Beats Solo 3 Icon
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Beats Solo 3 Icon
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The Beats Solo3 Wireless held up well over the years, but is beginning to show its age.
How to check the battery on Beat Solo3?
Class 1 Bluetooth, AAC support
W1 chip
Battery life
Fast Fuel charging
Connection stability
Discomfort after one hour
Pain with glasses
microUSB charging
Dubious construction
The Beats Solo3 Wireless is an old set of headphones but still works reliably well with iPhones, due to W1 chip integration and AAC support. Siri fanatics may want to look into the Beats Solo Pro noise cancelling on-ear headphones; otherwise, the Beats Solo3 Wireless hold up well today with just a few features showing its age.
Beats, an Apple subsidiary, has historically determined what’s fashionable among consumer audio products. Its Beats Solo3 Wireless may be a few years old, but the aesthetic could easily fit into the company’s modern lineup. If you don’t need the latest and greatest features, these on-ear headphones will serve you well with its W1 chip integration, fast charging, and exceptionally long battery life.
Editor’s note: this Beats Solo3 Wireless review was updated on March 24, 2021, to include a contents menu, add context to the sound quality section, and update the scoring with results from our reader poll.
The plastic headband doesn’t seem able to withstand excessive bending before breaking.
The Beats Solo3 Wireless are akin to the senior Solo2 and Solo Pro on-ear headsets. Our original review unit featured a glossy black finish, which proved a fingerprint magnet. However, our current matte-grey model effectively resists oil smudges but remains easily scuffed. The hard plastic seems durable enough, but the hinges and headband flexibility are cause for concern. A pleather material hugs the foam ear pads, making these a fine option for vegans.
Clamping force may pose an issue for listeners prone to tension headaches: by nature of the on-ear design , an undue amount of pressure is placed on the ears to isolate the listener from their surroundings and keep the headset in place. If you wear glasses, do yourself a favor and skip on-ears altogether. You’ll be much more comfortable with earbuds or over-ear headphones .
The Beats Solo3 Wireless give listeners the liberty to choose between wired and wireless listening.
Beats includes a few accessories with its Solo3 Wireless; you’re afforded a soft zippered carrying case with a carabiner, 3.5mm aux cable, and microUSB charging cable. Yes, these headphones were before Apple made its huge proprietary Lightning cable push and blissfully ignored anything USB-C. The zippered case is an ok inclusion and great for anyone with limited bag space as you can just hook it on externally, but if you actually want to protect the Solo3 Wireless, get a hardshell case.
Unlike the Beats Solo Pro, the Beats Solo3 Wireless includes a 3.5mm input for your headphone jack . Assuming you have a compatible smartphone, you can enjoy high-quality wired audio with ease. When listening in wired mode, on-board controls from the left ear cup are ineffective on Android devices. When going wireless, you can access Siri or Google Assistant by triple-tapping the center multifunction button (the “b” logo).
In order to pair the headphones with an Android device, you must enter the phone’s Bluetooth menu.
The W1 chip is programmed to immediately communicate with a nearby iOS device. When you initially power the headset on, a pop-up card will prompt you to pair the Solo3 Wireless to your iPhone. Once a connection is estabilshed between the two devices, all of your other iCloud source devices will recognize the Beats Solo3 Wireless.
If you’re on anything other than an iOS device you’re out of luck and have to jump through your phone’s Bluetooth menu .
Thanks to the W1 chip range was also given a huge boost. If the phone is in your pocket or backpack, you won’t have an issue at all. We were able to get to around 30 meters easily without skipping at all. When using them wired you’ll only get full functionality on iOS devices. On Android, you won’t be able to adjust the volume or return to previous tracks using the built-in mic and remote.
Represented is the max transfer rate (kbps) of each respective Bluetooth codec (greater is better). Each waveform depicts a transfer rate of 100 kbps.
The headset supports AAC for high-quality streaming on iPhones . If you have an Android, you’re better off forcing SBC streaming as AAC’s performance is a bit inconsistent across non-iOS devices. Then again, you could always reach for that included headphone cable, too.
Our battery testing yielded an incredible 45 hours 8 minutes of playback before the headset was drained. As if this weren’t impressive enough, the Beats Solo3 Wireless’ Fast Fuel technology is remarkable: just five minutes of charging supplies approximately three hours of playtime. This is great for listeners in a pinch, and is sure to get you through a round trip commute to and from work.
Bass notes are amplified and sound louder than mids and treble.
