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While we wait to see if Apple releases a rumored sub-$100 pair of AirPods later this year, Apple-owned Beats has its own new “budget” headphones, $80 (£80, AU$130) Solo buds. Available in four color options, the Solo Buds lack some key features found in more premium earbuds, including a battery in their very compact charging case, ear-detection sensors, and active noise cancellation. But they get the basics right. They’re lightweight and not only offer decent sound quality and long battery life, but also good voice call performance that rivals what you get with the company’s more expensive ones Studio Buds Plus.

Beats the design of the Solo Buds

Although the Solo Buds have more rounded corners, they look similar to the Studio Buds and Studio Buds Plus, but have a more budget-friendly aesthetic. However, people probably won’t notice this when you have them in your ears. They fit similarly to those Studio models and don’t stick out too much from your ears, which is good.

They come with four sizes of ear tips, the largest of which allowed me to achieve a tight seal and a reasonably secure fit, though not as secure as Beats Fit Pro, which has integrated wingtips. Like other Beats earbuds and headphones, the Solo Buds have a physical “b” button on each button to control playback and volume. You must configure the press-and-hold action in iOS settings or the Beats app for Android devices to control the volume.

Special case

As noted, the Solo Buds have a unique design feature: their super compact charging case has no built-in battery. Equipped with a USB-C port, it won’t charge your headphones unless connected to a power source (USB-C cable not included). It’s also worth noting that the box doesn’t have an LED to indicate they’re charging – there’s a quick chime when you plug the box into a power source, the only warning that they’re charging. But credit Beats for making the cost-saving move a design hallmark.

Not having a battery in a charging case has obvious drawbacks, especially if you’re used to popping your headphones in their case, dropping the case in a pocket or bag, and getting a charge on the go without connecting a cable to the case. I sometimes forgot that the buds didn’t charge when I had them in my pocket.

The good news is that the headphones are rated for a full 18 hours of battery life at moderate volume levels on a single charge. Additionally, smartphones like the iPhone 15 that have a USB-C charging port can be used to charge the headphones when they’re in their case (many Android devices have USB-C output charging). According to Beats, a five-minute charge gives you up to an hour of playback.

I would have preferred the box to have a battery though. I don’t always carry a cable with me, and many people own older iPhones with Lightning ports that don’t charge the case. But I also appreciate how small and light the Solo Buds case is.

Minimum feature set of Beats Solo Buds

The headphones don’t have active noise cancellation or hands-free Siri like Beats’ more expensive Studio Buds Plus headphones. Nor do they have surround audio with head-tracking or ear-detection sensors that pause your music when you take an earbud out of your ear and resume playback when you put it back in. They also lack automatic switching between Apple devices and don’t seem to have multipoint Bluetooth pairing for Android users, although I have yet to confirm that.

The good news for Android users is that you get everything that iOS users get, including a quick pairing feature (Beats calls it seamless pairing) and a Find My or Find My Device feature (it’s not the more advanced pinpoint find you get with Apple AirPods Pro 2). Alas, my review sample was obviously not a final production model and required me to manually pair the buds, so I didn’t use the quick pair feature. But I will update this review once I use a shipping version of the buds.

Some may find the sparse feature set attractive, especially people who don’t care about active noise cancellation and think spatial audio is a gimmick. If you get a tight seal, you get some passive noise insulation that reduces ambient sound around you.

Beats the sound quality of the Solo Buds

Beats representatives told me that the buds have “double-layer transducers designed to minimize microdistortion along the frequency curve” and that their sound quality is on par with the Studio Buds Plus.

As far as I can tell, this seems pretty accurate, although the Studio Buds Plus sound a bit better to my ears. However, the Solo Buds sound good. Moving from the Studio Buds to the Studio Buds Plus, Beats has improved the overall clarity and bass reproduction of the sound, and the Solo Buds show the same characteristics. Like the Studio Buds Plus, they deliver a bold, dynamic sound that’s well-suited to today’s music, whether it’s pop, hip-hop, EDM or country and everything in between. They don’t quite offer the refined, richer sound of premium headphones from Sony and Sennheiser – and they also lack a bit of sonic clarity and precision – but for the price they’re pretty solid sonically as long as you’re getting a tight seal.

Beats the Solo Buds’ voice call performance

Voice call performance should also come close to that of the Studio Buds Plus, and my test calls bear this out, as callers said they could hear me clearly even as traffic rumbled past me on the noisy streets of New York. It’s also worth noting that there’s a bit of side chat – you can hear yourself in the bud while you’re talking, which I like.

Overall, the voice performance of the Solo Buds is one of the highlights. Overall it looks very good, with strong noise reduction during calls. It really seems on par with the voice call performance of the Studio Buds Plus.

Final thoughts on the Beats Solo Buds

These buds are an interesting move by Beats and Apple as they target budget users who are just looking for headphones with decent sound and voice calling in a small package. You can certainly find buds in this price range that have more features, including active noise cancellation. I’m thinking of headphones from Anker and Earfun and others that provide their fair share of true wireless headphone value.

But there’s a lot to be said for the Solo Buds, at least highlighting the most important aspects of true wireless earbuds: namely a comfortable fit and compact design, good sound quality, and strong voice call performance. While the Solo Buds’ $80 price tag may still be a bit steep for some people, I expect to see them on sale for $60 and maybe even a little less during the holiday season. And in the end, I think that’s what these pimples are worth.

Note that I have not yet put a numbered rating on my review because I have not yet tested a final shipping unit. I should be getting one soon and will add a rating after doing some more testing.