Well, there’s not much left for Apple-owned Beats to “announce” next. Tuesday night early Amazon published a sales list for the rumored Beats Studio Buds Plus. The page includes every last detail about the earbuds: among other upgrades, they have more powerful active noise canceling than the original Studio Buds, better ventilation, and an improved transparency mode.
The Studio Buds Plus will retail for $169.95 when they release on May 18, according to Amazon. That’s an additional cost of $20 compared to the standard Studio Buds released in 2021. The buttons and housing have a similar design to the original pair. That will be a good thing for many; I didn’t like their sound quality and didn’t find the ANC particularly effective, but at least the Studio Buds were extremely comfortable.
Of course, the Studio Buds Plus will now have to compete against another, more formidable Apple product: the second-generation AirPods Pro. Those earbuds have been praised for their audio fidelity, noise reduction and adaptive transparency mode.
I don’t expect Beats to outperform the AirPods Pro, but it’s clearly trying to get closer than the original Studio Buds could handle.
The Amazon listing notes a total battery life of 36 hours, larger microphones (which could theoretically improve voice call quality), and four sizes of bundled earbuds, including an extra small set.
And of course, the Studio Buds Plus supports spatial audio. But like the first pair, these are sold equally to iPhone and Android customers. These don’t actually contain an Apple chip like the AirPods or the more premium Beats Fit Pro. But they do offer some of the same features, such as hands-free Siri, Find My integration, and more.
I look forward to reviewing these buds (and that transparent set) as soon as possible; I’ve been hoping Beats would release this style since the company briefly flashed a distinct pair of Studio Buds in a behind-the-design video for the original product. Nothing is about to have any competition.
The Studio Buds Plus also come in white or black, according to the list that is likely to disappear any time now.
