It’s one of those decisions that seems simple until you dive in. You want wireless headphones that sound great, feel comfortable, and actually last beyond a flight or two. But the deeper you look, the harder it is to tell which model’s really worth your money—especially when you’re looking at the Sony ULT Wear, Beats Studio Pro, and Beats Solo 4.
On paper, all three have strengths. But only one brings together comfort, sound, features, and noise control in a way that feels like a complete package. We’ve lived with them, tested them in crowded cafés, on commutes, and at home—and the differences are real.
Let’s break it down without fluff.
The carrying case tells you who’s taking your gear seriously
Look, most people don’t obsess over cases—but maybe they should. You’re throwing your headphones into a backpack, a suitcase, maybe the backseat of a car. They need protection.
The Sony ULT Wear ships with a hard-shell case that actually protects the headphones. It holds its shape, absorbs pressure, and guards against scratches, making it ideal for travel or just careless packing.
Beats Studio Pro and Solo 4? Soft pouches. That’s it. They look nice, but they collapse under weight, offer no crush protection, and won’t save your headphones from real-world abuse. If you value durability even before turning the power on, Sony wins this round before you even hit play.
Comfort and wearability: this is where design gets personal
Nothing ruins a good pair of headphones like feeling sore after 30 minutes. And this is where the cracks start to show—especially for Beats.
The ULT Wear offers a fully collapsible design with rotating earcups, which means it adapts to your head, your posture, your weird nap positions. Its ear pads are deep and wide, swallowing large ears without pressure. The headband? Well-cushioned and forgiving, even after hours.
The Beats Studio Pro doesn’t collapse at all. Earcup flexibility is minimal, and the padding is surprisingly shallow for an over-ear set. After a couple of hours, you might start shifting them around just to give your ears a break.
The Solo 4 is a different story—it’s on-ear. That means it sits directly on your ears, which some people hate. It clamps harder than the other two, and even though it’s lighter, it gets uncomfortable faster. This isn’t a pair you wear all day.
If you care about comfort—and who doesn’t—Sony’s design is clearly built for the long haul.
Battery life: who lasts longest, and how?
Here’s the thing: battery life doesn’t mean much unless you understand what’s being sacrificed.
Beats Solo 4 boasts 50 hours, but that’s without ANC—because it doesn’t even have it. Beats Studio Pro gets up to 24 hours with ANC, or 40 hours without. Not bad.
Sony ULT Wear hits 30 hours with ANC, and up to 50 without it. But here’s where it gets interesting: Sony supports true passive listening, meaning you can keep listening through the 3.5mm jack even if the battery’s dead.
The Studio Pro? You have to power it on to use it—even when wired. No juice, no sound.
Also, only Beats allows USB-C audio, meaning you can listen directly via the charging port. Sony doesn’t support that—it’s charge-only. So there’s a tradeoff.
Still, in terms of flexible listening, Sony offers both high battery and power-independent usage, which is a big deal if you forget to charge or just travel a lot.
Codec support and connectivity: it’s not just Bluetooth
All three use Bluetooth 5.x—so connectivity’s stable across the board. No weird dropouts, no lag watching Netflix.
But there’s a big difference in audio quality. Sony supports LDAC, which means you get hi-res streaming when paired with an Android device. It’s cleaner, more detailed, and—yes—noticeably better if you’re picky.
Beats headphones stick to SBC and AAC, which is fine, but they max out faster in terms of fidelity. You won’t notice on Apple Music or YouTube, but if you stream lossless audio, Sony simply sounds more natural.
Also, Sony offers multipoint pairing out of the box—easily switching between your phone and laptop. Beats? A bit messier, unless you’re deep in the Apple ecosystem.
When it comes to flexibility and future-proofing, Sony wins again.
Sound quality: boom or balance?
Let’s be real. Most people either love or hate Beats’ sound signature. And yes, it’s changed over the years—but the core’s the same: big bass, tight mids, rolled-off highs.
