Key Takeaways
- The Beats Studio Pro 2 were not officially announced yet, but we’re expecting Apple to release them soon after the big success of the first generation.
- Some software changes that the Beats Studio Pro 2s could incorporate would be ear detection, better active noise-canceling and implementation of the Apple H2 chip and all the software improvements associated with this new chip.
- When it comes to hardware, the Beats Studio Pro 2 should improve on the quality of materials and add a better carrying case into the mix.
Only a few short years ago, Beats headphones were known for their average audio performance and a general style-over-substance design. Fast-forward to today, and they are surprisingly well-liked, great-sounding cans with a lot to offer in terms of both features and sound itself.
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It might be a part of a re-branding that followed the acquisition by Apple, but Beats headphones — especially the Beats Studio Pro — really are a great example of an ugly duckling story. With a surprisingly neutral sound and nifty software features taken straight from Apple’s headphone lineup, they brought Beats back as a legitimately great choice for all music lovers.
Now, almost a year after the release of Beats’ last over-ear headphones, we’re eagerly awaiting the second generation of the Beats Studio Pros. Even though we don’t have any specific dates for the potential release, here are all the places where we hope they’ll improve to remain a part of this feel-good comeback story.
1 Ear detection
It’s simple and convenient
One of the most handy features, especially with over-ear headphones, is ear detection coupled with auto-play and pause. Unfortunately, the Beats Studio Pro lack this feature, meaning that every time you take off your headphones — be it in the shop, or when coming back home — you need to remember to pause your music manually, and later resume it by hand as well.
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Incorporating ear detection sensors shouldn’t be much of a hassle for Apple, while it really is a game-changer in daily use of the headphones. Quickly taking your cans off and putting them on again, without having to worry about losing a chunk of your track or podcast, is a really handy quality-of-life feature that every “Pro” headphones need.
2 The H2 Chip
Apple’s computational brawn
The inclusion of Apple’s H2 chip is more of just a hardware spec bump — it’s also connected with various software abilities that the potential Beats Studio Pro 2 could gain thanks to this chip.
The H2 is not only responsible for Apple’s AirPods Pro 2 incredible sound quality, but it also enables more advanced sound trickery, such as adaptive transparency mode. It also improves ANC performance and uses less power, extending battery life.
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As you can see, the inclusion of the H2 chip would make the Beats Studio Pro 2 much better, improving both software features, along with the sound quality itself. Seeing as the headphones are supposed to sit on top of Beats’ product stack, it’s quite an obvious move to equip the best Beats headphones with the best hardware and software combo possible.
3 Hard carrying case
Protect these beauties
Coming from internal specifications to accessories, one of the biggest complaints regarding the Beats Studio Pro was the case it came with. Considering it was a pair of higher-end wireless cans, you’d expect it to come with a nice, hard-shell carrying case.
Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case with the Beats which came with a rather flimsy, soft carrying case. This means it was more portable when your headphones were on your head, but it didn’t offer the protection you’d expect when they were stowed away, especially when traveling.
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Therefore, including a nice, hard-shelled travel case with the second generation would not only be a great move to protect the Studio Pro 2s, but it would also show Beats listening to customer feedback.
4 Better Active Noise-Cancelling
Beats need to compete
The Beats Studio Pro came to the shelves with a genuinely impressive sound, especially considering their pedigree. However, what they lacked in comparison to the competition was the ANC performance.
Granted, their active noise-cancelling was good enough, but when compared to similarly-priced Sony WH-1000XM5 or Bose QuietComfort 45s, they fall a bit behind, especially when it comes to canceling noise in the lower register.
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According to our in and on-ears listening, these models from Apple, Bose, Sony, and more top the market in quality, quiet, and comfort.
Therefore, Beats should really consider improving the ANC performance of the Studio Pro 2s to keep them competitive with the leaders of the wireless ANC market. The H2 chip is, of course, one thing, but even then, some further improvements — maybe the number of microphones — are in order to bring the new Beats ahead of the pack.
5 Improve build quality
No more creaky hinges
The Beats Studio Pro, while handily defying the legacy of earlier Beats headphones when it comes to sound quality, kept one of the more annoying features of the line — flimsier materials.
At first touch, even though the headphones sound superb, they just feel cheap in the hand. The plastics feel lower quality than the competition, and you can hear them creaking when you put on the device. It might be acceptable when buying budget headphones, but when they cost more than $300, it really shouldn’t be the case.
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That being said, if Apple managed to defy expectations and steer Beats into the calm waters of excellent audio quality, the same undoubtedly can be done about the build quality. Whether some more premium materials, or at least better quality plastics, the Beats Studio Pro 2 should feel more premium than their predecessors.
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