Beats today announced a new full-sized pair of wireless headphones, the Beats 360. These new headphones are targeted specifically at people who prefer using full-sized headphones in the gym and feature customizability and durability features, along with things borrowed from other Beats/Apple audio products.
The Beats 360 are made from more hard-wearing materials and target long-term wearability. They feature an IPX4 water-resistance rating, a first for a pair of Beats headphones. The ear cushions ship by default in a Performance knit mesh material with foam padding but can optionally also be swapped for a soft leather material.
The headphones come in four colors, Black, Cloud, Pink, and Sky. The Performance knit cushions come in Black, Cloud, Pink, Sky, Navy, and Volt. The UltraPlus cushions come in Black, and Cloud. The replacement kit includes both the cushions as well as the headband. This allows the user to mix and match the colors, as well as replace them when they wear out.
The Beats 360 feature a new custom high dynamic range amplifier as well as custom-designed dual-magnet dynamic drivers. The dual neodymium ring magnets let the new drivers achieve 12dB higher output than the Beats Studio drivers. The new drivers also have better dampening and increased rigidity.
The Beats 360 do not use Apple’s H1 or H2 chip, but rather a custom-designed chip by Beats. Like the AirPods Max, the Beats 360 has all the electronics, including the chip, the battery, antenna, etc. in each of the two earcups, which minimizes the wiring and signals routed through the headband. Despite not having an Apple chip, the Beats 360 has many of the same features as other Apple and Beats products, including Spatial Audio with head tracking, one-touch pairing, hands-free Siri, audio sharing, iCloud pairing, automatic switching between your Apple devices, and Find My support. Like the other Beats products, the Beats 360 also work well with Android devices, with features such as Fast Pair, Find Hub, Google account pairing, Audio Switch, and more available through the Beats Android app.
The Beats 360 also support active noise cancellation. Beats claims it can block 1.75x more noise than the Beats Studio Pro, making it the best noise cancelling headphones from Beats. It automatically adjusts based on your surrounding noise and your fit. This is done using nine MEMS microphones aboard the headphones and the proprietary chip in each earcup. The new transparency mode is also more natural than before. Finally, the Beats 360 also support the Adaptive EQ feature, which adjusts the sound for individual ear and head shape for consistency across different listeners and volume levels. This feature is available even when ANC and transparency modes are disabled.
Finally, the Beats 360 have a claimed battery life of 32 hours, with or without ANC. Unlike the Beats Studio Pro and the AirPods Max 2, the Beats 360 do not have wired audio functionality.
The Beats 360 are priced at $350. The Cushion Kits are priced at $50 but available right now at an introductory price of $10. They are available for sale on apple.com, Apple Stores, and eventually through other retail outlets.