The Studio Pro hits hard in the low end, and for hip-hop or EDM, it’s a blast. Vocals are decent, separation’s okay, but everything feels tuned for impact, not nuance.
The Solo 4 follows the same formula, but it’s thinner overall. It lacks depth, and without any EQ control, you get what you get.
Sony ULT Wear comes out of the box with a more neutral signature—clean highs, full mids, controlled bass. But here’s the magic: Sony gives you a full parametric EQ in the app. Want more rumble? You got it. Want less treble? Easy. You shape the sound to match your ears, not the other way around.
Oh, and if you crank up the bass? Sony’s ULT settings deliver physical punch that can rival Beats—but only when you want it. That level of control is a game-changer.
For sound you can shape to fit your mood, genre, or hearing sensitivity, Sony walks away with it.
Control schemes: touch vs buttons
This one’s more personal. Beats sticks with physical buttons, and they work—no complaints there. But they’re all crammed onto the left cup, and you have to press hard, which pushes the whole headset into your skull. Not ideal.
Sony uses a touchpad on the right cup, and for once, it actually works well. Swipes are responsive, taps are accurate, and you also get wear detection, so playback pauses when you take them off. That alone saves you countless moments of awkward music blasting in quiet rooms.
Plus, Sony’s “Quick Attention” mode is genius—cover the touchpad with your hand, and it drops volume and pipes in ambient sound, so you can have a conversation without taking the headphones off. That’s a travel essential.
In terms of thoughtful, intuitive control, Sony’s system just feels smarter.
ANC and ambient modes: quiet done right
Here’s where Beats Solo 4 bows out—it doesn’t even have active noise cancellation. So it’s out of this conversation.
Beats Studio Pro offers ANC, but it’s… fine. It softens background noise, but it doesn’t eliminate it. Think duller, not silent. Voices and higher-frequency noise still slip through.
Sony ULT Wear, while not as powerful as their flagship XM5, delivers better ANC than Beats by a long shot. It reduces a wider range of frequencies, from subway rumbles to office chatter. It’s the only one that lets you really disappear into your music without cranking the volume.
And Sony’s ambient mode is actually usable. Beats tries, but everything sounds weirdly metallic or distant. Sony lets you adjust the level of outside sound, and it sounds natural enough to talk without taking them off.
This isn’t even close—Sony wins the ANC and transparency battle hands-down.
Mic quality: where Beats bites back
If you take a lot of calls, this is the one category where Beats pulls ahead—especially the Studio Pro.
The Studio Pro handles background noise better, keeping your voice sharp and minimizing chaos around you. It’s solid even in busy streets or cafés.
The Solo 4 holds up decently, but the mic is less focused and starts to lose clarity with traffic or wind.
Sony ULT Wear is good enough indoors, but background noise creeps into calls, and your voice can sound more distant. For Zoom calls or quiet spaces, it’s fine—but in noisy spots, it stumbles.
If calls are a big deal for you? Go with the Studio Pro. It’s the only one here that feels reliable in chaos.
The verdict: ULT Wear doesn’t just win—it does everything
After hours of use, dozens of head-to-head (literally) comparisons, and more audio tweaking than we’d like to admit, it’s clear: Sony ULT Wear is the best all-around wireless headphone in this lineup.
It’s more comfortable, better built, better sounding, and packed with features that actually make a difference. Whether it’s wear sensors, ANC, EQ control, or even just that excellent hard case—Sony thought it through.
Sure, the mic could be better, and you don’t get USB-C audio, but those are small compromises for a product that feels this well-rounded.
Beats Studio Pro is fine—especially if you prioritize call quality or want something bass-heavy and straightforward. But it feels stuck between being a fashion accessory and a serious headphone.
Beats Solo 4? It’s for quick commutes or casual users. It’s not bad—but it’s not in the same league as the other two when it comes to depth, comfort, or control.
So if you’re deciding where to spend your money and want headphones that sound great, wear well, and actually adapt to your life, ULT Wear is the one to get. No contest.