Everybody Wants to Rule the World by Tears for Fears, was also a surprisingly rich experience. In essence, the Solo 4 handles today’s hits and timeless classics well, offering an overall rich audio experience. 

Other than this, genres like jazz and country also sounds great. However, these may not be for the rockheads. But if you tune these well via a third-party, then you can get that thumping sound for all your rock collection. But do note that the proprietary Beats app doesn’t allow for EQ customisation.

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Apart from music, the call clarity on these is also good. The person on the other end was able to hear what we were saying, and our voice was also picked up correctly by the microphones.

Beats Solo 4 battery life: Week-long

Okay, so the audio is sorted, but how about the battery life? Well, the Solo 4 is advertised to offer up to 50 hours of battery life, and while we weren’t able to check that exact claim, the headphones did surprisingly last for a week for us. This is with a moderate kind of usage, which involves listening to country during daytime commutes and jazz during evenings.

Charging the headphones is also quick. With 10 minutes of charge, you can easily listen to at least 10-15 songs in your playlist in a go. We were impressed by the battery life and charging speed, making these an easy recommendation for students and those with a busy lifestyle.

A few misses

With a steep price tag of Rs 22,900, expectations are naturally high. While the Beats Solo 4 delivers in some areas like overall sound quality and features like Spatial Audio, it does fall short in others. Notably, the lack of ANC. 

Yes, you read that right. Imagine getting a pair of costly headphones and missing out on ANC, which is now standard in most headphones. That said, there’s some amount of passive noise cancellation, thanks to the ear cushions that hold your ears tightly. 

The Solo 4 has one more problem, and that’s sound leak. Turn the volume above 70 per cent, and your private listening experience becomes a shared experience. And before you know, the person in front of you might start vibing to Aqua’s Barbie Girl. Just what happened with me. 

Unboxed Take: Who should buy the Beats Solo 4?

The Beats Solo 4 are a good pair of headphones for anyone looking for that stealthy vibe and a good overall sound. You’ll totally look cool wearing these during your metro commutes or while walking in the park.

So, if you fancy the on-ear design, want that Beats branding, a good overall soundstage, and are alright with missing out on ANC – the Beats Solo 4 are for you. But if you want an over-ear pair of headphones with ANC, you can check out the more expensive Beats Studio Pro.

For all the above reasons, we rate the Beats Solo 4 3.5/5. For more such detailed reviews and comparisons, stay tuned to Unboxed by Croma.