APPLE CHOICE Hardware
Beats Studio Buds
Apple’s affordable AirPods alternative
> £129.99 FROM Beats by Dre, beatsbydre.com/uk > FEATURES True wireless earbuds, Bluetooth 5.2, Active Noise Cancelling (ANC), up to 24 hours battery life between recharges (8 hours earbuds, 16 hours case with ANC off), iOS/ Android compatible, water and sweat resistant to IPX4, hands-free Siri, USB-C charging port
The only time you’re ever going to want to take them out of your ears is when they need recharging
Beats Studio Buds are discreet and comfortable to wear, even for long periods.
Beats built its name and reputation on two things: being seen on (and in) the ears of pop stars, elite athletes and other influencers; and bass, lots and lots of bass. Since Apple took over in 2014, things have slowly changed. Beats still has that cool cachet (perhaps even more so), but its cans also finally sound as good as they look – that bass bias has been replaced by something more balanced and neutral. They’re headphones for the rest of us. That applies to their pricing too. While the second-gen AirPods Pro cost a cool £249, Beats first true wireless in-ears are £119 less.