Tuesday’s iOS 16.5 release candidate for developers, plus some additional reporting, revealed upgraded Beats Studio Pro noise-cancelling (ANC) headphones in the works, according to a new report.
This follows news of the upcoming Studio Buds+, which came from a premature and short-lived Amazon product listing.
Beats Studio Pro ANC headphones
Seen as a replacement for Beats Studio3 cans released in 2017 ($350 list but now often much cheaper), the new headphones may include more powerful ANC, a new transparency mode and personalized spatial audio, according to a report in 9to5Mac.
The design resembles that of Studio3 headphones, though Beats will almost certainly replace the older cans’ Micro USB connector with USB-C.
And adding the now-common transparency mode would bring the headphones in line with other, more recent releases, like the Beats Solo Pro cans released in 2019.
9to5Mac said you’ll be able to choose from four Studio Pro colors — black, white, dark blue and brown. And it surmises from code names that Beats is probably developing the new headphones with artist Samuel Ross, who has worked with the company in the past.
Pricing presents an interesting question on the new top-shelf headphones, should they be more-modern equivalents to Beats Studio3. There are plenty of lauded competitors at around $350, including well-regarded wares from Bose, Sennheiser and Sony, not to mention the pricier AirPods Max and its next iteration.
This news follows word that Beats Studio Buds + are coming, thanks to an Amazon listing that appeared early (late April) and then quickly vanished.