The Beats Solo3 Wireless has a less emphatic bass response than initially anticipated. Yes, low notes are amplified over mids and treble but not so much so as to completely degrade audio quality. The relatively gentle bass emphasis can’t make up for the fact that the dynamic drivers struggle to separate instrumental nuances, especially during a cacophonous musical section (e.g. the bridge in any Dave Matthews Band song). If you like hip-hop and pop, this is the sound signature for you. It won’t be winning any awards from us but will please a large portion of general consumers.
The Beats Solo3 Wireless don’t clamp nearly as tightly as the Beats Solo Pro, resulting in poorer isolation but a more comfortable fit.
Since these are on-ear headphones, isolation is just okay. High-frequency noises are well tempered, but low-frequency noise, like a jet engine, can easily cut through the Solo3 Wireless. If you want more effective isolation but like the look of on-ears, you may want to consider over-ear headphones or save up for the Beats Solo Pro. The Solo Pro have an exceptionally strong clamping force, which was too painful for me but isolates well in tandem with noise cancelling technology.
Midrange detail takes a hit due to bass emphasis; Generator ^ Second Floor by Freelance Whales really showcase this issue when the consistent drum kicks come in about 40 seconds into the song. Everything is pushed out of the way when the bass kicks start and the banjo all but disappears. Even the vocals don’t have decent detail until the bass kicks drop out.
Battery level LED indicators rest below the right ear cup.
Considering how loud these get Beats did a pretty good job at pulling back the highs. Songs that normally have loud piercing sounds aren’t really painful, but the highs are also really lacking in detail. The finger pick scratches in Naked As We Came by Iron & Wine which usually lend a nice live feel to the song is barely noticeable here.
One thing that’s worth mentioning is that sound leakage is pretty real with these. If you’re listening to with the volume above 60%, the people next to you will probably be able to sing along.
No, they’re not. If you’re after noise cancelling headphones there are plenty of other options to choose from that are superb. You can go with the Sony WH-1000XM4 if you want top of the line ANC or even the IPX4-rated Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 which are surprisingly good and have a sleek design.
The integrated microphone only records audio through one channel and causes transmission to sound distorted due to low-end attenuation.
The microphone isn’t great. In fact, it would be accurate to qualify the microphone quality as bad. The low-end attenuation and old hardware do a poor job at concentrating on the designated speaker’s voice and transmitting it clearly.
As of March 24, 2021, 250 readers rated the above microphone sample somewhere between “awful” and “bad.” Compared to more modern wireless headphones, this score falls quite a bit below average.
The on-ear fit of the Solo3 Wireless is fashionable but uncomfortable.
Initially, the Solo3 Wireless was an exciting headset that had unique features which let you easily connect to an iOS device, thanks to the W1 chip. Today, this feature isn’t novel; rather, it’s expected, and there are other, more comfortable on-ear headphones around. That said, the Beats Solo3 Wireless is still a fine option, but they’re just not worth the money.
That said, if you do decide to go with these you’ll still get important features like top-notch battery life, Class 1 Bluetooth, AAC support, and quick charging, all in an attractive, portable form factor.
Placing the earbuds back in the charging case is more involved than the Airpods, but still effective.
First, there are true wireless models that you might want to consider. If you were interested in the Beats Solo3 Wireless to use at the gym, then you might want to check out the new PowerBeats Pro instead. These were designed for athletes with an around-ear hook design that keeps them securely in place, an IPX4 certification that protects them against sweat, a 10+ hour battery life, and a charging case small enough to toss in your gym bag as well.
The redesigned AirPods Pro now have dedicated nozzles that insert into the ear, making for a more stable fit and improved audio quality.
Considering that the Beats Solo3 Wireless headphones are still going for about $200, we’d be doing you a disservice if we didn’t point out that at that price range you’re not too far off from the price tag of the AirPods Pro . The AirPods Pro are much smaller, have been improved from the earlier version of the AirPods with a better fit, and they’re also great for working out thanks to the IPX4 sweat-resistance. Frequent flyers will also appreciate the solid active noise cancelling, something that you’re missing if you go with the Solo3 Wireless.
The headphones come with its smart case and a charging cable, and nothing else.
Apple recently announced a new pair of over-ear noise cancelling headphones called the AirPods Max and if you’re wondering whether you should get those instead, the main thing you need to consider is the price. These headphones cost $549 USD which is, needless to say, a significantly higher price tag. The build quality is a huge step up from the Beats Solo3 Wireless, as it should be, and you get grade-A active noise cancelling that outperforms Bose and Sony’s flagship headsets.
These are some of the best Beats headphones to date.
If you had your heart set on a pair of on-ears, then the new Beats Solo Pro is an updated version with better build quality, Bluetooth 5.0, and even active noise cancelling to block out the world around you. Of course, there’s no 3.5mm input so make sure that you’re okay with going completely wireless before picking these up, but if you are then you won’t be disappointed. The Beats Solo Pro headphones are the best Beats headphones to date, and it isn’t hard to see why. So if what you want are the best Beats you can get, then those should be your go-to.
There are sub-$200 headphones available with better audio quality and greater comfort. One of our favorites is the Bose SoundLink On-Ear , which remains one of the most comfortable pairs of on-ear headphones to date. Another option for listeners who are rough with their gear is the V-Moda XS headset. These are MIL-STD 810G tested, meaning they can withstand a whole lot before breaking. Unlike the Beats Solo3 Wireless, the headband can be bent every which way, and if you do come across any issues, V-Moda has a stellar warranty program . Lastly, you can also go with the Jabra Elite 45h . These headphones last over 54 hours on a single charge, and support Bluetooth multipoint. This means you can connect to two devices at a time.
If you're on iOS, there is a handy battery widget that you can add in the widgets section of your phone in order to keep track of the battery life of all of your connected devices. If you don't feel like pulling out your phone every time you want to check battery life of your Beats Solo3 Wireless (or if you're on Android) there's another simple way to check battery life as well. Simply press and release the power button and it will light up the LED lights corresponding to how much battery is left.
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Customer Review: Beats Solo3 Wireless Demo Video
4.6 out of 5 stars
15,502 ratings
Take calls, control your music, and activate Siri with the multifunction on-ear controls
The award-winning sound and design you’ve come to love from Beats, with premium playback with fine-tuned acoustics that maximize clarity, breadth, and balance
What's in the box: Beats Solo3 Wireless headphones, carrying case, 3.5mm RemoteTalk cable, Universal USB charging cable (USB-A to USB Micro-B), Quick Start Guide and Warranty Card
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Other content Manual [PDF ] Product Warranty: For warranty information about this product, please click here. [PDF ]
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzes reviews to verify trustworthiness.
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UPDATE: CANT FIND REPLACEMENT EARPHONES SO UR F’D WHEN BUYING THESE. ADDED THE NEW PICS- DONT BUY THEM! PAY MORE IF U WANT REPLACEMENT PARTS! DISAPPOINTED CUZ I COULDNT AFFORD THEM!!! Thought these were great for the 1st month... NOW LOOK AT THE PICS! Pics may be dark but doesn’t cover or emphasize the crap I got. FALLING APART VERY FAST! I’ve been sitting on posting a review for 2 weeks! PLEASE DONT WASTE UR MONEY UNLESS U WANT TO WASTE IT ON ME! 😢SO UPSET SINCE I DON’T HAVE MONEY TO WASTE!!!!! TOTAL CRAP!!!! If amazon takes my review off I will keep posting!
1.0 out of 5 stars
UPDATE #2!! DON’T BUY!!!
By J M Smooth on August 15, 2018
Color: Gloss White Verified Purchase
WARNING! This Beats Solo3 is 100% FAKE! It's built with inferior materials and looks awful. Don't buy, unless you're into fake products.
Color: Matte Black Verified Purchase
When you buy new, not refurbished beats, at FULL PRICE, you just might get Jason’s used beats. Jason didn’t even have the audacity to save the wrapping, put the cords in nicely or delete his name. They’re even scratched and greasy. Such crap that this got returned and passed through to another customer. So disappointed.
1.0 out of 5 stars
If you order NEW beats you might get Jason’s
By rax0ny on February 8, 2018
Color: Matte Black Verified Purchase
Bought this with a Gift Card that I got for Christmas and was excited to get these when it comes in the mail because I’ve always wanted a pair of beats. I just got them in the mail right now and these turned out to be FAKE! I compared them to my sisters beats that her boyfriend got her and also watched YouTube videos and they are way different from what I got. I knew there was a catch to this and it doesn’t even match the description. Will be filing a return claim and will keep updated on status. Buyers Beware!
1.0 out of 5 stars
Fake Headphones not the real beats solo by Dr Dre!
By Alex on January 11, 2018
Don't buy it - waste of money! Keeps breaking and only one side works. I've sent this off to be repaired and it broke again after one week. Not a happy customer. They repair process was a joke - no email notifications were sent so I had no clue what was going on with the status. You have to sign into Amazon and view your order to actually see the updates from the repair. 2 thumbs down!
Color: Matte Black Verified Purchase
Heads-up - this is a lengthy review - but when you are considering a headphone at this price you deserve as much review as you can get to help you decide! I will rate by topic so you can also focus on what is most important to you. Let's start with context. These are my first Beats headphones - wired or wireless. They are not of course my first wireless or wired headphones. I have several wireless headphones including Jabra Move and Jaybird BlueBuds X. I also have several wired headphones with my favorites being KEF M500 (on ear) and Oppo PM-2 (over ear). My sound preference in a headphone is crisp and clear highs and mids with a presence and "definition" of bass - but not over done. Yea, I'm not a bass-head. So here we go... WIRELESS (5 / 5): Right off the bat, this is where these headphone excel, and why I considered and bought them in the first place. They are by far the easiest bluetooth headphones I have used to pair and manage with multiple devices. This of course assumes you are very deep in the Apple eco-system - which I am. I use these headphones with an iPhone, iPad and MacBook. Initial pairing was simple and automatic with my iPhone - place it next to it, turned it on, hit accept and done. Then in seconds the headphone showed up in all my Apple devices! And switching between what device is connected and active is just as easy. I could never get previous wireless headphones I owned to play nice with multiple devices even though they supposedly supported this feature. One wireless headphone always went back and forth between my iPhone and iPad even when I was in the middle of listening to music on my iPhone. Not so with the Solo3! And the range and battery life are incredible. I have owned my Solo3 for over a week and I am still on the initial charge. So hands down wireless performance is the best feature of these headphones. COMFORT (4 / 5): The Solo3 is an on-ear headphone and for me they are actually quite comfortable. The leather pads are comfortable and seal well - though they are not as soft as the pads on my KEFs. But maybe they will soften over time. The "clamping" of the Solo3 is firm and keeps the headphones very stable during moderate activity but not so tight that they bother my ears at all. The headband liner is comfortable for me too - I don't seem to have the rubbing problem some people have mentioned. And the plastic construction (see again under quality) actually has one plus in that it keeps the headphones light. I almost don't notice they are on my head until... The good seal and firm/thick pads cause my ears to heat up after about 30 mins so I do have to take them off for short "cool-down" breaks. QUALITY (3 / 5): This is a hard one to judge short term so my rating here is certainly preliminary. Bottom line - admittedly there is a lot of plastic here. Yes, it is a plus under comfort as it keeps the headphones light. But when you get in to this price range you defiantly see more metals and leathers and less plastic. And some wired headphones I have are so solid they have lasted me over a decade! I am not sure I will be able to say that about these headphones. And a 1 year warranty is not very confident - some headphones starting at this price point offer up to 3 years. It would certainly inspire confidence if Beats backed these a bit more and made me feel like the plastic construction was solid and truly there for comfort (weight). That said its too early to bash longevity yet. SOUND (4 / 5): Ok now the final and most subjective topic - the sound quality. Recall my sound preference - not a bass-head. When I first heard about these headphones with the new wireless chip - I was interested because of all the hassles I had before with bluetooth headphones. But because they were Beats I struggled to decide to purchase or not. I have not owned Beats because Beats headphones I listened to in the past were definitely too much bass for me - thudding and muffled. But I decided to give it a try - I could always return them. They are not going back! The sound is actually a pleasant surprise. Yes, they are more bass then what I own now - but they sound more balanced then what I remember. You can hear good mids and highs - though they are certainly more reserved. And the spatial separation is very good - these give a full and well spaced sound that makes you feel like you are indeed in the middle of the studio or concert. They excel with more Rock then Classical, so there still is a place for my wired headphones, but I also don't feel like I have to sacrifice sound quality to get wireless convenience. OVERALL (4 / 5): Overall, these are very good wireless headphones - they are now my primary go to wireless headphones for sound quality and convenience across all my Apple devices - though I am keeping my set of wireless Jaybirds for intense workouts only. They are even what I turn to now over my wired headphones for most music/podcasts unless I want to immerse myself in some Acoustic, Classical or Jazz where I still prefer my wired options. Value is good - plastic to price ratio is not ideal - but it is offset by the wireless simplicity and sound. If you want a no-compromise wireless experience, you should at least consider these headphones.
Color: Gloss Black Verified Purchase
At this point I have had the headphones 4 months and now they won't connect to Bluetooth. I also tried to connect them to a PC for an update but they will not connect via USB. I have tried to reset the headphones but that didn't work either. In contact with Apple Support now. This is my second pair of Beats and the other ones had to be sent in to be repaired because the right side stopped working.
