The review was playing both sides

The Beats Way: Wireless Headphones for All Continuum Users and all Devices, from ipods to iPhones and Android

But there’s more to these than a logo. The fourth-gen cans have native software features that are compatible on both the Apple and theAndroid operating systems as well as Find My / Find My Device. And for an old-school guy like me, I love that the company is putting an emphasis on wired, lossless listening over either USB-C or the 3.5mm headphone jack. Sonically, these are a world apart from Sennheiser’s Momentum 4 or the Bowers & Wilkins PX7 S2e headphones that I often carry — both of which are more expensive. But they’re also for much different audiences. As ever, Beats is about cultural cachet, that prominent “b” logo, and enjoyable (if not mind-blowing) sound.

The case doesn’t actually provide any batteries for the earbuds, they can last up to 18 hours on a charge, but after that, you’ll have to juice them up overUSB-C. With this launch, the Beats wireless earbud lineup now looks like this:

The ANC front was easily won out by the Studio Pro. TheSolo4 do have one thing that makes them stand out: they are passive. On many wireless headphones, there’s an active EQ profile running at all times that provides the fullest sound. That’s all driven by the battery. Once you’re out of power, some headphones will stop playing — even when wired — or will fall back to very meager audio quality until you recharge. Even if the battery is dead and the sound isn’t heard again, the SOLO 4 will keep playing, even if you have a dead battery. “Unlimited wired playback” is actually one of the bullet points advertised on the back of the box. We love to see it but now we have to get out a microphone.

A chip from Apple would make these more attractive to iPhone owners, but they are still sticking with their own proprietary platform. In practice, this means you’ll get some (but not all) ecosystem software tricks, regardless of whether you’re using iOS or Android. This feels like the right approach to me. The only exclusive for Apple fans is personalized spatial audio with head tracking. The crowd of people who like to use Android get automatic device switch between other devices.

Counting Neural Contracts for the Use of the Siri Assistant on iPhone, iPad and Android Devices: The App Store and the iTunes Privacy Policy

Every smart device now requires you to agree to a series of terms and conditions before you can use it — contracts that no one actually reads. We cannot read and analyze every single one of these agreements. But we started counting exactly how many times you have to hit “agree” to use devices when we review them since these are agreements most people don’t read and definitely can’t negotiate.

The only thing you have to do is place the headphones over a radio and use them outside of the box. However, using the Siri assistant on the iPhone or iPad means you’re subject to Apple’s privacy policy.

Additionally, if you install the company’s Android app, you’re asked if you want to automatically send analytics data to Apple. “Apple collects information about your Beats app and Beats product, such as the software versions, device rename occurrences, and device update success and fail rates, in order to improve the product.” The data does not allow Apple to personally identify you. Firmware can also be updated via Beats’ desktop app.

The Beats app requests background location permission so it can access deeper functions, connect to your Beats instantly, and check battery status on the fly.