Report: Beats Solo4 Headphones Are Coming Soon
A new FCC filing and an image that showed up in an iOS 17.4 beta in February point to an imminent release of the next generation of Beats' popular on-ear headphones.
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This image of the Beats Solo4 appeared in an iOS 17.4 beta back in February.
I was hoping that Apple-owned Beats would upgrade its Fit Pro earbuds this year. That could still happen, but if the latest report by Mac-enthusiast site 9to5Mac proves accurate, the next Beats headphones to drop will be the Solo4, the successor to one of the most popular headphones of all time, the Beats Solo 3.
According to 9to5Mac, the Solo4 are expected to retail for $200 and are pegged for a May 2 release date. They appear to be an on-ear version of Beats' over-ear Studio Pro headphones that list for $350 but sometimes sell for as little as $200. Like the Studio Pro, I expect that the Solo4 will be geared towards both Apple and Android users and feature spatial audio (with head tracking) but will be powered by a custom Beats chip, not Apple's H1 or H2 chips. Their redesigned case appears to be very similar to the case for the Studio Pro.
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Like the Studio Pro, the Solo4 will also feature USB-C charging and both a 3.5mm port and a USB-C audio option for wired listening. Aside from a smaller form factor, the one big difference between the Solo4 and Studio Pro is that the Solo4 may be missing active noise canceling. The Solo3 didn't have it; only the now-discontinued Solo Pro did.
9to5Mac says the Solo4 will weigh 217 grams, have upgraded 40mm drivers that deliver improved sound, and offer up to 50 hours of battery life -- or 10 hours more than the Solo3's.
In the past, Beats has faced leaks as images of its future products have appeared in beta iOS versions in advance of their official release. In this case, an image of the next-generation Solo, which looks very similar to the Solo3, turned up in an iOS 17.4 beta in February, and an FCC filing for the new headphones was spotted recently.
It's unclear who gave 9to5Mac all the aforementioned specs for the Solo4, but it cited a "trusted" source. Based on my reporting experience, that could be an insider at a retailer, though I can't confirm that.
Apple typically doesn't respond to rumors, but CNET has reached out to Apple for comment, and we'll update this post should we get a reply.
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