Those in the market for a solid set of earbuds at a good price might want to consider the Beats Studio Buds, which are on sale at Amazon. The moon gray version of the earbuds, which usually cost $150, have dropped by 40 percent to $90. At $89.99, that’s four cents more than the actual all-time low we’ve seen for this model, but we’re splitting hairs. Other colors are on sale too, but they’ll cost you a bit more at $100 (a third off the usual price).
We gave Beats Studio Buds a score of 84 in our 2021 review, and they should fit most people’s everyday needs. Engadget’s audio expert Billy Steele found the earbuds to be comfortable and capable of delivering solid, balanced sound despite their small size.
Since they’re Apple products, the Beats Studio Buds have the company’s H1 chipset. As such, pairing them to Apple devices is a cinch, though the earbuds support Fast Pair and Find My Device on Android too. So, they’re generally a good choice no matter which phone you’re using. On the downside, call quality could be better (we found that the microphones picked up background noise) and there’s no wireless charging support or onboard volume controls.
Hands-free Siri, some onboard controls and sweat and water resistance make the Beats Studio Buds viable for gym use. But if you’re really looking for earbuds that you can use while you work out and have some extra cash to spare, it may be worth considering the Beats Fit Pro, which are currently 20 percent off at a record low of $160.
They have a similar look to the Studio Buds and match that model’s IPX4 sweat and water resistance. But they have secure-fit wingtips to keep them in your ears as you move around and onboard volume controls (albeit with a tradeoff). We found the Fit Pro to offer better audio quality than the Studio Buds and there’s spatial audio support as well.