It's time to upgrade from the Beats Solo 3 to the Beats Solo 4 The latest headphones from Apple's Beats sub-brand, now available in three colors for $199, are loaded with upgrades that modernize Beats by Dre's most iconic styles

While you can buy many of the best headphones for under $200, there are several reasons to consider Beats Solo 4: It has both a USB-C connection and a 35mm connection, both of which support lossless playback With up to 50 hours of battery life, the Solo 4 is also one of the longest-lasting headphones available

However, the Beats Solo 4 has tradeoffs that make it not the right headphone for everyone Here are my reasons for buying and skipping the Beats Solo 4 headphones

These days, headphones with a full-featured listening experience typically cost $200 or more However, the Beats Solo 4 and its custom-built acoustic construction, in my experience, sound solid, with a focus on vocals and balanced midtones This is paired with premium features such as lossless playback when using compatible source files and streaming services over USB-C connections and high-res lossless playback on the 35mm input

That said, we think more people will be excited to learn that the Solo 4 also includes Personalized Spatial Audio This feature is available on the AirPods and most Beats products, so it's nice to see the Solo 4 finally join the Spatial Audio family

I am someone who is very concerned about the portability of headphones If I'm going to be on the road, or traveling a lot, I might as well have headphones that fold up and take up less space, and the Solo 4 does just that

Foldable cans are kind of built into Beats' design language at this point, but it's still really nice to be able to fold them up and toss them in your bag and not have to worry about whether other gadgets and such will fit Small enough to fit in your pocket, Beats includes a soft zipper pouch case for safe storage The entire package weighs only about 8 ounces It doesn't get much more convenient than that

But if you really want to talk about convenience, those concerned about battery life should consider the Solo 4 headphones The previous generation Solo 3 had up to 40 hours of battery life, while the Solo 4 has 50 hours of battery life This is 10 hours ahead of the $349 Beats Studio Pro released last year

A 10-minute charge provides 5 hours of playback, although care should be taken to turn it off when not in use However, if you don't charge it at all, you fortunately don't need the battery while listening to music via the auxiliary cable Pretty spectacular for an in-flight entertainment system, if you ask me

The final reason to buy the Beats Solo 4 is that it is one of the few Apple devices that is made to work well with Android smartphones and other Android Bluetooth sources While the iPhone requires an instant setup, the Beats app must be downloaded from the Play Store, from which features such as one-touch pairing and Find My Device, which are usually reserved for iOS users, are available

Beats is a recognizable brand that people like to buy from, so it is good that all users can benefit from these connectivity features

Those who prioritize noise cancellation may want to skip the Beats Solo 4 This is a category of on-ear headphones as opposed to over-ear headphones that completely cover and seal the ear They offer some passive noise isolation, but not enough to block out ambient sound unless you listen very loud

If you are aware of this, it is not a problem, but for the same price, you can get very good noise-canceling headphones for less money I really like the Sennheiser Accentum There are plenty of noise-canceling options in the wireless earphone category as well

Another reason to avoid the Solo 4 headphones is that the build quality is not quite up to the standard of other Beats and Apple products that customers have come to expect

Now, to be fair, the bar is pretty high, and trade-offs had to be made, and while the Solo 4s don't feel cheap by any means, there are a few small things to notice, like the angle of the stitching on the ear cups Also, the headband is not very roomy, at least not one that can be adjusted to any head shape After a few hours of use, some may find the tightness a bit too tight

There are many reasons to buy the Beats Solo 4 for $199 The long battery life, lossless playback, and useful features make it well worth the price The on-ear design limits the noise-canceling capabilities, but if you are not a fan of ANC, this should not be a problem Furthermore, given how long it took Beats to update the Solo3 headphones, the Solo 4 will no doubt be available for years to come