Beats Solo 4
By Beats · Noise-Cancelling Headphones · Audio & Electronics
- On-ear wireless Bluetooth headphones
- Up to 50-hour battery life, USB-C charging
- Ultra-lightweight, Apple and Android compatible
- Lossless audio via USB-C
Lowest price seen
~$100.00 (approx.)
from $100.00 at Amazon
- Amazon ~$100.00 (approx.)View at Amazon
- BeatsView at Beats
- WalmartView at Walmart
- eBay (used) eBay: used, open-box, refurbishedView at eBay (used)
- eBayView at eBay
Prices are snapshots. Check the current price with the store.
Summary
A foldable on-ear Bluetooth headset with very long battery life and both USB-C digital and 3.5mm analog wired audio, the last of which plays even when the battery is empty. Decide early whether you can live without noise cancellation and with on-ear pressure: the Solo 4 have no ANC, and comfort after an hour is the most common complaint.
Strengths
- The battery is genuinely strong: every independent test met or beat the 50-hour maker claim, with SoundGuys measuring 84 hours 18 minutes.
- Two wired routes: USB-C digital audio and a 3.5mm cable that plays passively when the battery is flat.
- Compact and foldable at 217 g, with a carry case.
- Bass is flatter and more neutral than on older Beats models, with good tonal consistency.
- Works with both iOS and Android, and the onboard buttons need no app for basic playback.
- Solo 4-specific third-party pads exist ($17.95 a pair, Wicked Cushions, 2026) instead of relabeled older pads.
Weaknesses
- No active noise cancellation or transparency mode, so train and flight noise comes through.
- On-ear pressure makes ears sore; TechGearLab scored comfort low, and one owner could only wear them 30 to 60 minutes at a time.
- No user-adjustable EQ and no standard Bluetooth multipoint for two arbitrary devices.
- Owners report charging failures and one-cup Bluetooth dropouts, though no failure rate is published.
- Call quality is disputed: clear in some tests, muffled and distant in noise in others.
- No IP water or sweat rating, and the soft case is not a hard, crush-resistant shell.
Verified specifications
| Fit | on-ear, with padded cups pressing on the outer ear, fold-in pivots and a soft carry case. |
|---|---|
| Weight and dimensions | 217 g (7.65 oz); 17.7 × 15.8 × 6.8 cm. |
| Wireless | Bluetooth 5.3 for Apple and Android, with SBC and AAC codecs. |
| Multipoint | no standard two-device multipoint; supported Apple handoff and Google Audio Switch on eligible Android devices instead. |
| Drivers | custom 40mm, with personalized spatial audio and dynamic head tracking on supported Apple hardware. |
| EQ and modes | no user-adjustable graphic EQ, and no active noise cancellation or transparency mode. |
| Wired audio | USB-C digital audio with a built-in DAC; 3.5mm analog audio that works with the battery completely empty. |
| Battery | maker claim of up to 50 hours wireless playback; Fast Fuel gives up to 5 hours from a 10-minute charge. |
| Measured endurance | about 48 hours (RTINGS), about 73 hours (TechGearLab), 84 hours 18 minutes at roughly 75dB SPL (SoundGuys). |
| Controls | physical Beats b-button, volume up/down and power/pairing, plus beamforming voice mics for calls. |
| Water resistance | no IP rating. |
| In the box | headphones, soft carrying case, USB-C–USB-C cable, 3.5mm analog cable, guide and warranty card. A wall adapter is not included. |
| Warranty | one-year limited hardware warranty. |
Full research notes and sources
Battery, charging and wired audio
The maker rates the Solo 4 at up to 50 hours of wireless playback, with Fast Fuel giving up to 5 hours from a 10-minute charge, and no wall adapter in the box. Independent tests land in the same range or above it: about 48 hours (RTINGS), about 73 hours (TechGearLab) and 84 hours 18 minutes at roughly 75dB SPL (SoundGuys). Those are three different test methods, so the 84-hour figure is not a promise for every device.
