Beats Solo 4 review: Still D.R.E.

Remember 2016? Pokémon Go had everyone wandering the streets, Instagram had just photos, and Beats dropped its last pair of Solos. Not that many of you would remember it, since Beats were mostly in the West, but you would have seen it in the hip-hop music videos back then; it was owned by Dr. Dre , duh. At the time, what you listened to became as important as what you were listening to. Fast forward eight years, and the world looks mighty different, and Beats has a new owner, Apple . But some things never change – like Beats' uncanny ability to make headphones that turn heads.

The Solo 4 arrives fashionably late to a party that's already in full swing. True wireless earbuds rule the streets that once adorned Beats. So where does a pair of on-ear Beats Solo 4s fit in this brave new world? It's time to drop the AirPods and take the Solo 4 for a spin to see if their sound can match its style and whether these cans can carve out a place for themselves in a world where earbuds are in possibly every ear.

Nostalgia much?
Take these out of the box, and you might think Beats accidentally shipped some leftover Solo 3s. Well, they haven’t. The design is classic Beats – sleek, minimalist, and unmistakably bold. But look closer, and you'll spot the glow-up.

Gone are the glossy finishes of old, replaced by sophisticated matte coatings in black, blue, or pink. The iconic "b" logo is still there, but it's toned down its swagger a notch.

The earcups now sport "UltraPlush" cushioning, borrowed from the bougie Studio Pro line. It's a welcome upgrade, though marathon listening sessions might still leave your ears begging for mercy. The clamping force – how tightly the headphones grip your head – strikes a good balance between security and comfort for most users. But, the on-ear design remains a love-it-or-hate-it affair – cosy for some, a gentle torture device for others (especially glasses wearers).

One thing hasn't changed: these bad boys still fold up like origami. You can’t deny the fact that how important this skill is for a pair of headphones. Even if your cans sound great, but they can’t fold up, chances are that they’re going to sit at home for the rest of their life.

Very un-Apple (the now-owner of the Beats), like, the Solo 4 comes with a carrying case. So, you won’t need to pay extra for it. Even though the case isn’t at its best aesthetically, it fully takes in the headphones, so they are good to go for outings. (P.S. Apple, you could also learn from Beats how to make cases for headphones, just saying.)

The build, you ask? These cans feel solid overall, though there's still more plastic than you might expect at its price. The hinges, in particular, don't inspire much confidence, you might think you could break them if you go a little hard on them, and you possibly can. Haven’t tried doing that personally, but treat them with care, and they should last – but they're not exactly tank-like. Disclaimer, those cups don’t swivel.

Also, if you were planning on taking these to pool parties, don’t. The Solo 4s don’t have any ingress protection rating, so while they might take some minor drops or splashes, if anything happens to them, Beats won’t cover the damage under warranty.y.

Controls are straightforward: big clicky buttons that even your grandma could figure out. The power button plays hide-and-seek on the right earcup, but you'll find it eventually. One thing you won't find? Wear detection sensors. Taking off the headphones won't pause your music, so get ready to master the art of the reach-around pause. It could be or could not be a deal-breaker for you, but in 2024, it feels a bit behind the curve.

Beats by Dre, tuned by... Apple
Now, onto the main event – the sound. Remember when Beats were all about that bass, 'bout that bass, no treble? Those days are gone. The Solo 4 brings a more balanced, grown-up sound to the party. There's still plenty of low-end thump for hip-hop heads, but mids and highs finally get their moment in the spotlight.

Beats says they've re-engineered the drivers and acoustic architecture, and it shows. The clarity is impressive, with a wide soundstage that belies the on-ear form factor. Listening to Kendrick Lamar's "Alright," the layered production shines through, with crisp hi-hats and a punchy bass line that doesn't overwhelm Kendrick's vocals.

Switching gears to Fleetwood Mac's "Dreams," Stevie Nicks' ethereal voice floats above the mix, while the rhythm section provides a solid foundation. It's a versatile sound that works across genres, from Beethoven to Beyoncé.

