Photo: Apple
Recent clues in iOS beta software plus a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) filing by Apple suggest new Beats Solo 4 headphones may ship as soon as early May, according to reports.
Given that Beats Solo 3 launched in 2016, well, it’s about time. Eight years usually represents several generations in tech products, not just one.
Beats Solo 4 headphones should ship soon after FCC filing
When Beats Solo 3 came out in September 2016, the first AirPods hadn’t quite launched (December 2016) — and yet AirPods 4 might show up this year, TechRadar pointed out about Beats Solo 4 headphones’ glacial release schedule, along with other sources.
The first clue about impending Beats Solo 4 came with images buried in iOS 17.4 beta code. This also happened with Beats Studio Pro headphones and other new products. Now a new FCC filing makes imminent release a good bet. FCC filings often appear about a month before a new product goes on sale.
The images appeared to show few if any design changes to the headphones, though they displayed black, blue and pink colors. Those could be part or all of the color selection.
Five (or more) upgrades to expect
Photo: Apple
But after eight years, it’s reasonable to assume several upgrades to sound quality and other functionality in Beats Solo 4 headphones.
These should be a bare minimum of improvements:
- Upgraded drivers for better sound. After 8 years, this is to be expected.
- And the new cans might borrow lossless audio over USB-C connection from Beats Studio Pro, released in 2023.
- Personalized Spatial Audio and fast pairing are good bets, as they appear in other recent Beats gear.
- The new cans might include Find My support, too.
- And Beats Studio 3 packed remarkable (for 2016) 40-hour battery life, so we can expect the new ones to top that. Other new headphones are topping 50 hours now.
As far as price goes, rumors suggest Beats Solo 4 headphones could come out at their predecessor’s price, $199. That would make them a good value.