Apple AirPods (2nd generation) vs Beats Studio Buds

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AirPods (2nd generation) compared with Studio Buds

	AppleAirPods (2nd generation)	BeatsStudio Buds
Overview
Released
Released	March 2019	June 2021
Sound
Type
Type	Open-ear	In-ear
Noise cancelling
Noise cancelling	No	Yes
Transparency mode
Transparency mode	No	Yes
Spatial audio with head tracking
Spatial audio with head tracking	No	No
Driver size
Driver size	–	8.2 mm
Bluetooth codecs
Bluetooth codecs	SBC and AAC	SBC and AAC
Drivers
Drivers	–	Dual-element diaphragm driver and two-chamber acoustic design (Beats launch release reproduced by 9to5Mac)
Noise cancelling detail
Noise cancelling detail	–	Active Noise Cancelling and Transparency mode
Lossless over USB-C
Lossless over USB-C	No	–
Chip
Chip	H1	–
Audio features
Audio features	Automatic ear detection with dual optical sensors and a motion accelerometer; AAC Bluetooth audio; SBC support listed by What Hi-Fi?	Dolby Atmos playback in Apple Music; no head tracking; Bluetooth 5.2 and SBC/AAC codecs (SoundGuys)
Battery
Listening time (maker's claim)
Listening time (maker's claim)	Up to 5 hours	Up to 5 hours
With the case
With the case	–	Up to 15 hours
Wireless charging
Wireless charging	Yes	No
Battery life detail
Battery life detail	More than 24 hours of listening including case recharges, according to Apple; launch announcement claims up to 50% more talk time than first-generation AirPods	Up to 8 hours per charge and 24 hours including the case with noise cancelling off; up to 5 hours and 15 hours with it on
Charging case
Charging case	Lightning Charging Case charges by cable; Wireless Charging Case supports Qi-certified chargers and Lightning, with a front status LED; both measure 53.5 x 44.3 x 21.3 mm	USB-C; no wireless charging (SoundGuys and TechRadar)
Fast charging
Fast charging	15 minutes in the case provides up to 3 hours of listening	A 5-minute Fast Fuel charge gives up to 1 hour of playback (Beats launch release)
Design
Weight (each earbud)
Weight (each earbud)	4 g (better)	5.1 g
Water and sweat resistance
Water and sweat resistance	–	IPX4
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	5.0	5.2
Headphone cable
Headphone cable	No	–
Controls
Controls	Double-tap to play, skip forwards or answer a call; hands-free Hey Siri; double-tap actions can be assigned separately to each earbud	Multi-function button on each earbud for playback and calls; configurable press-and-hold controls; hands-free Siri on Apple devices
Microphones
Microphones	Dual beamforming microphones and speech-detecting accelerometer	Two noise-cancelling microphones and one voice microphone per earbud
Fit and ear tips
Fit and ear tips	Fixed open-ear shape without interchangeable tips; each earbud measures 40.5 x 16.5 x 18.0 mm	Silicone ear tips in three sizes; no automatic ear detection (SoundGuys)
Water resistance detail
Water resistance detail	–	IPX4 for the earbuds; the case has no sweat or water resistance
Case weight
Case weight	38.2 g for either case, according to Apple's specifications	–
Works with
Works with	Full Apple features with compatible iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Apple Watch, Mac and Apple TV software; standard Bluetooth audio with fewer features on non-Apple devices; Live Listen, headphone levels and Headphone Accommodations	One-touch pairing with Apple devices and Google Fast Pair on Android; Beats Android app for controls and updates; either earbud can be used independently
Colours
Colours	White	Black, White and Beats Red at launch (Beats release)
In the box
In the box	AirPods, chosen charging case, Lightning to USB-A cable and documentation	Earbuds, charging case, three sizes of silicone ear tips and USB-C cable (Beats launch release and SoundGuys); power adapter sold separately