114 MACWORLD AUGUST 2021
PLAYLIST REVIEW: BEATS STUDIO BUDSchip you’ll find in the Powerbeats Pro (fave.
co/3wdIjAe) or the Solo Pro (fave.
co/3wchGf4). You still get some Apple
ecosystem features, but you’ll miss out on
others. The comfort and sound quality are
tremendous for the price, but Apple
enthusiasts may want to consider whether
the trade-offs are worth it.
HALFWAY TO AIRPODS
Beats products with the H1 chip get most
of the same Apple ecosystem features
AirPods do. They are recognized by your
iPhone with a pop-up card for instant
pairing, and they can show your
headphone and case battery life. They can
instantly switch to other Apple devices that
are signed in with the same Apple ID. You
can share audio with two pairs of AirPods
(or W1/H1-equipped Beats) from the same
iPhone or iPad. You get spatial audio when
watching supported surround-sound video
or listening to Apple Music tracks with
Dolby Atmos.
The lack of an Apple-made chip in the
Beats Studio Buds leaves them in an
awkward place where you get some of
these features, but not all. There’s no
iCloud sync to instantly switch to other
Apple devices. There’s no Spatial Audio
when watching video since they don’t
have the accelerometer/gyro required for
head tracking. There’s no audio sharing.
And there’s no in-ear detection, so your
music doesn’t pause when you take out
an earbud and start up again when you
put it back.
In some ways, though, Beats Studio
Buds do work like AirPods. You still get
instant pairing with the info card and can
see battery status once
paired. Spatial Audio works
automatically in Apple Music
(though you can force it on
with all headphones, so
that’s not a big deal). They
integrate into Control Center
like AirPods, with noise-
cancellation and
transparency controls
beneath the volume slider.
You get hands-free “Hey, Siri”
support. They even support
Find My as AirPods do.Beats Studio Buds have noise cancellation controls in
Control Center like AirPods do.