Beats Solo 3
Beats Solo 3
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MUSIC: Fair—6.3/10
CALLS: Poor—4.7/10
GAMING: Poor—5.3/10
TV: Poor—5.6/10
PODCASTS & AUDIOBOOKS: Poor—5.8/10
EXERCISE: Poor—5.9/10
AIR TRAVEL: Very Good—8.4/10
NOISE REDUCTION: Poor—5.3/10
BUILD QUALITY: Very Good—8.0/10
BATTERY: Best in Class—10.0/10
The Beats Solo 3 are midrange-priced, on-ear wireless headphones with the option for a wired connection. They offer good overall sound quality and sound imaging with a closed enclosure, but comfort and microphone quality are not as high. Their build quality is very good, and they have fairly good built-in controls. Not best suited for calls, meetings, gaming, or TV watching due to poor scores in these categories, but excel in portability with foldable design and long battery life of over 40 hours. They support the AAC codec, which is optimized for Apple devices, and have no active noise cancelling. They are not the best option for exercise, air travel, or listening in noisy environments due to poor noise isolation. These headphones include a detachable cable but lack features like sweatproof certification, dustproof certification, app equalizer and customization, and virtual surround. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Evaluation
Pros
- Wireless and wired connectivity
- Foldable design for portability
- Long battery life
- Good overall sound quality
- Built-in controls for convenience
Cons
- Poor comfort and noise isolation
- Not sweat or dustproof
- No active noise cancelling
- Compromised sound in calls, gaming, TV
Ratings by Category
Battery Life:5.0
The Battery Life rating is based on hours of typical, actual usage.
Air Travel:4.5
This score evaluates the product for use on airplanes and other similar kinds of travel. It takes into account noise reduction and portability, including case shape, case size, and weight. It also incorporates the battery life of the product, long-haul comfort, noise reduction (both active and passive), and sound quality. We generally consider wireless products to be more suitable for air travel.
Music:3.3
The Beats Solo 3 offers good sound quality but has a closed enclosure, which can limit the openness and expansiveness of the soundstage. Additionally, the headphones do not support virtual surround sound, which may affect the perception of audio directionality and immersive experiences.
Exercise:3.0
This score evaluates the product when used for exercise and physical activity. It mainly takes into account comfort, whether or not the products are sweatproof and how secure are the earbuds or headphones while wearing them. We also consider products with wireless capabilities to be more suitable for this particular scenario
Portability:3.0
The Portability score is based on an overall assessment that includes volume and maximum dimension of the product (and case, if relevant), and its weight. Special features like foldability for headphones are also taken into account.
Full Specs
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
| Price | $117 | ||
Brand | Beats | ||
Release Date | October 1, 2016 | ||
Form Factor | Headphones | ||
Connectivity | Wired + Wireless | ||
SOUND | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Music Score  | 6.3/10 | ||
Phone Calls Score | 4.7/10 | ||
Gaming Score | 5.3/10 | ||
TV and Video Score | 5.6/10 | ||
Exercise Score | 5.9/10 | ||
PERFORMANCE | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery life | 41.5 Hours | ||
Wireless charging | No | ||
Charging time | 2 Hours | ||
Bluetooth version | 4.2 | ||
FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Active Noise Cancelling | No | ||
Noise Reduction Score | 5.3/10 | ||
Virtual Surround | No | ||
Android App | Yes | ||
iOS App | Yes | ||
Mic Quality | 5.4/10 | ||
BUILD AND DESIGN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality | 8/10 | ||
Comfort score | 5.7/10 | ||
Weight | 213.1 Grams | ||
Microphone style | Integrated | ||
Waterproof Rating | 0 | ||
Beats Solo 3
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Sound Guys
Lily Katz | May 2023
"The Beats Solo3 Wireless is an old set of headphones but still works reliably well with iPhones, due to W1 chip integration and AAC support. The Beats Solo3 Wireless holds up well today with just a few features showing its age."
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This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec earbuds & headphones team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest earbuds or headphones information and makes it digestible for you.
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