There’s nothing quite like a pair of wireless earbuds, particularly at this time of year. When the sun is out and your feet are pounding the pavement, the last thing you want is to be tangled up in headphone cables.
We’ve already rounded up the best running headphones for this year, but this deal can net you a fantastic pair at a decent discount — with a whole host of features for iPhone users.
The Beats Studio Buds Plus earbuds are down to $129.99 at Amazon, with the retailer snipping off $40 from the MSRP (that’s almost a quarter of the full price).
If you’ve ever used AirPods, there’s a lot of crossover here. The Beats Studio Buds Plus connect to any Bluetooth device, but they’ll connect to Apple’s own devices (including your iPad, Mac, or Apple Watch) in an instant, and switch between them as you move between devices, too.
They also have up to 36 hours of battery life thanks to the nifty charging case, which is thankfully smaller than many prior Beats models so it can fit tidily into your pocket. You can wear them for hours on end, too, since they’re impressively comfortable in your ears.
Two of the biggest features here are Noise Cancelling and Spatial Audio. The former can ensure you can focus on whatever you’re doing, or switch to transparency mode to hear more of what’s going on around you.
Spatial Audio essentially turns the Beats Studio Buds Plus into a surround sound system, with audio shifting as you move your head. Think of it like hearing your favorite band on stage, shifting to your perspective.
Key features: Active noise cancelling, Spatial Audio, 36 hours of battery life
Price history: We’ve seen the Beats Studio Buds Plus at this price before, but not for a while. It matches the previous low.
Price comparison: Target is matching Amazon’s price, while Walmart is sticking to the MSRP.
Reviews consensus: We reviewed the Beats Fit Pro last year and found them to be an excellent AirPods alternative, and in many ways the Beats Studio Buds Plus are a cheaper alternative that carries many of the best features. They’re comfortable, have great battery life, and offer solid noise cancelling. In fact, the only thing you may miss from the Fit Pro is on-ear detection.
TechRadar: ★★★★ Tom’s Guide: ★★★★ T3: ★★★★★
Buy it if: You want earbuds for just about anything, with noise cancelling and Spatial Audio support.
Don’t buy it if: You have an Android phone — some features won’t be available on Google’s platform.