1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:11,000 AirPods are the most popular earbuds in the world for a reason, but they're not perfect. 2 00:00:11,000 --> 00:00:18,040 You need to have an iPhone to make the most of them. The design and lack of active noise canceling means you'll hear everything around you. 3 00:00:18,040 --> 00:00:21,320 You're limited to charging with a lightning port on the base model. 4 00:00:21,320 --> 00:00:25,640 And even though I personally prefer this style, I will admit that it is challenging to get 5 00:00:25,640 --> 00:00:29,360 great sound out of an earbud that doesn't seal in your ear. 6 00:00:29,360 --> 00:00:33,440 But what if I told you there was an alternative that's better in almost every single way 7 00:00:33,440 --> 00:00:37,000 for the exact same price? Does it have active noise cancellation? 8 00:00:37,000 --> 00:00:40,000 Yep. USB-C charging. Check. 9 00:00:40,000 --> 00:00:50,120 Better sound quality. You betcha. And perhaps, most surprising of all, they're even made by Apple, but they're not AirPods. 10 00:00:50,120 --> 00:00:55,480 These are the Beats Studio Buds Plus, an update to 2021's Studio Buds. 11 00:00:55,480 --> 00:01:01,720 They look the same, keeping the familiar, easy to pinch edge, but looks can be deceiving. 12 00:01:01,720 --> 00:01:06,480 These are a full on sequel, making changes across the board and addressing any complaint 13 00:01:06,480 --> 00:01:10,040 you could have leveled against the originals. 14 00:01:10,040 --> 00:01:13,840 Compared to the last model, Beats says that these have significantly better active noise 15 00:01:13,840 --> 00:01:18,120 canceling and transparency, thanks to the improved mics, which also provide an upgrade 16 00:01:18,120 --> 00:01:23,680 to voice quality. Sound and comfort see a small upgrade thanks to the updated venting, which pushes more 17 00:01:23,680 --> 00:01:27,080 air through the transducer and helps relieve pressure. 18 00:01:27,080 --> 00:01:33,560 Battery life jumps from 24 hours to a frankly astounding 36, making these Apple's longest 19 00:01:33,560 --> 00:01:40,560 lasting earbuds. And their latest Beats Proprietary Platform Gen 2 chip provides deeper integration in 20 00:01:40,560 --> 00:01:45,920 both Apple and Android ecosystems. 21 00:01:45,920 --> 00:01:48,960 Does that mean these are better for Android and Google users? 22 00:01:48,960 --> 00:01:53,080 I don't like that. I don't like that one bit. 23 00:01:53,080 --> 00:02:00,960 My favorite part is the color. Yes, we've seen transparent earbuds before, but man, it's been a long time since Apple's 24 00:02:00,960 --> 00:02:05,200 done anything like this. I really hope to see more of this in the future. 25 00:02:05,200 --> 00:02:09,000 So the question is, what does this all mean for actually using them? 26 00:02:09,000 --> 00:02:14,680 Better this and improve that, only matters if this can make good on the claims of quality. 27 00:02:14,680 --> 00:02:18,800 And perhaps unsurprisingly to anyone who's been following Beats for the last few years, 28 00:02:18,800 --> 00:02:26,400 yeah, these do live up to the specs. What matters with earbuds is sound, and these just sound better than 3rd gen AirPods. 29 00:02:26,400 --> 00:02:30,640 They pack far more punch, and while I can hear songs with a wide array of instrumentals 30 00:02:30,640 --> 00:02:35,960 being constrained on these, that's just what you get with a speaker the size of a dime. 31 00:02:35,960 --> 00:02:40,080 Make no mistake, these are an improvement over the 3rd gen AirPods, which I already think 32 00:02:40,080 --> 00:02:43,120 sound pretty good. They're not the best you can get, though. 33 00:02:43,120 --> 00:02:47,440 They don't measure up to the AirPods Pro, but those are quite a bit more expensive. 34 00:02:47,440 --> 00:02:52,000 They are, however, comparable to the Beats Fit Pro, despite those being slightly more 35 00:02:52,000 --> 00:02:57,760 expensive. Even still, I'd take the Studio Buds Plus, because I'm not a fan of earwings. 36 00:02:57,760 --> 00:03:01,400 Now there's one feature we discovered that these have that kind of is surprising. 37 00:03:01,400 --> 00:03:04,580 It's automatic noise cancellation in loud environments. 38 00:03:04,580 --> 00:03:08,800 When using transparency mode, if the earbuds detect a loud noise, they quickly turn noise 39 00:03:08,800 --> 00:03:15,480 cancellation on for that earbud. It'll stay on as long as the noise continues, and once it stops, the earbud fades back to 40 00:03:15,480 --> 00:03:18,800 transparency over a few seconds. That's weird. 41 00:03:18,800 --> 00:03:22,720 It's a pretty neat feature, and can reduce annoyances and offer a little bit of hearing 42 00:03:22,720 --> 00:03:25,800 protection, but I do wish there was a way to disable it. 43 00:03:25,800 --> 00:03:30,320 It's somewhat jarring, and perhaps unwanted if you're in a loud environment where you 44 00:03:30,320 --> 00:03:35,600 need transparency to be on. 45 00:03:35,600 --> 00:03:42,400 There are also other ways in which these aren't better than AirPods. They don't have automatic device switching across the Apple ecosystem, but Beats did 46 00:03:42,400 --> 00:03:45,960 manage to support iPhone to Apple Watch switching for some reason. 47 00:03:45,960 --> 00:03:49,440 Similarly, while you do get spatial audio, you won't be able to personalize it to your 48 00:03:49,440 --> 00:03:56,000 ear or use head tracking. Now you might think Apple is deliberately kneecapping these, so that the AirPods remain 49 00:03:56,000 --> 00:04:04,440 the clear or opaque flagship. But on the contrary, other Beats have the H1 chip, and so they have the above Apple features. 50 00:04:04,440 --> 00:04:09,760 Meanwhile, the Studio Buds and Studio Buds Plus are meant more for Android users at the 51 00:04:09,760 --> 00:04:15,240 expense of Apple features. Since they're using these for almost a week, I have to say that I'm surprised. 52 00:04:15,240 --> 00:04:18,920 I've always been curious about Beats, but I didn't expect them to come out with a product 53 00:04:18,920 --> 00:04:24,440 that's so drastically improved upon a well-received predecessor, let alone the de facto choice 54 00:04:24,440 --> 00:04:31,760 in wireless earbuds. All this to say that these are the new go-to mid-range earbuds from Apple, especially if 55 00:04:31,760 --> 00:04:37,480 you don't mind silicon tips. Thanks for seeing through this Mac Address. 56 00:04:37,480 --> 00:04:40,680 If you like Beats products, give this video a like. 57 00:04:40,680 --> 00:04:49,400 And if you still would prefer AirPods, you might as well subscribe. Now, I'm curious below if you're a secret Android viewer who would actually benefit from 58 00:04:49,400 --> 00:04:54,480 all the improvements these get in the better integration.