Beats 360 vs Beats Studio Pro, Which Should You Buy?

The Beats 360 costs $50 more than the Beats Studio Pro, and it changes enough that the choice is not obvious. The new headphones add stronger noise cancellation, swappable cushions, a longer battery life with ANC and an IPX4 rating, while the Beats Studio Pro keeps a wired connection and a lower price.

Beats launched the Beats 360 at $349.99, with retail availability starting September 24. The Beats Studio Pro has been reduced to $299.99, so the two headphones now sit in separate price tiers.

Beats 360 vs Beats Studio Pro

What the Beats 360 Adds Over the Beats Studio Pro

  • Active noise cancellation rated at 1.75 times the Beats Studio Pro’s
  • Up to 12dB more output
  • Up to 32 hours of battery life with ANC on, compared with 24 hours for the Beats Studio Pro
  • IPX4 sweat and water resistance, a first for Beats over-ear headphones
  • Swappable ear and headband cushions in four colors, Cloud, Sky, Black and Pink
  • Support for Adaptive EQ in iOS 27

Both headphones offer spatial audio with dynamic head tracking. The Beats 360 also senses whether a Performance Knit or UltraPlush cushion is attached and adjusts the tuning to match. A five-minute USB-C charge adds about an hour of playback.

Swappable Cushions Are the Headline Feature

Every Beats 360 includes cushions that match the color of the headphones. Extra Cushion Kits cost $49.99, though a launch offer cuts them to $9.99 through October 31 in the US and several other countries. Beats sells kits in Performance Knit and in UltraPlush, which is the same engineered leather used on the Beats Studio Pro. That makes the launch window the cheapest time to buy a second set for the gym.

The kits are proprietary Apple-ecosystem parts, and no third-party options have been announced.

The Beats 360 Drops the Wired Connection and Wear Detection

The Beats 360 has no headphone jack or wired connection, which the Beats Studio Pro still offers. Reviewers also note that it lacks wear detection and Adaptive Audio. The Beats 360 weighs about 294 grams, and one review found it a little heavier than the Beats Studio Pro, though the difference is not noticeable in use.

The Beats Studio Pro costs $50 less, and its earlier reviews called it almost as good as AirPods Max. Beats rates it for up to 40 hours of battery life when noise cancellation is switched off.

The Choice Depends on ANC Performance and Wired Audio

Buy the Beats 360 if you work out in over-ear headphones, want stronger noise cancellation or like the idea of swapping colors

Buy Beats 360 on Amazon

Buy the Beats Studio Pro if you want a wired option, prefer a lower price or care about wear detection

Buy Beats Studio Pro on Amazon

Read the Beats Studio Pro vs AirPods Max comparison if you are also weighing Apple’s own headphones

Our Take

The Beats 360 is the better pair for most people who care about noise cancellation and battery life with ANC on, and the IPX4 rating makes it the first Beats over-ear pair I would trust at the gym. If you need a wired connection, the Beats Studio Pro at $299.99 is the smarter buy.

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About the Author

Imran Hussain is the founder and editor of iThinkDifferent, which he launched in 2008 to cover Apple news, reviews, and how-to guides. He has spent over 15 years writing about iOS, macOS, and the wider Apple ecosystem, with a focus on hands-on guides - installing developer betas, troubleshooting, and walking through new features on his own devices. Based in Dubai, he also loves to cover photography, gaming, and the tech industry more broadly on his social media profiles.

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