The Beats Studio Buds+ is the rare Apple-owned earbud that treats Android as a first-class citizen — one-touch pairing, Google Fast Pair, and Find My on both ecosystems. SoundGuys measured 8 hours 22 minutes of battery with ANC on and ~80% noise reduction, within reach of the flagships. The sound is classic bass-forward Beats, and the mics pick up office noise, but for mixed-device households shopping the frequent discounts below launch price, the package is hard to beat.
— THE VERDICT · JUDGEANY EDITORSWhy the Studio Buds+ exist
The Beats Studio Buds+ arrived in May 2023 as the second-generation Studio Buds: same pebble-shaped case and stemless design — plus a head-turning transparent colorway alongside black/gold and ivory. The pitch is simple: AirPods-adjacent convenience for people who don't live entirely inside Apple's ecosystem, at a mid-range launch price. This review pulls together manufacturer specs, published lab measurements, and aggregated owner impressions. We don't run a test lab; the scores below are editorial judgments built on that evidence.
ANC: strong, not class-leading
Beats' launch materials claim ANC 1.6x more powerful than the original Studio Buds', with 2x better transparency (reported by 9to5Mac) — and the lab numbers back up a real improvement. SoundGuys' standardized testing found the Studio Buds+ reliably cut external noise by about 20 dB, reducing average noise levels by 80% with ANC on, which puts them in the same league as the AirPods Pro and Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II. The conflict: that same SoundGuys comparison gives the outright noise-cancelling crown to Samsung's Galaxy Buds 2 Pro, and Macworld judges the AirPods Pro 2 the better-sounding, more feature-rich set. The takeaway holds anyway — at this price, ANC close to the flagships is the point, even if it isn't the best money can buy.
Sound: classic Beats, with a ceiling
Beats' custom acoustic platform uses a two-layer transducer, and the tuning is unmistakably Beats: low end pushed forward, midrange sitting back, sibilants and cymbals given extra edge. SoundGuys' HEAD acoustics MDAQS scoring awarded the timbre 4.9 out of 5 — top marks — while noting some distortion and a flat sense of 3D space, and their frequency-response measurements show boosted bass under 120 Hz, scooped mids, and boosted highs. It's aimed squarely at casual listening rather than critical ears. One hard limit: codecs are SBC and AAC only. No aptX, no LDAC — iPhone users won't notice, but Android listeners chasing hi-res playback should know that going in. SoundGuys also clocked the Bluetooth range petering out around 10 meters.
Battery: the spec sheet undersells it
Beats rates the buds at 6 hours with ANC on and 9 hours with it off; the case holds about three extra charges for 24 or 36 hours total. SoundGuys' standardized battery test — constant music peaking at 75 dB(SPL) — ran 8 hours and 22 minutes with ANC enabled, well past the 6-hour claim. A five-minute Fast Fuel charge adds an hour of playback. The case charges over USB-C only; there's no wireless charging, which Tom's Guide lists among its cons.
Controls, app, and ecosystem
Each bud carries a physical 'b' button for play/pause, skipping, and press-and-hold ANC toggling, remappable per side. TechAdvisor calls the grip-and-button design clever; SoundGuys found pressing the buttons genuinely annoying, because every press shifts the bud and risks breaking the ear seal. Both are true — the buttons are deliberate and configurable, and they do move the buds in your ears. The Beats app lets Android users remap controls and update firmware; SoundGuys warns it adds little else, with no equalizer and few advanced features, while iPhone users get the same functions in Settings. Platform support is the real selling point: one-touch pairing on iOS and Android, Google Fast Pair, Find My on both Apple and Google networks, hands-free 'Hey Siri' on iOS, and Android Audio Switch standing in for true multipoint — there's no auto-switching between Apple devices. Spatial audio is supported without head tracking. Tom's Guide notes there's no on-ear detection, and both Tom's Guide and Android Authority mention the buds are oddly awkward to pry out of the case.
Calls: fine in quiet rooms, shaky in offices
Beats put three voice-targeting mics in each bud — 3x larger than the original's — and promises crisp, clear call performance. SoundGuys' mic recordings undercut that: the array tends to pick up everything around the caller, and the outlet judged the buds a poor fit for offices or busy environments. That conflict explains the verdict: in quiet rooms the mics do their job, and a buried app setting lets you manually pick which mic handles calls — in open offices or on windy streets, expect your background to join the conversation.
Comfort and the owner verdict
Five grams per bud, four eartip sizes from XS to L, IPX4 resistance on the buds themselves (the case isn't rated). TechAdvisor found the fit excellent for a couple of hours before the usual sealed-ear soreness set in — typical for this design, and your mileage may vary. Amazon owners rate the Studio Buds+ 4.7 out of 5 stars, per a SoundGuys deal report from September 2026 — a strong number for a three-year-old product, and one that echoes the same two themes reviewers keep naming: battery life and cross-platform ease. Check the current price on Amazon; the launch price has seen regular discounts.
Who should buy it
Buy the Studio Buds+ if you split time between iPhone and Android, want ANC that punches near the flagships, and like your sound bass-forward. Skip them if you need the best call mics, hi-res codecs, wireless charging, or the last word in noise cancelling.