Color: Matte Black Verified Purchase
I got these headphones 4 months ago and for the first two months, the were great. A couple of months in, I started to have some connectivity issues and the earpads started separating from the base. Then the rubber headband started to come off. Finally, a couple of days ago, the headphones died completely. I charged them to 100% and the still won't turn on. I bought wireless Sol Republic headphones a couple of years ago and they worked fine until I lost them and had to buy new headphones. I got these Beats thinking they'd be an upgrade.... They're cheaply made sold at a ridiculous price. NOT AT ALL WITH THE MONEY. THEY ONLY LASTED FOUR MONTHS!
2.0 out of 5 stars
The headphones battery life is amazing and charging speed is super fast
Color: Matte Black Verified Purchase
TICKING TIME BOMB! The headphones battery life is amazing and charging speed is super fast, connectivity to iPhone is seamless, the sound quality is awesome, but the right headphone cut out after only six months of use. This appears to be an ongoing issue/design flaw with the headphones as three of my friends have had this happen to them! Mine cut out yesterday and I am going to do what I can to get this item replaced under warranty. If unsuccessful I am going to be very disappointed as they cost me $355.
Color: Matte Black Verified Purchase
Spent all this money and doesn’t work anymore!!! Can’t even get my money back. Not even 3 months old.
1.0 out of 5 stars
Does not work
Bought these in mid March just got a chance to try them and not only they are registered to someone else already only one side works :( complete loss
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excelentes audifonos!!
Color: Gloss Black Verified Purchase
Estos son los primeros Beats Solo de Apple tras la adquisicion hace un par de años, y a esto se refiere que le incluyeron su tecnologia del W1 Chip que hace mas facil la conexion a los dispositivos Apple. La duracion de la bateria fue una grande mejora, con 5 minutos que los pongas a cargar tienes 3 horas de duracion. Si vemos las mejorias tras las versiones anteriores y otros modelos fueron la conexion, duracion de bateria y el sonido y comodidad tambien mejoraron. En comparacion a los Beats Studio podria decir que aqui no seria por el sonido si no por la comodidad de los oidos que los Studio ofrecen. Recientemente cambie los Studio por estos Solo y diria que si quieren una actualizacion lo recomendaria sin dudas.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excelentes audifonos!!
Reviewed in Mexico on June 29, 2017
Color: Matte Black Verified Purchase
J'utilise souvent mes beat solo pour mon trajet d'une heure dans le métro en jouant à mes jeux ou écouter de la musique et faire des appel téléphonique.Pratique j'ai les mains libres.Fit très bien sur les oreilles,bon petit coussin aussi. Une seule affaire que j'ai pas aimé.Si je suis sur un appel et que je suis à l'extérieur.Et que cette journée la,il a du vent.L'autre personne au bout de la ligne,attend un peu mal la communication (très minime). A part de sa,je suis très satisfait de mon achat.
5.0 out of 5 stars
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Reviewed in Canada on March 6, 2019
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Solo3 does not feature Active Noise Cancelling (ANC). Solo Pro offers both ANC and Transparency mode in a similar design.
Can you plug them into a non-Bluetooth device with aux cord?
Solo3 can be connected to any standard non-Bluetooth audio source using a Beats RemoteTalk cable (sold separately).
Charge your Solo3 by plugging in the included micro-USB cable to the port on the bottom of the right ear cup.
Power Solo3 on or off by pressing the power button on the right ear cup for 1 second.
Solo3 features onboard controls built into the left ear cup. Use the ‘b’ button to control playback – one press to play or pause, two presses to skip forward, or three presses to skip backward. Using the volume rocker above and below the ‘b’ button to adjust the volume up or down.
Solo3 can provide up to 40 hours of playback from a full charge.
Solo3 features a built-in microphone for phone call and voice assistant use.
Solo3 is ready to pair right out of the box. For iOS devices, simply press the power button for 1 second, then hold near your unlocked device and follow the onscreen instructions. The latest version of iOS is required.
How do I pair with my Android device?
For Android devices, visit the Google Play store and download the Beats app for easy one-touch pairing. You can also use the Bluetooth menu in your device.
How do I pair with additional Bluetooth devices?
To put Solo3 back into pairing mode, hold the power button on the right ear cup for 3 seconds until the LED begins to blink. Then select Solo3 in the Bluetooth menu on your device.
How do I activate Siri or other voice assistants?
Hold down the ‘b’ button on the left ear cup to activate Siri or the default voice assistant on your device.
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4.6 out of 5 stars
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Up to 22 hours of listening time. Up to 40 hours without Noise Cancelling or Transparency
Up to 22 hours of listening time. Up to 40 hour without Noise Cancelling
8.3 x 2.7 x 2.5 inches; 7.58 Ounces
1 Lithium Polymer batteries required. (included)
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