Beats by Dre Headphones: Quality Sound or Just Fashion?

It’s easy to forget that Apple owns Beats now, especially since they bought it for billions of dollars and pretty much run it as its own brand. One of the craziest things about these headphones is that if you swapped the Beats logo for an Apple one, they would fit perfectly in the Apple lineup. They’re just so different from what you’d expect from Apple, though, which is kind of the point. They feel like they operate separately from the rest of Apple’s products. So, let’s just call these the new $350 Beats over-ear noise-canceling headphones. They’re right in the same premium range as Sony’s Mark 5s or the Bose QC 45s.

Now, let’s get into why these Beats headphones might actually be better than Apple’s own AirPods Max. First, the design. While they’re not all metal, I’d argue the build quality here is impressive and, in some ways, better than the AirPods Max. Most headphones are made of plastic for a reason—it keeps them light. These are much lighter than the AirPods Max, and the ear cups are still soft and comfortable, which is great for long flights or extended wear. Plus, they fold up, making them way easier to pack than the AirPods Max. They come with a case that even has pockets for cables and a small zippered pouch. I’m not entirely sure what that pouch is for—maybe another cable?—but it’s a nice touch for practicality, something the AirPods Max definitely lacks.

In terms of design, these Beats headphones are a subtle update to the previous version. They still have physical controls on the left ear cup, and the power button with battery indicator lights is on the right. But overall, they feel cleaner and more minimal—gone are the flashy chrome accents and the big Beats logo. Even the text on top of the headphones is now removed. The only downside I found is that the matte dark colors show fingerprints way too easily, and they’re tough to clean. The ear cups are also a bit shallow, so they might feel a little tiring over long sessions. They’re not quite on-ear, but they’re somewhere in between, with the mesh inside almost touching your ear. Still, all things considered, these Beats feel surprisingly premium and, dare I say, even a little classy.

The headphones feature a headphone jack on the left side, which is something the AirPods Max doesn’t have. It also comes with a handy three-foot aux cable, so you can plug it directly into your device for a wired connection. On the right side, you’ll find a USB-C port, not a Lightning port. With the included USB-C to C cable, you can connect them to your phone or other devices for lossless, high-bitrate audio. This setup works great with Android phones, like a Pixel, but it won’t offer the same high-quality experience on an iPhone due to the Lightning port.

In terms of battery life, these headphones go beyond the AirPods Max, offering 40 hours with noise cancellation off and 24 hours with ANC on. And with fast charging, just 10 minutes of charging gives you about four hours of listening time. To top it off, they’re about $200 cheaper. If we stopped here, they’d already be the best Apple headphones—definitely the best Beats headphones. But there are a few quirks worth mentioning.

For one, there’s no on-head detection. While this feature isn’t essential for everyone, it’s something that most other $350 noise-canceling headphones include. It’s a bit surprising that these don’t have it. Even more surprising is that they don’t come with any of Apple’s special chips like the H1 or H2. Previous Beats headphones have had these chips, so it’s a little odd to see them missing here. While other brands like Sony and Bose don’t use Apple chips, Beats is owned by Apple, so it feels like a missed opportunity.

What does this mean in practice? Well, they’re still Bluetooth headphones (Bluetooth 5.3), and they still connect quickly to your iPhone and show up in your iCloud, making them available across all your Apple devices. But they don’t support the instant switching feature you get with Apple’s H1 and H2 chips. That means if you’re listening to music on your laptop and a call comes through on your iPhone, the headphones won’t automatically switch to the call. You’ll have to manually switch the connection via Bluetooth settings, which is less seamless.

There are a few smaller things to keep in mind. For one, there’s no instant pairing or automatic wake-up feature. They’re basically always on until you manually turn them off, which can be annoying if you forget, and then you end up draining the battery. The new Transparency mode isn’t quite as good as what you get with AirPods, but I know that’s a tough comparison since AirPods set such a high standard. I’m not sure if it’s the chip or the microphones, but AirPods just handle Transparency way better. These aren’t bad, though—it’s just a little more processed, more muffled than the AirPods’ crystal-clear sound.

These headphones do support spatial audio with head tracking, though, if that’s something you enjoy. They also work with Find My on iPhones, but here’s the downside: because they don’t have the H1 chip, they don’t keep constantly pinging on the Find My network. They’ll just show up in the last location where they were connected. So, if you go on a trip, turn them off, and then lose your bag, it’ll only show you the last spot you had them, which isn’t very helpful when you’re trying to find them.

In the grand scheme of things, maybe these are more luxury features than must-haves. I mean, you could argue that. But considering you’re paying for premium headphones, I kind of expect these little ecosystem perks. So, it’s a bit surprising Apple didn’t include them here.

That said, I’d still be happy using these Beats. If you’re an Android user, they support Fast Pair and even sync automatically with all your Chrome devices, like a Chromebook. Find My works with them too, but again, it’ll only show you the last place they were connected. You can still manage everything through the Beats app, and the interface is the same as it would be on an iPhone.

In terms of sound quality, yes, these headphones have a V-shaped EQ with a strong bass and mids that aren’t the best. But honestly, it’s not a dealbreaker. It’s not extreme or bad—it’s just fun. For most types of music, watching movies, listening to podcasts, and making phone calls, they work just fine. I wouldn’t use them for editing videos, but for casual use, they do the job. If you’re looking for a more neutral, flat sound, these probably weren’t on your radar anyway—and that’s totally fine.

Here’s the interesting part: there is an EQ, but only when you’re connected via USB Type-C. You plug in the C-to-C cable to your device, like a Pixel, and you get lossless audio. That’s when you can switch between three preset EQ modes. To change them, just plug everything in and press the power button twice. The modes are: the default “Signature” mode, which is balanced; the “Entertainment” mode, which is more dramatic with bright highs and deep bass; and the “Conversation” mode, which boosts mid-range frequencies to make voices stand out—great for phone calls and podcasts. You can also tell which mode you’re in by a light indicator. So, by connecting via USB Type-C and using lossless audio, you really get the most out of the 40mm drivers in these Beats headphones with the built-in EQ settings. Pretty neat, right?

Would I like more control over the EQ? Sure. It’d be nice to tweak things to my liking. But let’s be real—most Beats users probably won’t bother with that level of customization, so it’s not a huge issue. The mic quality is solid, and the Bluetooth latency is low, so watching videos and gaming are no problem. There’s no official water resistance rating, but from how they’re built, I’d guess they’d be fine for the gym. You could probably sweat in them without any problems, but that’s just my guess, not a confirmed feature.

In the end, well done, Apple/Beats. These headphones aren’t quite enough to replace the AirPods Max, but they come really close, and at a much lower price, they’re a fantastic alternative. I can see these becoming popular on flights—solid, fun, and easy to enjoy. It’s kind of weird, though, how Beats and Apple don’t seem to work more closely together. Anyway, that’s my take.