REASONS TO BUY
Excellent portability
Apple/Android
Good sound
REASONS TO AVOID
No Multipoint
No head detection
Disappointing calls
Hair trouble
Beats Studio Pro Review
Great sound and portability, but they make terrible calls and get caught in longer hair
Credit: Matt Lighthart
By Genaveve Bradshaw ⋅ Senior Review Analyst ⋅ August 1, 2025
Contributions From: Rachael Lamore & Lissette Velasquez
RELATED: Best Wireless Headphones of 2025
Our Verdict
The Beats Studio Pro is easily one of the most recognizable headphones on the market. Developed by famed producer Dr. Dre, they deliver a clean and exciting listening experience that many consumers will appreciate. They also readily fold up into one of the most compact cases we've ever seen, for on-the-go enjoyment. However, every other aspect of its performance is just okay, and long hair easily gets caught in the folding joints. When on a super sale, the Pro may be worth your investment if you want to make a hip statement and don't need top-notch quality, but there are better, more compelling wireless headphones at this premium price range.
Our Analysis and Test Results
According to Beats, the Studio Pro is “the perfect blend of design culture, creative culture, and engineering coming together.”
These headphones are a beaut, but how did they measure up against the competition? Let's find out.
Credit: Matt Lighthart
Sound Quality
If you're looking for an exciting and dramatic listening experience, the Beats Studio Pro sound is forward, almost punching you in the face with its powerful presence. The volume cranks up “loud-loud” and maintains most of its outstanding clarity, though the trebles can strike a bit too high on the max setting.
The bass is where these headphones shine. It is elevated and plays a defining role in the mix, adding that boom that many users drool over. Despite their power, our testers say, “They never become distorted or blown dramatically out of proportion.” Alternative, pop, and hip-hop songs from Teddy Swims, Cardi B, and Tyler the Creator were all pleasant to our ears, though some bass heads might feel they could use a little more oomph.
The mids don't sound as dominant in the mix, but they're warm, full, and developed. After listening to Taylor Swift's “Guilty as Sin?” our expert ear says, “There's a richness to the mids that adds a depth and earthiness to the sound, making it feel organic and vulnerable. Each instrument comes through cleanly and cohesively without muddiness.” The highs are forward and clean, providing an exciting listening experience across pop, rock, and even classical tracks by Tove Lo, Little Richard, and Finghin Collins. However, harmonicas, cymbals, or vocalists hitting high notes with a fortissimo sometimes sound slightly sharp.
While we were quite pleased with the built-in sound mix, it's important to consider that the EQ is not adjustable. So, if you want to add more boom while listening to EDM or rap or less sparkle while listening to pop or instrumentals, it's not possible.
Credit: Matt Lighthart
Soundstage
The clarity and balance of the sound earned high marks, but the space felt somewhat closed off. Individual instrumental voices can be pointed to on a virtual stage, and there is some sense of atmosphere and space, but they don't have a huge, wide-open sound. Beats offers an option for upgraded immersion using Apple's Personalized Spatial Audio feature, but you'll need an iPhone.
Frequency Response
The Studio Pro's frequency response confirms our audio experts ' takeaways. The results mirror the shape of our Target Response Curve well. The lows and highs are gently scooped upwards, providing a pleasing sound mix that complements a wide range of genres, though pop stood out the most.
If you need an ultra-portable headphone, the Beats has one of the most compact carrying cases in our lineup, making it excellent for on-the-go use.
Credit: Matt Lighthart
Most consumers associate Beats with powerful boomy bass, and it's there, but it is not the most forward-facing frequency in the response curve. The highs are the most elevated, adding an added layer of excitement and explaining why they sometimes hit too sharp.
The Studio Pro isn't the most comfy with glasses, and hair regularly caught in the metal folding hinges.
Credit: Matt Lighthart
Comfort and Fit
Our testers averaged four hours of comfortable wear time with the Studio Pro.
The earcups have plush cushions that are wrapped in smooth, engineered leather.
Credit: Matt Lighthart
The materials don't feel as pillowy-soft as other competitors' but are adequate. The foam cushion is somewhat stiff and presses uncomfortably with a strong clamping force.
The headband is also readily apparent. It lacks a thick padding.
Credit: Matt Lighthart
The headphones weigh 266 grams, and the earcups measure 59 x 40 millimeters, meaning they should fit the average listener well, as long as you can tolerate the stronger clamping force. The force works in their favor, creating a stable and somewhat sweaty gym companion.
Noise Cancellation
Studio Pro offers good, but not amazing, noise cancellation.
We could still hear the jet engine on an airplane and a fair amount of background noise at the gym. Keyboards, ceiling fans, and muffled conversations were dulled but not enough.
Listen in to hear the noise canceling for yourself. In a bustling cafe, the Studio Pro attenuates rather than cancels out low-frequency fan hums and mid-frequency chatters.
Credit: Matt Lighthart
On average, the Studio Pro reduces sound by 17 decibels, which isn't much compared to similarly priced options that block 27+ decibels.
While the ANC is unimpressive, the Beat's Transparency mode is outstanding. The sound is so crisp and natural that we could hear a phone gently placed on a desk. So, if staying in touch with your surroundings is important, the Studio Pro does this well.
We encourage you to browse our list of alternative options before taking the plunge on the Beats Studio Pro. Or, if you're set on this headphone, we hope you found our review helpful and informative.
Credit: Matt Lighthart
Ease of Use
The Beats Studio Pro aren't the best for user experience and ease of use.
The headphones have intuitive controls, but the customizations are limited, and they lack simple features like Head Detection, Passive Playback, and Multipoint.
