Beats Studio Buds MQLJ3LL/A

Active noise cancellation sits at the 97th percentile, making these one of the best ANC earbuds for the money. Comfort is equally impressive (93rd percentile) with a 9-hour battery. The glaring weakness is call quality, which scored a rough 60.3 out of 100, so look elsewhere if phone calls are part of your daily routine.

ANC is the star here. At the 97th percentile, it shuts out commuter noise and office chatter more effectively than nearly every in-ear we've put through our tests. The adaptive mode ramps up smoothly, and the transparency setting lets in just enough sound to stay aware. Sound quality sits at the 83rd percentile—well above average, with a bass-forward tune that'll please Beats fans, though it doesn't have the clarity or instrument separation you'd get from the Sony WF-1000XM5 or Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4. Still, for hip-hop and pop, these are a lot of fun.

Comfort is another high point (93rd percentile). The buds are light at 5g each, and the new extra-small ear tip helps them fit a wider range of ears. We had no trouble wearing them through a full 9-hour workday, which matches the rated battery life—a solid 80th percentile endurance mark. The IPX4 rating means sweat and a drizzle are no problem. Unfortunately, call quality drags the whole experience down. The 80th percentile mic score looks okay on paper, but our call tests gave a 60.3—voices sound compressed and background noise bleeds in aggressively. In a quiet room it's passable; outdoors it's a struggle.

Stacked against the Sony WF-1000XM5 and Bose QuietComfort Ultra, the Beats Studio Buds+ hold a surprising edge in ANC (97th percentile vs. around 94-95th for the Sony and Bose in our data) and are more comfortable for long wear. The Bose and Sony fight back with richer, more detailed sound profiles and dramatically better call performance. The Samsung Galaxy Buds3 Pro bring smarter features like 360 audio and IP57, but their ANC isn't quite as potent. If you care more about blocking noise than making phone calls, the Beats deliver flagship-level ANC for significantly less cash.

With prices ranging from $100 to $179 across vendors, value swings a lot. If you can snag these at the lower end, you're getting elite ANC and superb comfort for less than half the cost of the Bose QuietComfort Ultra. At $179, they're still a decent buy but much harder to recommend against the Sony WF-1000XM5, which often drops near that price and delivers better sound and far superior call quality. Our budget score of 81.8 out of 100 reflects that, under $130 or so, the performance-for-dollar argument gets very strong.

Beats Studio Buds+ bring some of the best active noise cancellation we've tested, landing in the 97th percentile across our database. That's right up there with the heavy hitters, and combined with a 93rd percentile comfort score, these buds disappear in your ears for hours. But the weak spot is glaring: call quality scored just 60.3 out of 100, one of the lowest in recent memory. If you're looking for a workout-friendly, ANC-first pair that works seamlessly with Apple and Android, this is a compelling option—just don't plan on making a lot of phone calls. The 4.3-star average across over 15,500 reviews tells us most buyers are happy, but that call score is impossible to ignore.

If call quality matters at all, skip these. The 60.3 call score is simply too low for anyone who takes regular phone or video calls. Audiophiles chasing the most detailed soundstage will also be happier with the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 or Sony WF-1000XM5, which both rank higher in our sound benchmarks. And if wireless charging is a must, the case will disappoint—USB-C only.

The Beats Studio Buds+ are a targeted knockout for ANC and comfort addicts. The noise cancellation is nearly unbeatable, the fit is fantastic, and the battery lasts all day. But the 60.3 call score is a dealbreaker if you take frequent voice or video calls. For purely listening, commuting, or working out, they're a strong buy—especially when you find them closer to $100.