The Beats Studio Pro are the company's new flagship pair of wireless noise-canceling headphones — and, as the successor to the 2017-released Beats Studio3 Wireless, they've been a long time coming. They have a similar look and the exact same $350 price tag as their predecessors, but Beats have given them six years' worth of internal upgrades. They have new custom 40mm drivers, more powerful mics — and a bunch of new features.
Beats, which has been owned by Apple since 2014, has leveraged a lot of Apple's technologies in recent years. For example, its newest wireless earbuds, the Beats Studio Buds+ ($150) and Beats Fit Pro ($200), work a lot like AirPods — at least when paired with an iPhone. And the Beats Studio Pro are very much the same. They support fast iPhone pairing, hands-free "Hey Siri," and Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking. Essentially, they work a lot like Apple's own AirPods Max.
Given that the Beats Studio Pro and the AirPods Max are so alike in their feature-set and how they work, we thought it'd be a good idea to compare the two. There are some big differences between them, obviously (which we'll highlight below), but given the Beats–Apple relationship, these are the two wireless noise-canceling headphones that work best with iPhone.
Beats Studio Pro Vs. AirPods Max: What We Think
The all-new Beats Studio Pro and three-year-old AirPods Max are standouts in the pack of wireless noise-canceling headphones because they work so well with iPhones. Thanks to the exclusive relationship between Apple and Beats, both wireless headphones are integrated with technologies that allow them to work seamlessly with Apple's ecosystem of devices and share many of the same exclusive features.
The AirPods Max are still the superior option, in my book; they have a more luxurious build and feel, and they have the edge in terms of sound quality, noise-cancellation and transparency — but the gap isn't that big. Plus, the AirPods Max are still significantly more expensive.
That said, thee Beats Studio Pro do edge out the AirPods Max in a few ways. They're lighter and more comfortable. They work better with Android devices, too. They support more forms of wired playback, thanks to their USB-C port and 3.5 jack. And they actually have a physical on/off button.
In a nutshell: the Beats Studio Pro are essentially a more budget-friendly alternative to Apple's AirPods Max.
Beats Studio Pro vs AirPods Max: What's Similar?
They both work really well with your iPhone
The Beats Studio Pro shares a lot of the same "magic" as AirPods Max in terms of working with an iPhone as well as other devices in Apple's ecosystem. They both support fast iPhone pairing so you don't need to deal with opening Bluetooth settings. They also both support automatic iCloud pairing, which makes it super easy to wireless connect the headphones to your other Apple devices — such as your MacBook, iPad or Apple TV — so long as they're registered to the same iCloud account. They also both work with Apple's Find My network and support hands-free "Hey Siri."
They both have impressive active noise-cancellation and transparency modes
It might seem like a given for flagship noise-canceling headphones to also have a transparency mode, but the Studio3 Wireless, which Beats has been selling for the past six years, did not. That has changed with the Beats Studio Pro, which allows you to switch between noise-canceling and transparency modes just like you would via your iPhone's Bluetooth menu with the AirPods Max.
As for how these noise-canceling and transparency modes stack up, I can tell you that the AirPods Max still reign supreme in both categories — but it's closer than you might think. Beats has clearly taken advantage of Apple's technologies and the Studio Pro does an almost identical job at blocking out the ambient sounds; I did a lot of testing while mowing the lawn, watching TV and exploring the grocery store, and both headphones have impressive noise-canceling skills.
The same is true when it comes to transparency modes, but the AirPods Max is still the best in the business. With transparency mode turned on, the AirPods Max makes it sound like you're not even wearing headphones — it's incredible. The Beats Studio Pro's transparency mode is very good and better than most other options out there, but it's still a tier below elite.
They both support Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking
Just like AirPods Max, the Beats Studio Pro supports Spatial Audio (and Dolby Atmos) with dynamic head tracking. This means that when you're listening to music or watching a show on your iPhone or other Apple device, the headphones will adjust the audio depending on your head movements. For example, if you turn your head to the right, the sound will become more prominent in your left ear because it's closer to the action (the iPhone screen).
