Apple is reportedly gearing up to unveil some hot new wireless headphones, but even though the first-gen AirPods Max are certainly old and not very competitively priced, we’re not talking about their long overdue sequel here. Instead, the even older (and much cheaper) Beats Solo 3 will apparently be upgraded soon, and following a few partial leaks and rumors in the last couple of months, a new report leaves virtually no question unanswered today.
Yes, the Beats Solo 4 are as good as official now, showing off their lightly revised design in a bunch of super-high-quality renders. We get to see the next-gen on-ear cans in Matte Black, Slate Blue, and Cloud Pink colorways from all angles here, and perhaps more importantly, WinFuture‘s always reliable Roland Quandt can confirm each and every key feature and improvement over the Solo 3 ahead of the Solo 4’s actual announcement.
Unfortunately, Apple will not be able to add active noise cancellation to the Beats Solo line this year either, which kind of makes sense given that the fourth entry in the mid-range family is expected to retain the third edition’s very reasonable $200 US price point.
In most European countries, meanwhile, the Beats Solo 4 are likely to cost €230, and if a previous rumor on the matter is to be trusted, a global launch could take place early next month.
With spatial audio and dynamic head tracking “borrowed” from the AirPods Max and Beats Studio Pro, these bad boys could well rival all the best high-end wireless headphones available in 2024 in terms of value for your money. That becomes even clearer when you consider the towering 50-hour battery life and major improvements to the overall sound quality the Solo 4 will apparently bring to the table compared to their forerunner.
“Exceptional clarity” and “rebalanced acoustics” are just two of the big marketing promises Apple plans to make to convince you to choose the Beats Solo 4 over the aforementioned Studio Pro, AirPods Max, and other top-of-the-line alternatives like the Sony WH-1000XM5 or Bose 700.
Equipped with USB Type-C support (like all “modern” headphones) and capable of delivering lossless hi-res audio via a good old fashioned 3.5mm jack as well, the fourth-gen Solos will apparently add 7 grams to the Solo 3’s weight, which shouldn’t impact your all-day comfort too much. And yes, you will obviously be able to pair these new headphones to both your iPhone and Android handset without using a wire.