The Beats Solo Pro Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones meet both of those requirements, and starting Nov.22 at 7 p.m., they’re on sale at Walmart for Black Friday. ANC is a power-hungry technology, though; so you will see a major decrease in battery life from the old to the new Beats on-ears. The Beats Solo3 Wireless boasts just over 45 hours of playtime on a single charge, which is more than double what the Beats Solo Pro provides with noise cancellation on. After about the 24-hour mark, battery life longevity becomes overkill and a way for companies to flex on spec sheets, but it’s impressive nonetheless.
Other than the included charging cable, these are the only accessories. An audio cable would have been nice, but since Beats is owned by Apple, and Apple has disowned the 3.5mm headphone jack, this exclusion beats solo pro wireless should come as no surprise. When you need to keep an ear out for those trying to get your attention, Transparency mode filters outside noises in while still providing the signature Beats sound quality.
At $299.95, the Solo Pro is pricey but in line with some other flagship over-ear models. The Solo3 Wireless is just $50 more and packs many of the same features. Our current favorite option, the Sony WH-1000XM3, has slightly better sound and the adaptive ANC works very well. The Bose 700 is another very nice set of noise-cancelling headphones, but they’re even more expensive at $399. To me, the extra comfort that all three of those offer is worth the extra money.
However, we were both impressed with the range the functionality provides. I walked approximately 50 feet away holding the phone before the connection to the Powerbeats Pro started to cut out. When I called my mom using the Beats Solo Pro, she said I sounded pretty clear; she could even tell that I had a small cold. It was so clear on my end that I heard her TV playing in the background. The Bose 700s’ call quality was just a little bit cleaner, but not by much. The sparse instrumental accompaniment, such as the tinkling piano and bass machine, were just present enough.
When I’m wearing Solo Pro, it feels like my head is in a vice, or like the headphones are bookends to my head. Thanks to Apple’s H1 chip, Solo Pro will instantly pair with your iPhone if it’s nearby as soon as you unfold the ear beats studio3 cups. I love the design, with the sliding headband over the metal structure, and the clean lines and logo. Hilda Scott uses her combined passion for gadgets and bargain shopping to bring you the best prices on all things tech.
It’s worth noting, though, that the Solo Pro won’t auto-pause if you do take them off, as is the case with some other high-end headphones. That’s around £100 more than the Beats Solo 3 (£190), which lack their successor’s active noise cancelling and around £60 beats solo pro wireless more than the over-ear Beats Studio3 (£220). The latter do have ANC but the Solo Pro perform better in this regard and also offer superior sound quality. Although the sound signature remains bass-heavy, as is emblematic of Beats, it rarely overpowers vocal…