Beats Studio Pro (Kim Edition) Review: Fashion Outshines Function

The Beats Studio Pro headphones were launched in 2023 and received a makeover with the Kim Kardashian special edition in August 2024. They are priced at the same $350 / INR 37,900—significantly less than the Apple AirPods Max—but face fiercer competition than in 2023.

The 2024 Beats x Kim Studio Pro headphones follow the 2022 Kim Kardashian special-edition Fit Pro launch, which initially sold out on Apple.com. However, the new Beats headphones arrive at a time when the 2023 model has dropped to $200 on Amazon.com and seen even lower prices during holiday sales.

Are the Beats Studio Pro still worth buying with competitors like the Bose QuietComfort Ultra, Sonos Ace, and Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones costing similar or less?

Stylish Design And Good Controls

The Beats x Kim edition of the Studio Pro headphones come in Kardashian’s “signature” neutral color options: Moon, Dune, and Earth. I have the Earth variant, which has a chocolaty appearance, while Moon and Dune are light and medium shades, respectively. Apart from the new makeover, the design remains unchanged. The headphones include color-matching accessories such as a soft case and two cables for charging and wired listening.

The Beats Studio Pro (Kim Edition) are among the few flagship headphones with foldable earcups. However, the single-hinge design prevents them from folding flat. The hinge produces a clicking sound when folded, but the experience doesn’t feel premium.

Compared to the competition, the Bose, Sony, and Sonos headphones have a more refined build, with the Sonos Ace standing out as the most elegant in white. Additionally, the Sonos and Bose headphones are more comfortable on my ears, while the earpads on both Sony and Beats tend to heat up quickly.

The Beats Studio Pro have a comfortable headband that isn’t too tight and exerts less clamping force than the Sony XM5s. Weighing 260 grams, they can be worn for about an hour before the earpads become uncomfortable. If you live in a colder environment, the experience is likely to be better.

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I prefer buttons over gestures and these headphones have physical controls. The left earcup has a large ‘b’ button for play/pause and activating the voice assistant, while volume controls are integrated above and below the ‘b’ button. On the right earcup, there’s a multifunctional button for power, pairing, and ANC control.

The Type-C port can be used to connect to the PC and you can choose the default sound profile as needed from music, entertainment, and phone calls. They also feature the classic 3.5mm headphone jack.

Beats Studio Pro Are Upgraded but Lack One Critical Feature

The Beats Studio Pro are designed for both Android and iOS, featuring a custom Beats chip instead of Apple’s H1 or H2 chips. They support Google’s Fast Pair, multipoint connectivity, and Bluetooth 5.3.

With Android, pairing is seamless if you’re signed into the same Gmail account across devices. For example, you’ll get a notification of “saved devices” to pair them without entering the pairing mode physically. On iOS, the headphones link to your iCloud account but lack automatic device switching, unlike AirPods. You’ll have to manually switch between devices on iOS.

While Find My is supported on both platforms, Spatial Audio and hands-free Siri are exclusive to iOS. On Android, voice assistant activation requires a long press of the ‘b’ button, as “Hey Google” or “Hey Gemini” commands are unsupported.

A notable drawback is the lack of on-ear detection sensors, meaning music doesn’t pause when you take the headphones off—a feature expected at this price point and offered by all major competitors.

Beats Studio Pro Performance

The Beats Studio Pro feature 40mm drivers with a dual-layer design, delivering better sound quality than their predecessor. They are more forward-sounding than Sony, Bose, or Sonos headphones.

The Studio Pro offer aggressive bass and strong highs, which might feel overpowering at times. The mids are comparatively weak, lacking depth in instrument separation. While I didn’t experience listening fatigue, the sound quality isn’t top-tier. I still prefer the Sonos and Bose headphones for their better vocals and instrument separation and Sony for a richer feature set.

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Switching to USB-C mode enhances audio with support for 24-bit/48-kHz resolution on Apple Music or Tidal. Even Spotify tracks sound better in this mode. Additionally, three EQ presets—Beats Signature Sound, Entertainment, and Conversation—are available in USB-C mode.

The headphones come with six microphones for noise cancellation and voice calling. The active noise cancellation (ANC) is good but not exceptional. You get decent passive noise isolation, thanks to the earpads. It’s suitable for everyday use, such as in cafes, where they drown out the public chatter conveniently. However, they don’t match the performance of Sony, Bose, or Sonos headphones.

Battery life is rated at 24 hours with ANC on and 40 hours with ANC off, which is decent but not on par with the competition.

Beats Studio Pro (Kim Edition) Review: Verdict

At $350 / INR 37,900, Beats Studio Pro are expensive for what they offer. The absence of auto-pause is a significant drawback, and they don’t excel in any particular area, though they tick most feature boxes.

If you want the best-sounding and most comfortable pair of headphones, you should consider the Bose QuietComfort Ultra or Sonos Ace. For top-tier noise cancellation, you should go for Bose or Sony WH-1000XM5, and consider the Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless headphones for a more balanced sound.

However, if you’re looking for a pair of Bluetooth headphones compatible with both Apple and Android that deliver decent sound, good noise cancellation, and excellent call quality, the Beats Studio Pro are a solid choice. The USB-C mode enhances the audio performance, and the Earth variant of the Kim Edition makes a stylish statement.

Pros:

• Excellent call quality
• Great sound in USB-C mode
• Hands-free Siri and spatial audio for Apple devices
• Foldable earcup design

Cons:

• No auto-pause
• Expensive for what it offers