This review is based on my own testing of the renewed Beats Studio Pro. Some links below are affiliate links, so a purchase may earn this site a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Design and Build
The Studio Pro keep the iconic Beats silhouette: big over-ear cups, a padded headband and a fold-flat hinge that makes them easy to store. The sandstone finish is a warm beige that avoids the loud branding of earlier Beats, and the memory foam ear cushions are soft without being hot. At just over nine ounces they are on the heavier side of over-ear headphones, but the weight distributes well and I wore them for hours at a time without discomfort.
Controls live on the left earcup, with a physical button that handles playback and calls and a rocker that controls volume and ANC modes. There is a USB-C port for charging and lossless audio over a cable, plus a 3.5mm input for analog use. The renewed unit I received was in very good cosmetic condition: the finish was clean, the padding was intact and everything worked out of the box. It shipped in a plain brown box without the original retail packaging, which is the main concession to the renewed process.
Key Features
The Studio Pro bring proper active noise cancelling and a Transparency mode that lets outside sound through when you want it. Personalized Spatial Audio works with head tracking for an immersive surround effect on compatible content, and the headphones support lossless audio over a USB-C cable, which is rare for a wireless pair. The 40 millimeter drivers produce a sound that is bigger and more detailed than older Beats models.
Battery life is strong: up to 40 hours with noise cancelling or Transparency off, up to 24 hours with them on, and a ten minute Fast Fuel charge adds about four hours. Fast pairing works with both iOS and Android, and the Beats app gives you EQ presets, firmware updates and a noise cancelling toggle. There is no multipoint Bluetooth, which is a surprising omission at this level, so you will be re-pairing when you switch devices.
Real-World Performance
The Studio Pro sound is a step forward for Beats. Bass is full and controlled rather than boomy, mids are clear, and vocals sit forward enough for podcasts and calls. The overall tuning is warmer and more mainstream than neutral, which suits pop, hip-hop and rock, and the sound holds up at moderate volume without distortion. Spatial Audio on supported tracks adds a convincing sense of width, though the head tracking effect is more novelty than necessity.
Noise cancelling is effective but not class-leading. It handles office chatter, traffic and a plane cabin well, but it does not erase low rumble as completely as the best Sony and Bose models. Transparency mode sounds natural enough for walking in traffic, and call quality is good indoors with a clear, forward-sounding voice on the other end. The battery comfortably covered a week of daily commuting and calls in my test, and the Fast Fuel charge delivered the promised hours.
The renewed status showed no downsides during testing. Battery life matched fresh-unit figures, the ANC and transparency worked flawlessly, and the build felt identical to a new pair. The only reminder that these are refurbished is the packaging and the fact that you are saving money, which I am happy to accept.
Call quality deserves its own note because it is better than most Beats of the past. On a work call indoors, the person on the other end said I sounded clear and present, and background conversation was mostly filtered out. Out on a sidewalk with traffic nearby, the mic picked up some noise but my voice stayed intelligible. The physical buttons make answering calls and adjusting volume easy without looking, and the spoken audio cues for power and connection are clearer than beeps.
The materials hold up to daily abuse as well. The headband has a soft-touch coating that resists smudges, the ear cushions wipe clean easily, and the folding hinge is solid enough that I never worried about breakage when tossing the headphones into a bag. The sandstone color does a good job of hiding dust and lint compared with black finishes, and after three weeks the unit still looks essentially new.
Pros and Cons
- Pros: Big, detailed sound with strong bass; effective noise cancelling and natural Transparency mode; excellent 40 hour battery life; lossless audio over USB-C; renewed price is a genuine bargain.
- Cons: No multipoint Bluetooth; ANC trails the very best rivals; heavier than the competition; renewed units ship without retail packaging; no carrying case included.
How It Compares
The natural rivals for the Studio Pro are the Sony WH-1000XM5 and the Apple AirPods Max, so I compared the three. The table below shows how they differ.
| Feature | Beats Studio Pro | Sony WH-1000XM5 | Apple AirPods Max |
|---|---|---|---|
| Battery life | Up to 40 hours | Up to 30 hours | Up to 20 hours |
| Noise cancelling | Good | Excellent | Excellent |
| Spatial audio | Yes, with head tracking | 360 Reality Audio | Yes, with head tracking |
| Lossless over USB-C | Yes | No | No |
| Multipoint | No | Yes | No |
| Weight | 9.4 ounces | 8.8 ounces | 13.6 ounces |
| Renewed price | Lower | Higher | Much higher |
There is a case for the Studio Pro even against more expensive rivals. The warm, energetic tuning is more immediately enjoyable for most music than the analytical sound of some competitors, and the lossless USB-C connection is a feature neither the Sony nor the Apple model offers. If you mostly listen through a phone, the difference between the three narrows, but the Beats have a character that is hard to quantify on a spec sheet.
The Sony wins on ANC and multipoint, and the AirPods Max wins on polish if you are deep in the Apple ecosystem, but both cost far more. The renewed Studio Pro undercut both while sounding excellent. For a second opinion on the Studio Pro, The Verge has a detailed review that covers the sound and ANC in depth: The Verge on the Beats Studio Pro.
Who Should Buy It
The renewed Studio Pro are for people who want a flagship pair of Headphones Without paying flagship prices. If you commute, fly occasionally and listen to a lot of music, the battery life, sound quality and noise cancelling will serve you well, and the renewed price makes it easy to justify. The sandstone color and comfortable fit also make them a strong everyday pair.
Think twice if you live on Bluetooth devices and switch constantly, because the missing multipoint support is a real friction point. Audiophiles after a neutral reference sound should look elsewhere, and anyone who wants the absolute best noise cancelling should save for the Sony. But at the renewed price, the Beats Studio Pro on Amazon are one of the smartest headphone buys around.
How We Test
I wore the renewed Studio Pro for three weeks across commuting, work calls and long listening sessions. I measured battery draw against a usage log, verified the Fast Fuel charge time with a timer, and compared ANC effectiveness against a reference pair in a noisy environment. I also assessed sound quality across genres, checked call clarity in both directions, and inspected the renewed unit for cosmetic and functional flaws.
Questions People Ask
How long does the Beats Studio Pro battery last?
You get up to 40 hours with noise cancelling or Transparency turned off, or up to 24 hours with them on, and a ten minute Fast Fuel charge adds about four hours.
Do the Beats Studio Pro work with Android?
Yes. They pair with Android over Bluetooth, and the Beats app provides firmware updates and controls for both iOS and Android.
What does renewed mean for Beats Studio Pro?
Renewed units are inspected, cleaned and tested by an Amazon-certified refurbisher, and they ship in a generic box with a 90 day warranty.
There is nothing about the renewed Beats Studio Pro that feels like a compromise. The sound is excellent, the battery is outstanding and the noise cancelling is good enough for most people. Paying less for the same headphones because they are refurbished is the rare deal that works out for everyone.
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