When the battery runs flat, the 3.5mm analog cable still plays, and the USB-C cable carries digital audio through a built-in DAC. Neither cable makes Bluetooth itself lossless. Several owners report charging trouble, from red flashing and a battery that never fills to a unit that stopped working after about a year, but no failure rate has been published, so treat these as individual reports rather than a known defect. The official reset is holding Volume Down and Power for 10 seconds until the light blinks red and white, then pairing again.
Comfort, isolation and calls
These are on-ear, not over-ear: the pads press on the outer ear, and TechGearLab’s reviewers had sore ears after about an hour. One owner could tolerate only 30 to 60 minutes before switching to thicker pads. If you wear glasses or take long calls, test the fit inside the return window.
There is no active noise cancellation and no transparency mode, and the passive seal is weak at low rumbling frequencies, so train and flight noise comes through; RTINGS and SoundGuys both flag it. Call quality is disputed: RTINGS heard muffled, distant voice in noise, while TechGearLab found calls surprisingly clear in its own tests. There is no IP water or sweat rating, so keep them clear of heavy sweat and rain.
Repairs, parts and running costs
There is no subscription and no scheduled consumable, so running costs are $0 a year unless something wears out. Pads are the main wear item: Wicked Cushions sells a Solo 4-specific pair for $17.95 and a special color for $23.95 (2026). A silicone headband cover is $18.95 and fits the Solo 4 plus some Solo 2 and 3 variants; it covers the band but does not repair a broken hinge.
The internal battery is not a user part. Apple’s service estimator quotes by model and inspection rather than a published fixed Solo 4 price, and no genuine standalone hinge or driver part is listed. Apple’s one-year limited hardware warranty covers defects in materials and workmanship, not battery wear or accidental damage, and completed service is guaranteed for 90 days or the remaining warranty. Beats direct accepts returns for 14 days; Target and Best Buy set their own windows.
Is it worth it?
Target listed the matte-black Solo 4 at $99.99 new in early October 2026, against a $199.99 list price on the Beats site. Best Buy showed about $139.97 through a marketplace seller, and Target’s certified refurbished Gold model was $99.99 but out of stock. Editorial thresholds put new units at $80–$105 as a reasonable buy for the battery and wired flexibility, $106–$125 as conditional for on-ear fans, and $130 or more as weak.
Two rivals undercut it. The over-ear Soundcore Space One was $84.99 with active noise cancellation and up to 55 hours of playback without ANC, and the on-ear Marshall Major V was $129.99 with a maker-rated 100-plus hours and wireless charging. If you need isolation on a commute, an ANC over-ear is the better fit; if you want a compact on-ear set with very long battery life and passive wired listening, the Solo 4 still makes sense.
Which model this is
This page covers the Solo 4 wireless on-ear family launched in April 2024, not the Solo3, Solo Pro, Studio Pro or Solo Buds. The US matte-black model is MUW23LL/A; other colors use different SKUs. The Solo 4 have no active noise cancellation at all, so do not buy them expecting the mode found on the Studio Pro.
Sources
Manufacturer:
- Beats Solo 4 specifications, price and box contents
- Beats Solo 4 owner support and charging overview
- Apple Beats user guide: exact Solo 4 reset procedure
- Apple Beats user guide: updating Beats software and firmware
- Apple: one-year limited warranty terms for Apple and Beats accessories
- Apple US: Beats repair service, fee estimator and service guarantee
Independent reviews:
Owner reports:
- Solo 4 on-ear comfort and pad swap (r/beatsbydre)
- Charging failure after a Christmas gift (r/beatsbydre)
- Blinking red and will not charge (r/beatsbydre)
- Malfunction after about a year (r/beatsbydre)
- One-channel Bluetooth-only failure (r/beatsbydre)
- Hinge reliability concern (r/beatsbydre)
Parts and stores:
