Beats Solo 4 | A Runner’s Review

It’s been eight years since the last Beats Solo headphones came out, and as one of the most popular headphones that have ever hit the market, the anticipation and expectation was high for the long-awaited update.

Selling for £199, which is the same as the previous versions at a time where the price of headphones is steadily creeping up, can Beats Solo 4 make a noise in the busy headphone market? 

What Do I Need To Know About The Beats Solo 4

The Beats Solo 4 are on-ear wireless headphones that aim to improve on the company’s Solo 3, released in 2016, with an increased battery life and additional features including a USB-C port, lossless hi-res audio playback, and spatial audio support.

But what the hell does that mean?

Well, ‘lossless’ is a new-ish digital format for audio files that is an exact replica of the original recorded track, meaning the audio is the highest possible quality. However, most ears won’t have noticed the loss in previous files and certainly a change I didn’t notice comparing the Solo 3 and the Solo 4.

Spatial audio, on the other hand, is very noticeable. It is a way to make audio more immersive by creating a 360-degree listening experience (which needs to be experienced to really understand it!) – it made me look around on the tube to work out where a certain noise was coming from, only to realise it was coming from my music!

What’s New & Great About The Beats Solo 4

Visually there’s no significant difference between these headphones and the Beats Solo 3 model, with just very subtle changes to the aesthetics. And besides the USB-C charging port there’s no change to the hardware. 

But there’s definitely a step up to the fit and comfort. With my big head and big ears, I usually struggle with on-ear headphones, but the updated ear cup material and the lightweight build (217g) meant that I could wear these for hours at a time when working at my desk or commuting. 

One thing I was sceptical about was the Beats Solo 4 not having ANC (Active Noise Cancellation). Having tested a lot of noise-cancelling headphones in the past two years, many of which offer great quality in the same price range as the Solo 4, I wondered whether I’d miss the ANC. Thankfully I didn’t miss it at all because the secure fit and the spatial audio gives an ANC-like experience (though I do think that not offering ANC for headphones at this price point is a bold move by Beats, but maybe they’re pointing customers towards their more expensive headphones, the Solo Pro, which offers ANC and an over-ear fit but with a higher price tag of £350). 

Beats state a big figure of 50 hours battery life, and many brands tend to overestimate their battery life, in my testing the battery lasted between 48-52 hours, which is very impressive. 

One other thing I love are the real buttons. When out in gloves or on the move, it’s so much easier to have tactile buttons to press instead of a touch screen interface, which can so often be mis-pressed. 

What Are The Drawbacks Of The Beats Solo 4

I feel that the Beats Solo 4 is lacking off-ear detection. A lot of headphones and earbuds in this price bracket will automatically stop the music or video when it knows you’ve taken them off or removed them (and will restart when you put them back on). While this isn’t a deal-breaker for Beats Solo 4, it is an annoyance that those moving from the likes of the AirPods will definitely miss. 

Another is the price. There are a lot of other headphones that are as good as these, including some from Sony and Bose which come with ANC. You can also find the Beats Solo 3 at a knocked-down price, which would represent a good deal for those looking to spend less than £199. I’d be on the look out for discounted Solo 4s, where a price of around £150 is much more appealing.

They also are not waterproof and have no ingress protection rating, meaning they aren’t sweat proof. So while I’ve taken them on short runs, I avoided rainy days and any runs above my easy pace as I worried they’d break before I even finished this review. 

But How Do They Actually Sound?

Compared to the Beats 3 they have a much cleaner and crisper sound. I listen to a massive array of music and in the acoustic genre the quiet moments have a sharp clarity of silence, while listening to something with more drum and bass the Solo 4s showcase some incredible sound definition. To my ears the quality and the sound is the same between the Solo 4 and their more premium and expensive Beats Pro, which is a big compliment for these headphones.

Beats were once the butt of jokes when it came to sound quality, but since being purchased by Apple in 2014, the sound quality is on a level playing field with some of the best, like Bose.

But What’s It Like To Run In Them? 

We wouldn’t recommend them for running. Sure the battery life is long and tempting for an ultramarathon runner like me, but the fit is not secure enough to stay on during a run, plus they block out all noise, meaning that they aren’t safe to wear when running in busy areas. The over the ear design also makes them incredibly hot to wear and I had to regularly take them off during easy runs just to cool down. However, on easy warm ups on the track or short runs on closed roads they are still a good option if you only want to buy one pair of headphones that go on your commute and your run. 

Final Thoughts

Are they a good pair of Beats? Yes.

Are they a good pair of over the ear headphones? Yes.

Are they better than the Solo 3s? Yes.

Are they made for runners? Definitely not. But they are a great commuter headphone or one for wearing comfortably while working at a desk, and they are recommended for anyone looking for a headphone upgrade.