Beats (Apple) Beats Solo Buds – True Wireless Bluetooth Earbuds (Matte Black)

Beats (Apple) Beats Solo Buds – True Wireless Bluetooth Earbuds (Matte Black)

By Beats (Apple) · Budget Wireless Earbuds · Audio & Electronics

  • Up to 18 hours of battery life
  • 5-min Fast Fuel charge = up to 1 hour playback
  • Bluetooth 5.3 Class 1 with dual-layer drivers
  • 5.7 g per bud, 22 g charging case with USB-C

Lowest price seen
~$79.99 (approx.)
from $79.99 at Amazon

Prices are snapshots. Check the current price with the store.

Summary

Beats’ cheapest true-wireless earbuds, with up to 18 hours of playback per charge and an unusually small case — but the case has no battery, so the buds only charge while it is plugged into USB-C power. Check whether you can live without active noise cancellation, an IP rating and on-the-go charging before you buy.

Strengths

  • Up to 18 hours of playback per charge, among the longest in the category.
  • The case is genuinely small and light at 22 g, and fits in any pocket.
  • Comfortable lightweight fit with four eartip sizes included.
  • Sound is bass-forward and bright, generally good for the price.
  • Easy cross-platform pairing with iOS and Android devices.
  • Strong passive isolation for earbuds without active noise cancellation.

Weaknesses

  • The case has no battery, so the buds only charge while it is plugged into USB-C power.
  • No active noise cancellation or transparency mode.
  • No official IP water or sweat rating, so not recommended for heavy sweat or rain.
  • The physical “b” buttons require a hard press that pushes the buds into the ear canal.
  • No true equalizer, no head-tracked spatial audio and no in-ear detection.
  • The microphone struggles in noisy environments, with the noise gate sometimes cutting out the user’s voice.

Verified specifications

Formtrue-wireless in-ear earbuds.
Driverscustom two-layer 8.2 mm dynamic diaphragm transducers.
ChipBeats Proprietary Platform, not the Apple H2 chip.
Bluetooth5.3, Class 1.
CodecsAAC and SBC only; no LDAC or aptX.
Noise cancellationnone. Transparency mode: none.
IP ratingnone listed by Beats; RTINGS states IPX4.
Controlsone physical multi-function “b” button per earbud.
Sensorsno in-ear detection or auto-pause.
App/EQno true equalizer; the Beats app (Android) or iOS Settings allows renaming and control tweaks only.
Spatial audioDolby Atmos playback supported, but without head tracking or personalized spatial audio.
Microphonesone MEMS microphone per earbud.
Batteryup to 18 hours of playback per charge; SoundGuys measured 17 hours 24 minutes.
Fast Fuela 5-minute charge gives up to 1 hour of playback.
Full chargeabout 80 minutes (PCMag) or about 1 hour 20 minutes (Tom’s Guide).
ChargingUSB-C; the case holds no battery and must be plugged in to charge the buds.
Bud dimensions0.81 × 0.73 × 0.75 in (2.05 × 1.85 × 1.9 cm); 5.7 g.
Case dimensions2.6 × 1.4 × 0.9 in (6.6 × 3.5 × 2.4 cm); 22 g.
In the boxearbuds, carrying case, four eartip sizes (XS, S, M, L), warranty card and Beats sticker. No charging cable included.
Warrantystandard Apple/Beats service; exact US warranty length not confirmed from a first-party page.
Full research notes and sources

Battery life and charging

Beats claims up to 18 hours of playback per charge, and SoundGuys measured 17 hours 24 minutes in its battery test — among the longest in the category, helped by the absence of power-hungry active noise cancellation. A 5-minute Fast Fuel charge gives up to 1 hour of playback, and a full charge from empty takes about 80 minutes according to PCMag or about 1 hour 20 minutes according to Tom’s Guide.

The defining trade-off is the case. It holds no battery of its own, so the buds only recharge while the case is connected to USB-C power. There is no on-the-go top-up, no wireless charging and no charging cable in the box. You cannot charge the buds while wearing them. If you need to top up away from a wall outlet, these are not the earbuds for you.

Sound and features

Sound is competent for the price but not special. PCMag describes a bass-forward, bright tuning with no distortion at high volume. SoundGuys measured a pronounced 1–5 kHz upper-mid boost with recessed low-mids and quiet highs above 10 kHz, and rated overall audio quality average at 4.2 out of 10. There is no equalizer to correct the tuning.

The feature list is deliberately minimal. There is no active noise cancellation, no transparency mode, no in-ear detection, no head-tracked spatial audio, no automatic Apple device switching and no confirmed true simultaneous multipoint. Dolby Atmos playback is supported, but without head tracking or personalized spatial audio. The physical “b” buttons require a firm press that pushes the buds deeper into the ear canal, which SoundGuys found uncomfortable.

Fit and comfort

The buds are light at 5.7 g each and come with four eartip sizes (XS, S, M, L). AppleInsider reported they stayed in during intensive workouts. SoundGuys reported the buds sliding out while running due to the slippery plastic and lack of stability fins. RTINGS notes the seal can break with vigorous head movement because there are no stability fins. Fit during exercise is genuinely disputed.

Is it worth it?

At the $79.99 MSRP the value is contested. PCMag rated it Average and SoundGuys did not recommend it, both because similarly priced or cheaper rivals include ANC, a charging case and an equalizer. AppleInsider, Macworld and Tom’s Guide were positive, arguing the Solo Buds beat non-Pro AirPods on sound and battery for Beats-ecosystem buyers who do not need ANC.

The deciding factor is price. At or below roughly $50 to $60 — the level CNET expected on sale and Macworld showed at Best Buy — the package is a strong budget option for its battery life, tiny case and cross-platform pairing, provided you accept no ANC, no IP rating and a batteryless case. Around the $80 MSRP, it is fair-to-weak value against feature-complete rivals unless Beats branding and Apple integration are specifically wanted.

Which model this is

This page covers the Beats Solo Buds in Matte Black, model number A3150, released in June 2024. Beats sells four colors: Matte Black, Storm Gray, Arctic Purple and Transparent Red. The Amazon listing for the Matte Black colorway is ASIN B0D3J85SX4. Do not confuse them with Beats Studio Buds, Studio Buds +, Beats Fit Pro, Powerbeats or Beats Flex — those are different products with different drivers, chips and features.

Sources

Manufacturer:

Independent reviews:

Owner reports:

  • No verified exact-model owner threads could be retrieved in this run; owner-sentiment coverage is based on reviewer testing rather than owner reports.

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