The Beats Solo 3 were released in late 2016, and 7.5 years is definitely too long to wait for a refresh of the “affordable” on-ear model of one of the world’s most popular headphone brands. As you would expect, a lot has changed. Gone is the ancient Apple W1 chip, in favor of a proprietary tech platform that supports lots of modern features for both Apple and Android devices. Sound quality is improved, and the battery lasts 25 percent longer.
They still look like Beats and sound like Beats, and they do very little to move the brand or category forward. There’s nothing with the Solo 4 headphones—they’re good. But