THERE are numerous earphones to choose from on the market – and two of the biggest brands are Apple and its sub-brand Beats.
In this Beats Studio Buds versus AirPods Pro explainer, I’ll walk you through each device’s features, battery life, and pricing to help you make an informed decision.
- Beats Studio Buds, £127.46 (was £159.99) from Amazon – buy here
- Apple AirPods Pro, £215.37 from Amazon – buy here
Beats has been a strong competitor in the earphone and speaker market since its founding by Dr Dre in 2006, and ever since then, we’ve seen them scattered around in almost every rap music video somewhere.
On the other hand, Apple‘s first-generation wireless AirPods were released in 2016, so Beats has been in the game a little while longer.
As Beat’s first line of wireless earphones, the PowerBeats were released back in 2014 and have since seen a fairly large upgrade in recent iterations.
However, just because Beats was the first to introduce wireless earphones, that doesn’t mean Apple hasn’t been producing some top-notch models since they first introduced the Apple AirPods in December 2016.
Unfortunately, you won’t find them brand new anymore since Apple took them off the market to make way for the next generations.
It’s also worth noting that Apple acquired Beats back in 2014 for 3 billion dollars. While it’s fairly accepted that Apple made this purchase for the streaming platform Beats Music which has now become Apple Music, the company has still made some vast improvements to Dr. Dres headphones since then.
Beats Studio Buds vs AirPods Pro: Design
While Apple may own Beats, the designs of both wireless earphones couldn’t be more different.
The AirPods Pro are reminiscent of the classic wired headphones (back when we used to get those included in the box). Just imagine the Earpods without any wires.
The Beats, on the other hand, have a sleek black design and a shape created to slot into your ear. The Beats Studio Bud looks more like an earplug.
Despite the stark differences in design, you can be sure that once you’ve found the right in-ear attachment, they’ll fit snuggly in your ear and won’t fall out.
Beats Studio Buds vs AirPods Pro: Features and controls
We’ve come a long way from the days of basic wired earphones that simply pause and start your music at the press of a button, and now they do so much more.
The Apple AirPods Pro have 8 features that you can use just by tapping them or using your voice and saying, ‘Hey Siri’.
By tapping anywhere between 1 and 3, you can play and pause media, answer calls, end calls, skip forwards and backwards, adjust volume and change between listening modes.
If you choose to use your voice, you can ask Siri to play specific songs or get directions for all the things you’re used to asking Siri to do.
They’re also dust, sweat and water-resistant, so there’s no need to worry about getting them a little wet.
Tech Editor Sean Keach actually reviewed the popular Apple earbuds, and he was thoroughly impressed with features like noise cancellation.
Sean stated, ‘If you’re new to the concept, active noise cancellation blocks out ambient sound around you. In very simple terms, the AirPods listen to sound around you, invert it and create ‘anti-noise’ – and so silencing any nearby din.’
Other important features include Active Transparency mode, which allows you to stay in touch with the outside world while listening to music and avoid nasty surprises.
Conversational Awareness is a feature that means that your music turns down automatically when someone is talking to you and turns back up when you’re finished talking.
The fancy features of the Apple AirPod Pros definitely add to the higher price tag, as you’ll have to fork out extra for the extra functionality.
If you’re not too bothered by the frills, you can always opt for the Apple Airpod 3rd gen earphones, which will cost you roughly £40 less—you’ll just need to decide if the extra functionality is worth it.
Beats, on the other hand, have Spatial Audio and a custom Acoustic Platform, so you can have your very own surround sound you can take anywhere.
The Beats headphones also support many of the same features as the Apple AirPods, like Noise Cancellation and Transparency mode, so you won’t be missing out.
Additionally, features like Automatic Ear Detection and One Touch Pairing have been brought to Beats via the inclusion of Apple’s H1 processing chip that makes it all possible.
One large difference between the two is that Beats are optimised for use on Android and Apple devices, whereas AirPods focus solely on Apple.
So while they’ll still work on other devices, it’s worth noting that they might not perform as well as if they were connected to an iPhone.
Beats Studio Buds vs AirPods Pro: Battery life
When it comes to battery life, the Beats top the AirPods Pro since you’ll get 8 hours of listening time without the case, and if you have a fully charged case with you, then it jumps up to 24 hours.
Additionally, if you’re in a pinch, a 5-minute charge will give you 1 hour of playback whenever your battery is low.
It’s worth noting that the 5-minute charge is an improvement over previous versions, like the Beats Flex, which requires 10 minutes of charge for an hour of playtime.
Apple, on the other hand, provides only up to 6 hours of listening time. While it falls short of the Beats Buds, it’s still a substantial amount of time.
However, interestingly Apple states that you only get up to 4.5 hours of talk time with each charge.
Beats Studio Buds vs AirPods Pro: Price and availability
As we’re all aware, Apple products rarely come without an eyewatering price tag, and the AirPods Pro, unfortunately, are no different. Despite this, they’re still widely available from most retailers like Amazon, where they’re sold for £215.37.
Similarly, the Beats Studio Buds too are widely available and don’t require much searching to find. However, they take a considerably smaller toll on your pockets at £159.99 on sites like Amazon when not on sale.
It’s worth keeping in mind that both are often discounted during big sale events. For example, we often spot Apple AirPods on sale during Black Friday and Cyber Monday, so if you can hold out, it may be worth it.
- Beats Studio Buds, £127.46 (was £159.99) from Amazon – buy here
- Beats Studio Buds, £155 from Currys – buy here
- Apple AirPods Pro, £215.37 from Amazon – buy here
- Apple AirPods Pro, £229 from John Lewis – buy here
- Apple AirPods Pro, £229 from Argos – buy here
Beats Studio Buds vs AirPods Pro: Verdict
As you can see, there are plenty of differences between the two wireless earphones, so you should weigh up a few of the options before you make a substantial purchase.
To make that ultimate choice a little easier, here are a few of the standout factors that are likely to be the most important when making a choice.
Choose the Beats Studio Buds if…
- You’ve got an Android
- You want surround sound
- You want a more customizable listening experience
- You want a longer battery life
Choose the AirPods Pro if…
- You’ve got an Apple device
- You want Siri implemented into your headphones
- You want the ability to control your music and phone calls by tapping the headphones
If you’re interested in what Editor Tech Writer Sean had to say after his experimentation, his Apple AirPods Pro review contains a lot of information and a couple of pointers, especially when it comes to the touch functions.
Our tech deals hub also offers more sales and price drops on a variety of wearables, drones, earbuds, and gadgets.