Apple's Beats Studio Buds are about to get a big upgrade

Beats Studio Buds
(Image credit: Tammy Rogers)

Developers have just received the iOS 16.4 Release Candidate, and there are some really interesting things to delve into. For one, there's the news that there could be a new pair of Beats Studio Buds on the way, called the Beats Studio Buds+. Imaginative. 

Initial reports from 9to5 Mac told us that the new Beats might come with an AirPods chip inside, but now it looks like it will be another custom Beats chip instead.

There are some other features coming to the tiny earbuds, however, and it makes them look even more like AirPods than the first model.

New Beats Studio Buds

The original Beats Studio Buds came with noise cancelation and a transparency mode, and the new Beats Studio Buds+ will too. There's evidence, however, that the new model will support audio sharing, and more importantly, 'hey Siri' commands that set the AirPods line and some of the newer Beats headphones apart. 

Most of the changes look to be on the inside of the buds, however, as the new models are reported to look identical to the old ones. There is a new color in the form of a fetching black and gold. They will retain their little button on the outside, which will be able to play and pause a track, and toggle noise canceling with a press and hold.

It seems, however, that the news that the new buds will have an Apple chip comes from the idea that you can't have some of those features without one. 9to5Mac updated its report, however, detailing that they will once again use a proprietary Beats chip instead. There is no news on how much the buds will cost yet.

It won't be long until we find out more about the new Beats Studio Buds+. iOS 16.4 will come to the public soon, and with support baked in, it's likely we'll see something soon from Beats. We're looking forward to seeing if they rank among the best true wireless earbuds.

Tammy Rogers
Senior Staff Writer

As iMore's Senior Staff writer, Tammy uses her background in audio and Masters in screenwriting to pen engaging product reviews and informative buying guides. The resident audiophile (or audio weirdo), she's got an eye for detail and a love of top-quality sound. Apple is her bread and butter, with attention on HomeKit and Apple iPhone and Mac hardware. You won't find her far away from a keyboard even outside of working at iMore – in her spare time, she spends her free time writing feature-length and TV screenplays. Also known to enjoy driving digital cars around virtual circuits, to varying degrees of success. Just don't ask her about AirPods Max - you probably won't like her answer.