Beats Solo Pro review: Apple's on-ear noise cancelling headphones

Good sound, battery and noise cancelling, with attractive design and Apple’s H1 chip with Siri and cross-device connectivity

Apple-owned Beats is moving into the on-ear noise-cancelling world with the Solo Pro, using the same chips that make the PowerBeats Pro and AirPods so good.

The £269.95 Beats Solo Pro blends the design of the firm’s existing Solo with the wired EP headphones for an attractive, modern and fairly sleek design.

Weight: 267g

Drivers: 40mm

Connectivity: Apple H1 chip, Bluetooth 5.0, Lightning charging

Bluetooth codecs: SBC, AAC

Battery life: 22 hours ANC on, 40 hours ANC off

It feels as if the control disc on the right ear cup should turn for volume control but it doesn’t

The headphones were more comfortable on the ears with the headband pushed further back on my head than normal

Call quality was good with both ends of the conversation clear, although the other end could hear some background noise at times

Pros: good battery life, good sound, good controls, good noise cancelling, instant pairing with Apple with H1 chip, robust, comfortable for on-ear headphones, strong Bluetooth

Cons: expensive, no headphones cable in the box, need to turn off ANC for best sound, no pause on remove, no support for aptX or better

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