Beats Studio 3 Wireless review – Ultimate cans for iPhone fans are superb but not flawless

• PROS – Comfortable to wear • Foldable design • Easy connection to Apple devices
• CONS – Plastic appearance • Confusing controls • Micro USB charging makes no sense

With Apple continuing its campaign to kill the headphone port, more consumers are switching to wireless headphones.

Beats are no stranger to going wire-free but now there’s a new pair of Bluetooth cans called the Studio 3 Wireless.

These updated headphones offer the ultimate experience if you own an iPhone with them instantly connecting and switching between all of your Apple devices.

This compatibility should come as no surprise considering the US technology firm bought Beats back in 2014 for $3billon.

So, if you’re in the market for some new noise-cancelling headphones should Beats be top of your Christmas wish list?

Express.co.uk has been putting them to the test around the noisy streets of London and here’s our full Beats Studio 3 Wireless review.

DESIGN & COMFORT

There’s no getting away from the fact that the plastic look and feel of the Beats Studio 3 Wireless won’t be for everyone.

Other manufacturers, including Bower and Wilkins, are producing far more premium looking cans.

However, despite their plastic appearance, the new Studio 3 Wireless actually feel pretty solid and very well built.

They also have a neat folding mechanism which means they can fit snuggly in your bag.

Beats supplies a tough case so you should also feel pretty confident that your new £300 headphones aren’t going to get damaged when not on your ears.

Having used them for a few weeks we really don’t have an issue with the overall design of the Studio 3 Wireless but there one thing that’s been bugging us.

On the side of the left ear cup are hidden controls which allow you to pause, skip and change the volume of the music you happen to be listening to.

Tucking these controls behind the famous Beats logo is a nice touch but in reality they don’t work well enough and actually become highly irritating to use.

Pressing to control the volume can end up in tracks being paused and double/triple tapping to skip songs if fraught with issues.

Other premium headphones include separate buttons or touch technology which is far more simple and accurate.

The controls may be a little confusing but one great thing about the design is how comfortable these headphones feel when placed on your head.

The lightweight build means you hardly notice you are wearing them and the soft cup around the ear makes them blissfully pleasant to use.

We wear glasses and some on-ear cans, that we’ve tested in the past, can pinch and become excruciatingly uncomfortable but the Beats pass this test with flying colours.

In fact we’d go as far to say they are possibly some of the most comfy cans we’ve ever tried.

SOUND & NOISE CANCELLATION

If you want a pair of headphones that offer subtle sound, switch off right now as the Beats Studio 3 Wireless are definitely not for you.

These cans boom out bass like it’s going out of fashion and are aimed at people who like their music loud and eardrum rumbling.

That’s not to say that the Beats are bad as we’ve really enjoyed our time with them and if bass is your thing you’re going to love them.

With the latest pure ANC noise-cancelling tech tucked inside you’re also offered an uninterrupted experience with your tunes packed full of depth and a decent amount of clarity.

Unlike most noise-cancelling cans, which require the user to change the settings depending on their environment, the Beats Studio 3 do this automatically.

This clever tech constantly monitors what’s going on around you via unique microphones tucked inside the headphones and adapts the cancellation accordingly.

We’re not totally convinced the sound blocking is as good as some of its rivals with a small amount of background sound leaking through, but the Beats Studio Wireless 3 provide a decent enough experience without any fuss.

WHY SO GREAT FOR iPHONE FANS?

Inside the Beats Studio 3 Wireless is Apple’s new W1 chip which makes them incredibly easy to link to your iPhone, iPad and Mac devices.

Wireless headphones can often be a huge pain to connect and switching between devices often means having to press an array of buttons to reset the Bluetooth pairing.

As long as you have a relatively new iPhone or iPad you simply place the Studio 3 Wireless nearby to instantly connect.

Start using your Mac later in the day and, as long as you are signed into your iCloud account, the Beats will pair without too much hassle.

It’s clever stuff and certainly solves the usual and annoying connectivity issues of Bluetooth cans.

There is only one slight criticism if you do own an iPhone as Beats only bundle a standard 3.5mm headphone cable in the box with its Studio 3 Wireless.

This wire can be used when Bluetooth isn’t available or the headphones run out of juice but, with the iPhone not including a headphone port, it seems a strange decision not to package a Lightning cable that will connect via Apple’s unique charging port.

BATTERY LIFE

Being wire-free the Studio 3 Wireless need a battery to power them and Beats has managed to squeeze around 20-hours of life into one charge.

This fast-charging battery life is increased even further if you switch noise-cancelling off.

It’s hard to fault the power of Studio 3 Wireless with them easily lasting the longest of long-haul flights, but Beats has made a bizarre decision when you want to refill them with juice.

As we explained earlier in this review, Apple uses its own Lightning connection on its iPhones and USB-C on its new MacBooks, so why the Studio Wireless 3 are charged via the ancient, and soon to outdated, Micro USB has left us totally baffled.

It’s not a deal-breaker, it just makes absolutely no sense whatsoever.

There is one other issue with these cans as they don’t automatically switch off so you need to make sure you tap the power button when you get home or you’ll face flat battery the next time you go to use them.

VERDICT

There’s no question that the Studio 3 Wireless are a fabulous pair of headphones.

They’re solid, well built and are incredibly comfortable to wear.

If you like a bucket load of bass the sound is also excellent although this booming audio won’t be for everyone.

The noise cancellation is also very good and its adaptive technology means there’s no fuss switching settings.

Plus, if you own an iPhone or iPad you’ll love how easily they connect to all of your Apple devices.

The Studio 3 Wireless should be a five star product but there’s simply too many little niggles for them to receive our top score.

The controls on the side are irritating, the plastic look is not premium enough and Micro USB charging is just plain odd.

We also think there’s better noise-cancelling headphones on the market for similar money.

If you love all things Beats you really won’t be disappointed as the Studio 3 Wireless are excellent they just won’t be to everyone’s taste.