Coming soon from Apple: Beats Studio Pro and Beats Studio Buds+

The upcoming Beats Studio Buds+ will drop on May 18, while the new Beats Studio Pro over-ear headphones seem to be still in the works and could arrive a bit later.

Four Beats Studio Pro over-ear headphones in white, brown, dark blue and black, set against a white background
Beats Studio Pro will offer these four colors | Image: @aaronp613/Twitter
  • The new Beats Studio Pro headphones are coming later in May with enhanced transparency mode, spatial audio and other features.
  • The headphones were developed in collaboration with artist Samuel Ross of A-Cold-Wall, with whom Apple previously partnered on Beats projects.
  • Also, a Beats Studio Buds successor will launch later this month.

The Beats Studio Pro over-ear headphones in the works

Code spelunkers unearthed strings referencing unreleased headphones under the “Beats” brand, dubbed Beats Studio Pro, from the iOS 16.5 RC (Release Candidate).

The upcoming over-ear headphones could replace the $350 Studio 3 headphones. They were reportedly developed in collaboration with artist Samuel Ross of A-Cold-Wall, with whom Apple previously partnered on various Beats projects.

The new headphones resemble the Beats Studio3 minus the “Studio” branding on the headband. They should be available in black, white, dark blue and brown.

According to the Twitter account @aaronp613, the macOS Ventura 13.4 RC code references “Beats Headset” with a model number of A2924.

Apple doesn’t have a Beats product with that model number in its offering, so this is an unreleased product. The account also published press images and the setup animation that appears when bringing the new Beats close to an Apple device.

Apple still interested in “Beats” branding

9to5Mac has discovered further tidbits about Beats Studio Pro, which it claims have better active noise cancellation and passthrough mode (like the AirPods Pro). They’ll also have Apple’s Personalized Spatial Audio feature, which lets you use your iPhone’s TrueDepth camera to create a spatial audio profile tuned just for you.

This feature is currently found on the first and second-generation AirPods Pro, AirPods Max, third-generation AirPods and Beats Fit Pro. “We also speculate that it will feature a USB-C port for charging and a custom Beats chip, just like other recent products from the company,” the site added.

Neither Apple nor its Beats subsidiary released over-ear headphones since 2017, proving that the company is still interested in exploiting “Beats” branding.

The new Beats Studio Buds+ earbuds coming in May

The Beats Studio Buds+ earbuds and their charging case
Beats Studio Buds+ with gold accents | Image: 9to5Mac

9to5Mac earlier discovered iOS 16.4 code strings referencing the unreleased “Beats Studio Buds+” earbuds codenamed 8214. Apple launched the original $150 Beats Studio Buds in 2021 as a cheaper alternative to the AirPods. It’s unclear whether Beats Studio Buds+ will use Apple’s H1 or W1 chip or a custom Beats chip.

The alleged features include enhanced active noise cancellation and transparency mode, according to FCC filings for the device. Other alleged AirPods-like features include automatic device switching, audio sharing and Hey Siri.

9to5Mac has learned that Beats Buds+ will also sport media controls for play/pause and switching between the noise-canceling modes by pressing and holding a button. The earbuds could replace the original Beats Studio Buds, but Apple might also position Beats Studio Buds+ as a higher-end alternative to the AirPods.

Curiously, the upcoming Beats Studio Buds+ briefly appeared on Amazon, listed with a May 18 release date and a $169.95 price.

The Amazon listing also revealed other capabilities, including 3x larger microphones, 2x more effective transparency mode, 1.6 times better active noise cancellation, 36 hours of listening time with the included USB-C charging case, IPX4-rated water resistance and multiple ear tip size options.

What about an AirPods Max update?

These upcoming Beats updates also suggest that the AirPods Max over-ear headphones could get the upgrade later this year, too.