Controls
The Beats have some of the coolest controls we've ever tested. They have the sleek look of a modern touchpad but the reliability of old-school buttons.
On the left earcup, you'll find the “b” button, which controls media and phone call actions, and a volume rocker. On the right earcup is a multifunction button that controls listening modes, power, and pairing.
Credit: Matt Lighthart
We loved the physical controls, which are very straightforward, but click loudly. Unfortunately, they lack the automatic play/pause when the headphones are removed or placed on your head, and don't provide wired passive playback if the battery dies.
Customization
The Beats take a hybrid approach to customizations, offering an app for Android users and integrated iOS controls for iOS. They're nearly identical, but Apple users gain access to Personalized Spatial Audio, which tailors the sound to your ear shape for a 3D listening experience. They can also track head movements to make you feel like the virtual speakers are moving wherever you go.
Whether using the Android app or Apple settings, the customization options are sparse.
Credit: Matt Lighthart
Unlike its competitors, the Studio Pro doesn't offer in-app EQ adjustments. However, connecting them to your iPad, iPhone, or Mac with the USB-C cable lets you toggle between three EQ-Optimized Sound Profiles. The Signature profile is balanced for music, the Entertainment profile is designed for movies and games, and the Conversation profile optimizes voices for podcasts. It's a nice feature, but you may need a USB-C to Lightning adaptor to access it. Similarly, the Pro also supports USB-C Lossless Audio for improved audio quality when in wired mode, but you'll need access to lossless audio content (and potentially an adaptor for Apple) to enjoy it.
The Beats is, however, one of few headphones to support USB-C lossless audio, and can be used while charging.
Credit: Matt Lighthart
Connectivity
The Beats have a unique dual ecosystem chipset that grants access to Apple One-Touch Pairing and Google Fast Pair, saving time and frustration when connecting your device. The connection was reliable, never skipping a beat in our testing that included multiple users and devices.
We put this claim to the test in an outdoor environment with minimal network interference.
Credit: Matt Lighthart
Unlike nearly all of the headphones in our lineup that support Class 2 Bluetooth, the Beats supports Class 1 Bluetooth, which promises a longer range and more stable connection. Our measured range was 116 feet, which is below average, but the connection was stable.
Despite the dual chipset, Apple-only perks are limited when you add a second device. The Pro supports iCloud pairing, automatically linking to other devices in your iCloud account. But, without Multipoint, you'll be stuck manually swapping audio between paired Apple devices. Also, the Pro doesn't support Apple Audio Share, so you can't share content with nearby Apple devices.
Android users enjoy full access to Android-only connectivity perks, while Apple users have more limited access to Apple-only benefits.
Credit: Matt Lighthart
Android users experience fewer restrictions, allowing access to Android Audio Switch, which automatically swaps audio between devices linked to a Google account. However, multi-OS users cannot simultaneously connect one Apple and one Android device due to the lack of Multipoint.
On 08/01/2024, a detailed analysis of 1-star Amazon user reviews shows a minuscule percentage of connectivity concerns.
Most Amazon Reviewers were happy with connectivity. Only 0.42% of 1-Star negative reviews cite problems related to connectivity.
Our 28.4-hour battery life measurement topped Beats's claim of 24 hours.
Credit: Matt Lighthart
=Battery=
The Studio Pro outperformed many competitors for battery life with a 28 hour run time, but still fell short of a few that last up to 50 hours.
However, for an ANC product, the Studio Pro's run time is fairly average.
If you need to make phone calls with your headphones, there are better options than the Studio Pro.
Credit: Matt Lighthart
Call Quality
The Beats performed poorly for call quality, struggling to relay our voices loud enough to be clearly understood.
In mock calls from noisy or quiet settings, the Studio Pro were incredibly muted. The Pro live calls sounded slightly better, but the sound was still quiet and somewhat muted.
During loud subway station calls, the Studio Pro did a superb job of removing chaotic background sounds, but it also removed much of the caller's voice. We had to crank up the volume to hear them.
Here's the recording from the subway test.
Credit: Matt Lighthart
Similarly, background sounds from a vibrant office space are almost entirely removed, but the caller's voice is muffled again.
Listen in to hear the results.
Credit: Matt Lighthart
The poor voice quality remains in a call from our sound-insulated audio studio.
Voices sound distant even without background interference.
Credit: Matt Lighthart
The tester on the receiving end of the call said that “while the male and female callers sounded clear enough, they were pretty quiet and difficult to understand, especially if the caller was a soft talker.”
Perhaps the biggest selling point of the Studio Pro is its compact, carry-and-go design.
Credit: Matt Lighthart
Should You Buy the Beats Studio Pro?
If you can find the Beats on sale, they could make a good option for someone seeking a portable design and great sound quality. They aren't the comfiest headphones around, nor do they have the best noise cancellation or call quality, but you'll likely be happy with the sound if the other functions are less essential. Our hair regularly got snagged in the folding joints, so long hair, beware. However, Studio Pro delivers a clear and punchy sound mix for users seeking a clear and punchy sound mix.
What Other Wireless Headphones Should You Consider?
For around the same price, the Bose QuietComfort offers a more dramatic bass line, cozier fit, better ANC, and a more customizable user experience. You'll miss out on some Apple and Android-only perks, but Beats doesn't offer the full suite of options anyway. The Apple AirPods Max are a nice upgrade for Apple compatibility, more immersive sound, and top-notch ANC, but the price jump is significant. If you want to save a few bucks, the 1More SonoFlow outperformed the Studio Pro in nearly all metrics.
Side-by-Side Comparison
Compare Beats Studio Pro versus top competing products:
—Genaveve Bradshaw, Rachael Lamore, and Lissette Velasquez
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