Essentially, both of these headphones are able to support the best of Apple's immersive sound technologies and deliver the most immersive listening experience possible when listening on an Apple device.
Beats Studio Pro vs AirPods Max: What's Different?
The Beats Studio Pro work well with Android, too
The big advantage of the Beats Studio Pro over the AirPods Max, aside from price, is that they're appealing to non-iPhone users, too. Their special Beats-made chip allows them to support many of the best Android features as well. For example, they support one-touch pairing thanks to Google Fast Pair and will automatically get registered to your Google account. They work with Google's Find My Device network, as well, so you can more easily locate them when misplaced.
Maybe the biggest difference with an Android device is that the Studio Pro actually supports multi-device Bluetooth pairing. That's right, the Studio Pro doesn't support Bluetooth multi-point when used within Apple's ecosystem. So if you have an Android smartphone and a Chromebook or Android tablet, you can more easily switch audio between your devices.
The AirPods Max win on sound quality
It's not a night and day difference, but the AirPods Max are the superior-sounding headphones. They deliver a sound with more clarity and more depth. The Studio Pro sound good, too, but there's a definite difference in the two headphones' sound profiles. Beats is known for its bass-heavy sound that lends itself more towards hip-hop and R&B, and the Studio Pro stay true to that. The biggest difference, I think, is that the AirPods Max just sound bigger — there's a wider soundstage — and just more immersive.
The Studio Pro win on comfort, but lose on style
I've owned the AirPods Max for nearly two years and, although I love a lot of things about them, they're not the most comfortable. They're heavy and the weight is disproportionately distributed on the earpads (instead of the headband) so I don't typically wear them for longer than an hour at a time. This has a lot to do with the fact that the AirPods Max are made of more premium materials like aluminum, steel frame and a woven fabric. It gives them a luxurious look, but definitely weighs them down.
The Beats Studio Pro are made with less premium materials — basically there's more plastic and faux leather — that makes them lighter; for comparison, the Beats Studio Pro weigh 260 grams and the AirPods Max weigh 385 grams. The lighter design is more similar to other flagship noise-canceling headphones in the $350 price range, like the Sony WH-1000XM5 or Bose Headphones 700.
The Studio Pro have more wired playback options
The other nice thing about the Beats Studio Pro is that it supports wired connections via USB-C and 3.5mm cables. This makes it really easy to connect the headphones to an analog source like a desktop audio setup or an in-flight entertainment system. If you use the USB-C cable, the Studio Pro is able to take advantage of a built-in DAC and will support lossless audio up to 24-bit/48kHz.
The AirPods Max only have a Lightning port for charging and using it as a wired mode. To connect to an analog source, you need to use the AirPods Max's included Lightning-to-USB-C cable (or buy a separate Lighting-to-3.5mm cable) and this can play near-lossless audio. (You can learn more about AirPods Max's wired mode via Apple's support page.)
The Studio Pro actually have a on/off button
One of the biggest complaints with the AirPods Max is that they lack a dedicated power button. Instead of turning off, they enter a low power mode when you take them off your head; then they automatically wake up when you start wearing them again. They also come with a non-protective Smart Case that, when placed in it, the AirPods Max go into an even lower-power mode. It's all a little complicated, but the gist that you can't really turn them off.
The Beats Studio Pro is a lot more straight-forward in this regard. They have a little power button that's located on their right earcup to turn them on and off. It sounds simple, but it's nice to know that your headphones are actually on or off.
That said, one of the things that enables the AirPods Max's low power mode is its built-in optical sensors which allow it to detect whether you're wearing them or not. The Beats Studio Pro does not have these, meaning your music won't automatically stop when you take off the headphones and then start playing again when you place them back on your head. You have to use the Studio Pro's on-ear controls to play/pause music (or use your smartphone).
