Best Deals on Beats Headphones for 2022 – CNET

The Solo Pro are among the best on-ear noise-canceling wireless headphones and feature Apple’s H1 chip, which enables several nifty features for Apple devices. However, these headphones don’t have the dynamic head-tracking required for Apple’s spatial audio feature while watching TV and movies — only the AirPods Pro, third-gen AirPods, AirPods Max and new Beats Fit Pro have head-tracking. These support spatial audio for music listening, and while they’re way overpriced at their list price of $300 but they’re more attractive at half that price — or less. Most colors are selling for $300 but Walmart has a deal on the light blue color variant.

All-time low price: $100

Read our Beats Solo Pro review.

Beats’ neckband-style Flex earbuds are Apple’s most affordable wireless headphones. They started out with a list price of $50, then got discounted to $40. Blame component shortages or supply chain issues, but their list price shot up to $70, though you can find them in certain colors for close to $50.

All-time low price: $39

Read our Beats Flex review.

Geared toward both iOS and Android users, the Beats Studio Buds are missing a few key features on the Apple side of things (there’s no H1 or W1 chip), but they’re small, lightweight earbuds that are comfortable to wear and offer very good sound. While their noise canceling isn’t as good as the AirPods Pro offer, they do have a transparency mode and they’re decent for making calls. Ultimately, their fit and sound quality are their strongest selling points. Currently, there are no deals on the Studio Buds (except for refurbished models), but look for that to change soon.

Lowest price to date: $100 

Read our Beats Studio Buds review.

The Powerbeats 4 are essentially the Powerbeats Pro with a wire between them. Some people like having the wire so they can let the buds dangle from their neck when they don’t have them in their ears. You can usually find them at a nice discount these days.

All-time low price: $80

Read our Powerbeats 4 review.

Technically, the new Beats Fit Pro ($200) aren’t AirPods, but they’re built on the same tech platform as the AirPods Pro. Unlike Beats’ earlier and less expensive Studio Buds, the Beats Fit Pro include Apple’s H1 chip and have most of the AirPods Pro’s features, including active noise canceling, spatial audio and Adaptive EQ. I’d venture to call them the sports AirPods you’ve always wanted. And for some people, they might just be better than the AirPods Pro.

Read our Beats Fit Pro review.

Beats’ Studio3 Wireless over-ear noise-canceling headphones were released back in 2018. They’re good headphones, but they’re more than 3 years old. They’ve been on sale for as low as $170 but they’re currently discounted to around $220 in some color options. They’re not a deal at that price.

All-time low price: $170

Read our Beats Studio3 Wireless review.

Beats’ entry-level EP wired headphones are a surprisingly good listening experience — and value. The list price is $130, but you can find them online for closer to $90 and sometimes less. These on-ear headphones that aren’t as swanky as Beats’ forgotten on-ear Mixr or its over-ear Executive and Pro models. But thanks to their reinforced metal frame, they remind me of low-frills versions of those headphones — they aren’t flashy and don’t fold up or fold flat for travel (the frame has no hinges).

The EP headphones are clean and open-sounding, particularly for on-ear headphones, and there’s enough treble detail to give them some sparkle. In other words, they’re not incredibly dynamic. The bass is a little accentuated — this is Beats after all — but it’s not bloated or boomy. There’s enough bass here to satisfy a low-end audiophile, but not so much to turn off someone who’s looking for a more balanced, neutral sound quality in their headphones.

All-time low: $70

Read our Beats EP review.

First released in 2016, the Beats Solo3 headphones predate the Solo Pro and have the W1 chip instead of the H1 chip. While they’re wireless, unlike the Solo Pro, they’re missing noise cancellation. That said, it’s one of the most popular Beats models ever made and often gets discounted to $100. The current low price of $125 is a pretty good deal compared with the competition at $200, but if you’re not in a hurry you might be able to hold out for a cheaper price.  

All-time low price: $100

Read our Beats Solo3 review.