If you’re considering a new pair of headphones, you’ve likely heard about the Beats Solo 4. As the newest addition to Beats’ popular Solo series, they promise better sound, more comfort, and longer battery life. But one important question buyers are asking is: Are Beats Solo 4 noise cancelling?
In this detailed guide, we’ll be answering that and covering everything you need to know about the Beats Solo 4 — features, performance, benefits and drawbacks, and if they are worth your money.
Are Beats Solo 4 Noise Cancelling?
No, the Beats Solo 4 aren’t Active Noise Cancelling. Instead, they rely on passive noise isolation through their snug on-ear design. While they can block out some background noise, they don’t actively cancel out sounds the way ANC headphones like the Beats Studio Pro or Sony WH-1000XM5 do. If active noise cancellation is your top priority, the Solo 4 might not be the best fit. However, that doesn’t mean they’re not worth considering — they offer plenty of other benefits.
What Makes the Beats Solo 4 Special?
Even without ANC, the Beats Solo 4 have a lot to offer. Here’s what stands out:
1. Lightweight and Comfortable Design:- One of the biggest improvements over the Solo 3 is comfort. The Solo 4 weighs just 217 grams, making them easy to wear for long periods. The updated ear cushions are softer and better at distributing pressure, so you can wear them while working, commuting, or even during long flights without discomfort.
2. Upgraded Audio Quality:- The Solo 4 has specially designed 40mm drivers that produce richer, better-balanced sound than previous generations. You will hear clearer vocals, deeper bass, and reduced distortion even when turned up. Also, if connected via USB-C, they have lossless audio support, providing even greater quality sound if you’re streaming hi-res music.
3. Spatial Audio Support:- One thrilling addition is support for spatial audio with dynamic head tracking. This provides a 360-degree audio experience, giving you the sensation that the music or film is occurring all around you. Spatial audio is particularly great with Apple Music and other Dolby Atmos-enabled content.
4. Stunning Battery Life:- Beats Solo 4 are made for extended listening sessions, boasting up to 50 hours of battery life on a single charge. In actual usage, you can quite easily achieve 48 to 52 hours — ideal for travel, work, or not having to recharge daily. Better still, a 10-minute charge provides you with around 5 hours of playback due to Fast Fuel charging technology.
How Good Is the Noise Isolation on Beats Solo 4?
While they lack ANC, the passive noise isolation of the Solo 4 is pretty good. The ear cups from a tight seal around your ears, which naturally dampens outside noise. It won’t block out extremely loud noises such as airplane engines or city traffic, but it does a good job for:
- Office settings
- Public transportation
- Light street noise
When paired with their good sound output and spatial sound effects, you might find yourself pretty immersed in your music even without actual noise cancelling.
Useful Tip: At moderate to loud volume listening, the passive isolation will generally be sufficient for everyday use.
Why Don’t the Beats Solo 4 Include Noise Cancelling?
You may be thinking, why did Beats not include ANC in this model, particularly when most competitors do so at comparable price points. There are several reasons:
- Prioritizing Battery Life:- Including ANC saps the battery significantly faster. By omitting ANC, Beats provides 50+ hours of playback time, which is significantly better than most ANC headphones that have a battery life of about 20–30 hours.
- Target Audience:- The Solo line has always been about casual, everyday listening, not professional noise cancelling.
- Product Positioning:- Beats wants users who genuinely need ANC to look at their higher-end products like the Beats Studio Pro or Beats Solo Pro, which include premium ANC and more features at a higher cost.
Pros and Cons of the Beats Solo 4
Here’s a quick summary:
Pros:
- Lightweight and ultra-comfortable design
- Better sound quality with deeper bass and crisper mids
- Support for spatial audio and lossless audio
- Great battery life (50+ hours)
- Fast charging supported (5 hours from 10 minutes)
- Physical buttons (ideal for cold climates or exercise)
- USB-C and 3.5mm wired connectivity options
Cons:
- No Active Noise Cancellation
- No off-ear detection (music won’t auto-pause when removed)
- Not waterproof or sweat-resistant
- Premium price point over some rivals
- Fewer features than ANC models in the same category
Who Should Purchase the Beats Solo 4?
The Beats Solo 4 are an excellent option if:
- You want light, comfortable headphones for daily wear
- Appreciate sound quality and battery life more than active noise cancellation
- Travel, commute, or work long hours with headphones regularly
- Enjoy spatial audio experiences (especially if you use Apple)
- Prefer classic buttons to touch controls
But if you require good noise cancellation for use in noisy offices or while flying on airplanes, you may wish to look into ANC models such as:
- Beats Studio Pro
- Sony WH-1000XM5
- Bose QuietComfort 45
Final Thoughts
Although the Beats Solo 4 are not noise cancelling, they’re still great on-ear wireless headphones for most users. They provide great battery life, a comfortable fit, improved sound, and trendy features such as spatial audio and lossless playback.
If noise cancelling is a requirement for you, you’ll need to look elsewhere. But if you want fashion-forward, high-quality headphones for everyday wear — and you’re okay with manually eliminating some ambient noise — the Beats Solo 4 are well worth considering.
Important Information & FAQs
No, the Beats Solo 4 lacks Active Noise Cancellation (ANC). That said, their close on-ear fit along with good-quality audio and spatial sound provides a reasonable amount of passive noise isolation, so they do feel quite immersive even without actual ANC.
Beats states that the Solo 4 provides up to 50 hours of battery life from a single charge. In practical use, you’ll get about 48–52 hours depending on your volume levels and usage habits — which is extremely impressive for wireless headphones.
Yes, Beats Solo 4 do have spatial audio support. This allows you to enjoy a more immersive 360-degree sound, particularly when listening to compatible songs on Apple Music or other supported platforms.
The Solo 4 includes a USB-C charging port, lossless wired audio playback, enhanced ear cup material for improved comfort, and spatial audio capability. Battery life has also been enhanced over the previous Solo 3 model.
Yes, the Beats Solo 4 can be used wired with a USB-C cable. Wired, they also provide lossless audio quality, providing you with even greater sound fidelity than in Bluetooth mode.
No, the Beats Solo 4 are not sweat proof or waterproof. They do not possess an official IP rating of water and dust resistance. Though they may cope with mild outdoor usage, try to steer clear of them during heavy rain and workout-induced sweating.
Yes! Despite Beats being an Apple subsidiary now, the Solo 4 headphones are completely compatible with Android smartphones. They support Bluetooth pairing and have numerous features such as one-touch pairing, battery indicators, and customizable control via the Beats app for Android.
The Beats Solo 4 are far more comfortable than earlier versions due to the reduced weight (approximately 217g) and the more cushioned ear cushions. The majority of users can wear them for hours without any discomfort, even on long commutes or workdays.
No, the Beats Solo 4 have physical buttons rather than touch controls. This is something that many users enjoy, as physical buttons are more convenient to use, particularly when wearing gloves or in transit.
It is up to your requirements. If you want great sound quality, a long battery life, comfort, and a premium look, the Solo 4 is an excellent choice. But if you really need Active Noise Cancellation, you may look into other products such as the Beats Solo Pro or equivalent models from Sony or Bose.
