I really think apple and or beats needs to rework their pricing structure. The Beats Studio3 and the Beats Solo3 only have a fifty dollar price difference between them. And like I said in my initial review, I feel the Beats Studio3 are still over priced for what they offer. But regardless, if your trying to decide between the Solo3 and Studio3 lets run down the differences between them. And you can watch my full review on the Beats Studio3 here after you’re done watching this video.

Like I just said, theres only a $50 difference between these two head phones. The Beats Solo3 typically retail for $299.95 and the newer beats Studio3 retail for $349.95. And in classic beats fashion, both of these headphones come in multiple color ways. And more are bound to come out. And I cant lie, they look really cool. Personally I just wouldn’t pay full price for these headphones, but amazon usually has good deals on them. If you still want to pick either of these headphones up I’ll have links in the description below and I’ll keep them updated so you can get the best possible. 

Unboxing these headphones is identical but there are some noticeable differences with the accessories. They both come included with a micro usb cable for charging, an audio cable with an inline controller, and a carabiner. But the first most noticeable difference when you open the box is the carrying case. The Beats Studio3 come included with a very good hardshell carrying case. It looks nice and it genuinely does a great job of protecting your beats against major bumps or if you cram it in an over packed bag. Where as The Beats Solo3 come with a very cheap nylon bag that dosnt do much. Im making a big deal about this cause there are plenty of other headphones that are far less expensive and come with a much better carrying case. Right now the Skull candy crusher wireless and the Bose sound link headphones come to mind. 

Concerning build quality, both of these headphones use the same exact materials. They’re both mainly made out of plastic, they have minimal padding on underside of the headband but have a lot of grip, they both use the same synthetic leather on the ear pads and both ear pads are equally as plush. They both even have the same buttons on the left ear cups so you can control your music playback and activate siri by pressing and holding the beats logo. Or you can just say hey siri.

Regarding tech specs, these headphones are very similar. They both have Apple’s W1 chip, in fact… the beats Solo3 were one of the first Headphones to debut the W1 chip last year. And for those who don’t know, the W1 chip allows for near instant pairing with your iPhone. And once your headphones are paired with your iPhone they will automatically pair with all of your other Apple devices associated with your icloud account. So you can be listening to music on your iPhone, then watch a video on your iPad and then switch to your MacBook all without having to pair your heads phones. And although this is very convenient its not totally unique. The Bose QC35 II can also do this, but not to this extent. The QC35 II can only be paired up to two devices at the same time and for some people thats plenty. But for those who want to use either of these beats with non apple devices all you have to do is press and hold the power button for 5 seconds and pair them via bluetooth. And underneath the power button you will also find a battery gauge. Both of these headphones use micro usb ports for charging and everybody and their mother will tell you that apple should have used a lightning connector or USB type C port instead. And on the other side theres your Audio jack. 

These headphones even have the same battery lives… depending on how you use them. The beats Solo3 advertise a battery life of 40 hours, but in my testing they actually average about 50 hours. The Beats Studio3 also advertise a battery life of 40 hours but with noise cancelation tuned off. And it averages about 47 hours of play back time. And with noise cancelation turned on I routinely get about 25 hours of playback time. Not bad at all. And they both have really impressive quick charging. 5 minutes of charging on the solo3 its you ten hours and 10 minutes of charging on the Studio3 also gets you 10 hours. 

The main difference between the Beats Solo3 and the Beats Studio3 is form factor. The Solo3 are on ear headphones and the Studio3 are over ear headphones. The solo3 are meant to rest directly on top of your ears and create a decent seal which provides some passive noise isolation and the Studio3 are meant to encase your ears and have the added benefit of active noise cancelation. Both of these headphones have a good amount of clamping force on them but they’re still comfortable to wear. And like I said in my initial review, the Studio3 and Solo3 stay in place very well even when you’re working out. I guess thats why I see so many people at the gym with them. But the different style of ear cups means the Studio3 is more comfortable to wear than the Solo3. Since the Solo3’s are constantly pressing against your ears they to tend to heat up much faster than the Studio3. Not to mention the constant pressure on ears does get annoying after awhile. The Beats Studio3 aren’t the most comfortable over ear headphones on the market right now, but I do prefer them over the Solo3. One criticism I do have about both of the headphones is the range of motion on the ear cups themselves. I wish they would pivot more so they could fit my head a little better cause I do feel some pressure on the anterior portion of my ear. 

Regarding sound quality, these headphones do have very similar sound signatures. They have a good amount of bass and a lot of emphasis on the treble. But the low ends and miss do get lost and instrument separation need improvement. But regardless, the Studio3’s do sound better than Solo3. They perform a little better in the low ends and the sound stage is slightly wider. 

Like I mentioned earlier, the beats Studio3 have active noise cancelation and it automatically adjusts depending on your surroundings. And to be honest the noise cancelation isn’t the best. It dosnt do a great job of blocking out sound and when the noise cancelation is turned all the way up you do start to feel a good amount of cabin pressure. I actually prefer to use the beats Studio3 without the noise cancelation. But its nice to have it just in case. 

Honestly, if you’re trying to choose between the Beats Solo3 and Beats Studio3 then I say just spring for the Studio3. The extra $50 dollars means slightly better sound, they’re much more comfortable and you get decent enough active noise cancelation. And personally I think the Studio3 look better then the Solo3, I feel the ear cups on the Solo3 are too small and they look funny on an adult. And like I said, the Beats Studio3 do look cool, just not $350 cool. But if I was looking for a pair of headphones to work out in then I would go for the Studio3. But in my opinion, I feel apple and beats need to drastically reduce the price of the Beats Solo3. I feel that for what they are I think the Solo3 should be retailing for around $199.99. cause I truly feel if you pick the solo3 over the studio3 with only a $50 price difference you will suffer from buyers remorse down the road. But remember, this isn’t a full review on either of these headphones, I’m just pointing out the most important differences between them so I can help you with your purchase decision. If you want to learn more about the Beats Studio3 tap on the icon in the top right to watch the full review.