Beats Studio Pro (2023) review: these are Apple’s best over-ear headphones

Introduction

Beats tends not to go too crazy with product releases, so when the Apple-owned brand does a new set of headphones it’s a big deal.

A lot of the tech on show here betters what’s in Apple’s own pricey AirPods Max. We expect those ’phones to be refreshed soon, so there are some pointers here towards what to expect.

Design & build

Despite the new innards, they still have the familiar Beats look, even if more soft-touch materials have been used than before.

Even with the comfy synthetic leather cushions, the familiar fatigue of wearing over-ears for any extended length of time remains. The Studio Pros are generally comfortable, but if you have larger ears you may find the 59x40mm earcups too small.

These headphones are available in black, deep brown, navy and sandstone (pictured), and fold away in a carry case.

Features & battery life

New here are USB-C charging and personalised spatial audio support with head-tracking (when connected to Apple devices), plus improved active noise-cancellation with transparency thanks to a new chip.

You can easily toggle settings for spatial audio head-tracking on Apple devices. It’s also easy to change between ANC modes, while you can also personalise spatial audio on iPhone by taking pictures of your ears.

Lossless audio (24-bit/48kHz) is supported via USB-C, but it’s not available wirelessly. On the other hand, the ANC is disabled when you’re plugged in through the USB-C port. (It does work if you’re using the 3.5mm socket.)

The cited 40hrs of battery life (with 2hrs to fully charge) is with the ANC off – it’s only 24hrs with it on. Even so, that’s plenty, and you can do a 10min fast charge.

Sound quality and noise cancellation

Sound quality is great, while ANC isn’t far off the best. It’s hard to make these cans complain about any type of music: they cope with classical as deftly as hip-hop. They’re capable of some powerful bass, but aren’t boomy like some older Beats were.

Beats Studio Pro (2023) verdict

With extremely strong competition from Sony in particular, you’ve got to really want these headphones. But they play nicely with both Apple and Android – and on the former, they work just as natively as AirPods.

Ultimately, there’s no taking away from the fact that these are extremely well-designed cans with excellent sound quality and impressive noise-cancelling. They’re top all-rounders.

Beats Studio Pro (2023) technical specifications

Drivers	40mm dynamic
Active noise cancellation	Yes
Connectivity	Bluetooth, USB-C, 3.5mm
Bluetooth version	Bluetooth 5.3
Codecs supported	SBC, AAC
Battery	24hrs (ANC on), 40 hrs (ANC off)
Weight	260g