Die-hard bass junkies might feel betrayed, but for everyone else, it's a welcome evolution. The Solo 4 proves that Beats can do nuance, not just boom. Just don't expect to fine-tune that sound – there's no EQ adjustment here, official or otherwise. What you hear is what you get.

While Beats play nice with all, those with an iPhone, iPad, or even Mac get an extra audio treat, which is Personalized Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking. It's a neat party trick that adds dimension to music and movies. If you have it turned off, you will rarely miss it, but once you start using it, you might not want to go back to impersonal listening.

If you are one of those people who take calls on headphones, then the Solo 4’s won’t disappoint you. The beam-forming mics do a decent job of making you sound good on the other end. That’s it, no icing here.

The standout feature – or lack thereof – is noise cancellation. There’s none, not the active kinda and for the price you’d be paying that’s a tough pill to swallow. Beats is banking on the snug fit and on-ear design to block out the world, and to be fair, it does an okay job. But if you're hoping to silence crying babies on planes or the din of a busy office, you might be left wanting. One wish is that they should’ve had some kind of transparency mode.

For the love of never ending playlists
The silver lining? About 50 hours of run time is what Beats is promising and is almost what you get. Without ANC sucking the power, the Solo 4 just keeps going and going. It's a trade-off, and whether it's worth it depends on your priorities. When you do need to charge, Fast Fuel technology provides 5 hours of playback from just 10 minutes of charging.

Oh, and the best part? You know that the Solo 4's can work as traditional wired headphones using the 3.5mm cable. So, you can use them even when the battery is completely drained. While it's nearly impossible to find a 3.5mm jack on a phone, notebooks still have them, so it is a plus point.


Apple and Android, sitting in a tree
By now you'd know that Apple owns Beats, and in some alternative timeline, there could've been a possibility that the Solo 4's wouldn't work with Android. But here in our timeline, they play nice with both Apple and Android.

Beats has pulled off a neat trick, creating headphones that play nice with both Apple and Android. For those with an iPhone, it's business as usual: instant pairing, seamless device switching, and Siri on standby. And as told before, there’s even that fancy spatial audio with head tracking.

Android users aren't left out in the cold, though. There's Google Fast Pair for quick setup and a dedicated app for tweaks and updates. It's not quite the red-carpet treatment Apple fans get, but it's a big step up from the "Android? Who's she?" attitude of old Beats.

The Solo 4 also remembers that wires exist. You get both a 3.5mm cable and a USB-C cable in the box. It's like finding a payphone in 2024 – unexpected, but oddly comforting. That USB-C port is a triple threat: charging, digital audio, and a lifeline when the battery dies. Plus, both 3.5mm and USB-C cable can do playback in lossless audio.

Ohh, forgot to tell, the Solo 4 doesn’t have auto switching, and it’s weird for them to not have multi point connectivity considering these run over Bluetooth 5.3.

The doctor is most definitely still in
So, are the Beats Solo 4 still D.R.E. in a world of earbuds? At Rs 22,900, they're not exactly the best, but they're playing it with style. They nail the basics while maintaining that ineffable Beats cool factor. Though the decision to go on ear or not is yours. The sound quality is definitely better than before. But let’s not sugarcoat it. If you have got the taste of these newer cans, you’d be left wanting for a bit more. The lack of ANC for this much money? Absolutely absurd.

Well, it’s good that Solo doesn’t like playing solo, and plays nice with both Apple and Android, but imagine the music not stopping when you take these off. No matter you have an iPhone or an Android, this is going to piss you off. But, they keep going on, and that does help to forget its cons to an extent.

The Solo 4 feels like a homecoming. They're familiar, yet fresh – a blast from the past that doesn't feel much out of place in the present. If you put style above all, and can forgo its shortcomings, the Solo 4 might just be music to your ears. Just they can’t silence the world around you – well, sometimes, you gotta let a little of the outside in to keep your beats in context.

Our rating: 3.5/5