The Beats Studio Buds could be the upcoming wireless earbuds from the Apple-owned brand – and they might launch soon, with a substantial l...
The Beats Studio Buds could be the upcoming wireless earbuds from the Apple-owned brand – and they might launch soon, with a substantial leak giving us our first look at the new earbuds.
We weren’t expecting to see a new pair of Beats headphones – but information on the Studio Buds was discovered in Apple’s latest beta software for tvOS and iOS, revealing that the new earbuds will likely come with active noise cancellation.
Spotted by MacRumors and 9to5Mac, the software even revealed images and animations of the yet-to-be-announced earbuds, and it looks like the devices will be available in red, white and black.
It’s been a while since Beats launched a pair of true wireless earbuds. The Powerbeats Pro offered a sports-friendly design and Apple-friendly connectivity features, and we thought it likely that the company would release a follow-up in the near future.
The so-called Powerbeats Pro 2 haven’t materialized, however – and it now looks like the Beats Studio Buds will be the next model to join the AirPods and the AirPods Pro in Apple’s lineup of wireless earbuds.
Apple is yet to confirm the existence of the Studio Buds, but there are a few details that we’ve been able to glean from the leak, so here’s everything we know so far.
Cut to the chase
- What are they? The next Beats true wireless earbuds.
- When will they be released? That’s TBC.
- How much will they cost? Likely around $250 / £220 / AU$350.
Beats Studio Buds release date
While Apple hasn’t yet confirmed the existence of the Beats Studio Buds – or even if that will be their official name – the recent leak was substantial enough to suggest that the earbuds will launch soon, perhaps even in June.
Unless Apple decides to drop the earbuds via an email as it did with its announcement that Apple Music will offer hi-res audio at no extra cost, the next feasible release date is at WWDC 2021 on June 7.
This is where we’re expecting to get our first official look at the next major software updates for iOS, watchOS and more – and it could be a good time for Apple to launch new hardware.
That would also coincide with the expected release of iOS 14.6 – which is where the code for the Studio Buds was discovered.
You can check out an animation of the Beats Studio Buds below, which was posted to Twitter by MacRumors contributor Steve Moser:
Animations of Beats Studio Buds: 🧵 pic.twitter.com/XYVvYP7ez3May 17, 2021
Beats Studio Buds price
We’re expecting the Beats Studio Buds to come with a similar price tag to the Powerbeats Pro, which cost $249 / £219 / AU$349 at launch.
That’s pretty pricey for a pair of true wireless earbuds, especially units that lack active noise cancellation; but, based on the recent leak, this is a feature we will see with the Studio Buds.
Beats Studio Buds design
Based on the images revealed in the tvOS and iOS beta, the Beats Studio Buds will be available in three colors: red, black and white.
There don’t appear to be any protruding stems as seen on the AirPods and AirPods Pro, with the Beats Studio Buds sporting rounded housings – they’re almost dial-like in shape, with a ridge on the outside that features the Beats logo.
It appears that they’ll come with silicone eartips such as the AirPods Pro – but unlike Beats’ last true wireless earbuds, the Powerbeats Pro, the Studio Buds don’t appear to have ear hooks.
Beats Studio Buds features
We don’t know much about the kinds of features we can expect from the Beats Studio Buds, but 9to5Mac was able to decipher some information in the iOS 14.6 beta.
According to 9to5Mac, the Beats Studio Buds will come with an Apple chip to offer instant pairing, alongside the Hey Siri feature we’ve seen with the AirPods and AirPods Pro.
Plus, it seems that active noise cancellation will feature on the Studio Buds, too – the first Beats true wireless earbuds to do so.
There’s no information yet on the kind of audio hardware we can expect from the Studio Buds, however.
Beats Studio Buds: what we want to see
While we’re waiting for more details about the Beats Studio Buds to emerge, we’ve been busy dreaming about all the features we’d like to see from the next Beats earbuds.
Customizable sound
The last Beats true wireless earbuds, the Powerbeats Pro, shook off Beats' reputation for overly bassy audio, offering a more neutral sound profile. While we liked the sound quality offered by the original buds, we were disappointed that Apple didn't provide any way to alter the EQ settings, either via an app or through a series of preset sound profiles. An accompanying app with a customizable EQ would give Beats Studio Buds’ users the option to personalize the sound of their buds, tweaking the bass, mids, and trebles exactly to their liking.
Support for hi-res audio
Now that Apple Music offers hi-res audio at no extra cost to subscribers, we'd like to see the company’s next earbuds come with the necessary hardware and software to support this.
Right now, all models of AirPods only support the AAC codec when connected to an iOS or iPadOS device, whereas the new lossless Apple Music format is encoded in ALAC. In short, without ALAC support built into the headphones, the AirPods aren't capable of transmitting hi-res audio – and a new model in the form of the Beats Studio Buds presents the perfect opportunity to rectify this.
A higher IP rating
The IPX4 waterproof rating offered by the Powerbeats Pro was fine, but we think Apple could do better with its next Beats wireless earbuds. An IPX4-rating means the Powerbeats Pro could take a bit of sweat, maybe an accidental splash from a water bottle or someone jumping in the pool – but imagine how great it would be if you could take the new Studio Buds swimming?
A long battery life
Apple’s current-gen earbuds come with pretty average battery lives. Models such as the Lypertek PurePlay Z3 have proven that true wireless earbuds can be long-lasting, so we don’t see any reason that the Studio Buds shouldn’t do the same.
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