While most wireless headphones nowadays include some form of active noise canceling, there are a variety of reasons why you might not need or want the feature. Maybe you need them to work where you can clearly hear your surroundings, or battery life is crucial. No matter your reason, you can save $70 on the Beats Solo 4 at both Amazon and Best Buy in a variety of colors.
Unlike most Beats headphones, which have a distinctly bass-forward sound profile, Apple’s influence has been increasingly toning down the brashness in favor of a more balanced and delicate approach. As a result, they have a tone that reviewer Ryan Waniata described as “tempered with a pleasant layer of smoky warmth.” The sound isn’t as impressive as on more expensive pairs, but it’s an enjoyable listen. Like most Beats headphones, they lack any kind of custom equalizer, so you’re stuck with how they sound out of the box, for better or worse.
Aesthetically, they’re what you’d expect from Beats, with classic colors like matte black and slate blue, as well as more eye-catching pink hues in both metallic and matte finishes. The compact on-ears fold neatly away for traveling or tossing in your gym bag, while still being comfortable enough for several hours of wear at a time. They also have decent sound isolation as a result, which helps offset the lack of proper ANC.
Despite being produced by Apple, the Beats headphones are happy to work with both Android and iOS devices, and they support one-touch pairing for both sides of the aisle. Depending on your platform, you’ll still get access to Find My features and voice activation, but device switching is only for Google users, and there’s a distinct lack of auto-pause. They do have great range, however, which makes up for some of the oddities.
While the Beats Solo 4 don’t quite make the top cut for our favorite wireless headphones overall, the on-ear design and lack of ANC are a unique combination of features that may appeal to specific users and use cases. You can pick them up from Best Buy or Amazon for as long as this deal holds out.
