Beats Solo 4 Review (2026): No ANC at $100

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Check the Colour First

This is worth knowing before anything about the sound, because it is worth thirty dollars.

Beats sells the Solo 4 in several finishes with identical specifications and a shared review base. At the time of writing, the Amazon-exclusive Metallic Pink is $99.95 while standard colours such as Matte Black sit at $129.95.

Unusually, the exclusive colourway is the cheap one rather than the premium one. If the finish does not matter to you, that is thirty dollars for nothing, and the listings sit side by side in search results looking nearly identical.

What It Does Not Have

No active noise cancellation. Not a weak version — none, and no transparency mode either. At a hundred dollars in 2026 that is conspicuous, because cancelling over-ears start at well under half this price.

Understand what that means where you listen. On a train, a plane or in an open-plan office, isolation comes only from an on-ear pad resting against your ear, which is the least effective physical arrangement in personal audio. Our Soundcore Q20i review covers a cancelling over-ear at less than half the money if quiet is what you are buying.

What It Spends the Money On Instead

Fifty hours of battery, which is genuinely exceptional — roughly double what most cancelling headphones manage, precisely because there is no cancellation drawing on it. Fast Fuel adds about five hours from a ten-minute charge.

Lossless audio over USB-C, plus a 3.5 mm cable. This is the quiet standout: a wired path that bypasses Bluetooth compression entirely, on a headphone at this price.

Personalised Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking, and Class 1 Bluetooth with one-touch pairing that works on iOS and Android alike — unlike AirPods, this is not an Apple-only product.

Ultralight construction with a flex-grip headband and angled, adjustable cups. Beats has clearly worked on the fit, and it is light in a way over-ear cancelling models are not.

The On-Ear Problem

The Solo 4 rests on your ears rather than around them, and that decides two things no specification can change.

It isolates poorly. Nothing seals, so the room comes through. Combined with the absent cancellation, this is a headphone for quiet places.

Pressure builds on the ear itself rather than spreading around it. An hour is comfortable; by the third the concentrated clamp becomes noticeable. Light weight helps and does not eliminate it — this is the most consistent complaint about every on-ear headphone made, not a flaw specific to this one.

Who Should Buy It

You listen at home or in a quiet office: yes. Fifty hours, lossless USB-C and a light fit are a strong package when isolation is not the job.

You want the longest battery at this price: yes, and the absence of cancellation is precisely why it manages it.

You commute or fly: no. No cancellation and on-ear isolation is the wrong combination — see best noise cancelling headphones under $200.

You wear headphones for many hours at a stretch: think carefully. On-ear pressure is the limiting factor.

You want to know how it compares to the Studio Pro: our Solo 4 vs Studio Pro comparison covers the sealed, cancelling alternative in Beats' own range — the short version is that the Studio Pro adds cancellation and an over-ear fit for more money.

FAQ

Does the Beats Solo 4 have noise cancelling? No. There is no active cancellation and no transparency mode. Isolation is whatever an on-ear cushion physically blocks, which is not much.

How long does the battery last? Fifty hours quoted, with about five hours from a ten-minute charge. It is one of the strongest battery figures at any price, helped by having no cancellation to power.

Can I use it wired? Yes, over a 3.5 mm cable and over USB-C, and the USB-C path carries lossless audio rather than compressed Bluetooth.

Does it work with Android? Yes. One-touch pairing works on both iOS and Android, and Class 1 Bluetooth gives it more range than most.

Is it comfortable? For an hour or two, yes — it is light and the cups adjust. On-ear pressure builds over longer sessions, which is the format rather than the model.

Why do prices vary so much between colours? They are the same headphone. The Amazon-exclusive finish is currently the cheapest and standard colours cost around thirty dollars more, so check the colour name in the listing title.

Verdict

Our score: 8.1/10. The Solo 4 is a well-judged headphone for a specific situation: quiet rooms, long sessions between charges, and a wired option that beats Bluetooth quality when you want it. Fifty hours and lossless USB-C at this price are both genuinely good.

The absence of cancellation is the decision that should make or break it for you. If you are buying headphones because the world is loud, this is not the pair, and cheaper cancelling models will serve you better.

And check the colour before you check out. The same headphone in a different finish costs about thirty dollars more, which is the easiest money to save on this page.