All posts

AirPods Pro 2 vs Beats Studio Buds Plus (ft. TheJuan&Only)

11:34 video

I love my AirPods Pro 2: they’re in my pocket wherever I go, and between the case, battery, audio and how well they work with my devices, I’m not sure I could give them up. With Juan from TheJuan&Only, I put them against the newer Beats Studio Buds +. We also gave away a pair of Studio Buds + in a live stream on August 12th at 8 p.m. Eastern.

Price and design (Juan)

Both are mid-tier. The Beats are cheaper at $169 in the US, in Ivory, Black/Gold and a transparent version that shows the tech inside the buds and case, reminiscent of a see-through Game Boy Color. The AirPods Pro 2 are $249, $80 more, and come in only the familiar glossy white.

Both have their own look. The AirPods Pro have a small stem, which makes them easier to handle when they’re not in your ear; the Beats don’t, so they can be a bit finicky to remove from the case. Both cases are palm-size, with the Beats case a little bigger. The AirPods Pro case charges with a Lightning cable, the Beats with USB-C.

Sound (Juan)

Sound is subjective, and earbuds are hard to review, since you can’t pass them through a screen. Both have active noise cancellation (a low white-noise hum that drowns out most surrounding noise) and a transparency mode, which turns the buds into microphones that amplify your surroundings, useful for talking to a store clerk. The AirPods Pro 2 have an edge with Adaptive Transparency, a more advanced version.

The AirPods Pro 2 deliver rich, detailed audio, with a custom amplifier and driver for better lows and highs, and Dolby Atmos spatial audio that creates a 360° soundstage, though some may find the bass lacking, which is where Beats historically excel. The Beats Studio Buds + have effective noise canceling and a balanced profile; bass depth and warmth may be lacking at low volume, but turning it up fills it out, with good clarity in the mids and highs, so vocals and instruments shine. Personally, Juan likes punchy bass and forward vocals, and prefers the Beats, without meaning the AirPods Pro sound bad.

My testing (Jerry)

  • Sound: the Beats have a heavier bass, which I loved for rock and pop, bobbing my head along. Highs sounded pretty good, but the vocals sounded a bit hollow. The AirPods Pro 2 had a better, more even mix across the spectrum: decent bass, clear vocals, nice highs. I enjoyed both for different reasons.
  • Noise canceling: the H2-equipped AirPods Pro 2 were better overall. With a clothes dryer and running water in the background, the AirPods drowned out most of the dryer hum, with the Beats maybe slightly behind, and both let me down on running water.
  • Transparency: talking to my wife with music or a podcast playing, I had no trouble hearing her with either.

Battery

  • Beats Studio Buds +: up to 36 hours total: about 9 hours per bud with ANC off plus three more charges from the case, or up to 24 hours total with ANC on. Five minutes of charging gives up to an hour of use.
  • AirPods Pro 2: around 30 hours with ANC on: about 6 hours per bud and up to four charges from the case, a little less with spatial audio and head tracking. Five minutes of charging also gives up to an hour.

I’m impressed with both: over five hours from something this tiny.

Controls

The Beats have a single physical button that moves, configurable for noise canceling, volume or Siri. The AirPods Pro 2 have a pressure-sensitive stem that doesn’t move but vibrates, and changing volume is easier because you can swipe up and down on the stem. On the Beats, you must configure the button as volume up and down with a long press (which removes switching noise-canceling modes with a long press) or use “Hey Siri.” Both can be controlled in Control Center, with limited options in Settings.

Features

What AirPods have that the Beats lack: wireless charging compatibility for the case (lay it on any Qi charger), and an IPX4 rating for both case and buds (only the Beats’ buds are rated). With iPhone, AirPods Pro 2 also have head-tracked spatial audio and auto-switching.

Verdict

I like both. The AirPods Pro 2 have more features with an iPhone, slightly better ANC, a more balanced sound, and a smaller case that fits my pocket. The Beats also sound great, with more of that iconic bass, though the vocals sounded a little hollow. Overall, I think the Studio Buds + give you about 90% of the features and experience of the AirPods Pro 2, and for the price difference, that isn’t bad.

To win the giveaway, you had to subscribe to both channels, follow one of us on a social account, and leave a comment on either video, and a comment would be picked randomly in the live stream.

In this video

  • 0:00 Jerry + Juan = buds
  • 0:29 pricing and features
  • 2:56 Juan’s audio review
  • 6:14 Jerry’s audio review
  • 7:27 battery life
  • 8:17 controls
  • 9:13 other features
  • 10:00 final through and GIVEAWAY!

Some links in this post are affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I may receive a small commission. See my ethics statement.

Watch on YouTube

Keep reading

Related posts