With the Solo Pro, Beats has ditched the bass boost and delivered an accomplished set of headphones. They can't quite match up to the Sony WH-1000XM3, which come in at a similar price, but if you're a fan of Beats headphones then the Solo Pro are worth considering

Superb transparency mode; Good active noise cancellation; Balanced tone; particularly for Beats

Go over-ear and you get bigger sound; same price; Tight grip may be a turn-off; Fold to turn off? It's not for everyone

It’s not often that bass doesn't appear in the against column for Beats headphones, but this pair is well-balanced and has great noise-cancellation too

Full-bodied and clear sound; Excellent noise-cancelling; Premium feel

Bettered for timing and dynamics; Tight fit

So, should you buy the Solo Pros? If you don't mind their on-ear design, the Solo Pros are an excellent pair of noise-cancelling headphones. But if you can spare another $100, we recommend the Bose 700s, which are a lot more comfortable and have better sound quality.

Very good audio quality; Effective noise cancellation; Super-simple pairing; Iconic Beats design; Fun color options

No 3.5mm headphone jack; Tight clamping force; Charges via Lightning port

The Beats Solo Pros don't really do anything new. There’s no groundbreaking technology on offer here, and no brilliant new design. We’ve seen all these individual features and functions before, and the design, while nicely tweaked from the Solo 3, is still very familiar.

Lots of available colors; Excellent noise cancellation; Very good sound quality; H1 chip for hands-free Siri and easy syncing

Expensive; Doesn't fit very large heads well

We’re suddenly in a golden age for active noise cancelling headphones, and the Beats Solo Pro are aiming to oust the Bose from your bag with some Apple razzle-dazzle. The latest iteration of Beats’ wildly successful headphones range, the Solo Pro were redesigned from scratch with Apple’s H1 chipset...

Clean; genre-agnostic music quality; Active noise cancellation is solid; Super-simple pairing with Apple devices; Transparency mode is excellent

Other ANC headphones still have a noise-cancelling edge; No 3.5mm cable in the box; No customization of sound or ANC profiles

Beats headphones are everywhere. You have likely seen them on your commute, at the gym, and on the heads of celebrities and star athletes. Beats has sold over 30 million units of its mainstream on-ear Solo headphones over the years, and now there’s a brand-new pair with a long-awaited feature: noise...

Nicer design than past Beats headphones; Effective noise cancellation; Enjoyable sound quality; Increased sweat resistance

Significant clamping force on your ears; Might be too small for the big-headed crowd; No auto-pause when removed; Lightning connector; no USB-C

The Beats Solo Pro are a great set of on-ear noise-cancelling headphones. They sound good, have solid noise cancelling and are comfortable and stable on your head. Bluetooth connectivity is rock-solid and the battery lasts long enough for the weekly commute or flights.

good battery life; good sound; good controls; good noise cancelling; instant pairing with Apple with H1 chip; robust; comfortable for on-ear headphones; strong Bluetooth

expensive; no headphones cable in the box; need to turn off ANC for best sound; no pause on remove; no support for aptX or better

Noise cancelling and improved sound make these the best Beats yet, but their fit is still a bit too close for comfort

Detailed; Engaging sound; Good noise cancelling,; Attractive design; Good battery life and fast charging

Detailed; Engaging sound; Good noise cancelling; Attractive design; Good battery life and fast charging

If you’ve ever said to yourself “man, I really love the ANC and Transparency features of the AirPods Pro, I just wish they were on-ear!,” then the Beats Solo Pro might be your huckleberry. They sound great, offer killer features you won’t find in other products, and have a premium feel.

Excellent sound quality; Active Noise Canceling and Transparency Mode are great; Superb build quality and finish

Very tight and get uncomfortable quickly as a result; Lightning connector for charging is just stupid; No wired option

There’s a lot to love about the Beats Solo Pro, particularly if you’re an iPhone owner. They offer a lovely design, good noise cancelling, an energetic, detailed performance and outstanding usability. However, while we know Apple is keen to make wireless the way to listen to music, the lack of cable to listen to these wired if you’re out of battery is frustrating. Plus that fit is still far too snug to be comfortable enough for long listens. We can only hope they’ll soften over time, but you’ll have to make do with sore ears for a while to get there if they do. Those niggles aside, these are the best sounding, most well rounded Beats the company has made to date, with a performance worthy of their premium price tag. We’d say that’s a new reputation the company can really be proud of.

Detailed; Engaging sound; Good noise cancelling, ; Attractive design; Good battery life and fast charging;

Snug fit isn’t the most comfortable; No way of listening wired out of the box; iPhones get the best experience; ANC not adjustable;