Beats just released its new flagship over-ear headphones, the Beats 360, complete with IPX4 sweat and water resistance built in. Priced at $349.99, these mark the first Beats headphones to offer interchangeable ear and headband cushions.
What’s New on the Beats 360 Headphone
Right out of the box, the Beats 360 comes with breathable Performance Knit cushions. Beats claims you can mix and match your way to over 250 different color and material combinations if you pick up extra kits. There’s also an UltraPlush option, made from engineered leather, for anyone who wants a softer, more traditional feel against their ears.
These cushions aren’t purely for looks either. Built-in sensors detect which material you’ve swapped in and automatically adjust the acoustic tuning and noise cancellation to match.
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The Performance Knit kits come in six colors, which are Black, Cloud, Pink, Sky, Navy, and Volt. UltraPlush kits stick to just Black and Cloud for now. Normally, these cost $49.99, but Beats dropped that to $9.99 through October 31 in selected markets, including the US, UK, and Canada.
Under the hood, a new acoustic setup uses three-layer diaphragms paired with dual neodymium magnets in each driver, and Beats says it delivers up to 1.75 times the noise cancellation you would get from the Beats Studio Pro.
You also get Adaptive EQ, a Transparency mode, and Personalized Spatial Audio with head tracking built in. Battery life comes in at a claimed 32 hours with ANC running, and a five-minute Fast Fuel charge buys you an extra hour of playback when you’re in a hurry.
Beat360 Headphones Full Specs
| Specification | Details |
|---|---|
| Audio Technology | Custom-designed dual-magnet dynamic driver; custom high dynamic range amplifier; Active Noise Cancellation; Transparency mode; Personalized Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking; Adaptive EQ |
| Sensors | Accelerometer in the left earcup; gyroscope in the left earcup |
| Microphones | Nine digital MEMS microphones total: eight microphones for Active Noise Cancellation; three microphones for voice pickup, with two shared with Active Noise Cancellation and one additional microphone |
| Chip | Beats custom-designed proprietary chip |
| Voice assistant control | Press and hold for Siri or Android voice assistant |
| Beats 360 dimensions | Width: 165.5 mm / 6.52 in; Depth: 87.1 mm / 3.43 in; Height: 191.3 mm / 7.53 in |
| Beats 360 weight | 294.5 g / 10.39 oz |
| Sweat and water resistance | Sweat and water resistant, IPX4 |
| Battery life | Up to 32 hours of listening time on a single charge with Active Noise Cancellation and Personalized Spatial Audio enabled |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth 5.3 wireless technology |
How does Beat360 compare with Sony WH-1000XM6 and AirPods Max 2
Compared against Sony’s WH-1000XM6, Engadget found Sony still wins on sound quality and slightly better noise cancellation, plus support for the higher-quality LDAC codec. Even so, the Beats 360 comes in $110 cheaper than Sony’s flagship, and it stays lighter and more workout-friendly thanks to that sweat resistance.
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Gizmodo clocked the Beats 360 at 294 grams, noticeably lighter than the 386-gram AirPods Max 2. It’s also $200 cheaper and built specifically with active use in mind, something Apple’s heavier, non-water-resistant model can’t claim.
The Beats 360 hits stores September 24, with online orders already live. Beats also dropped the price on its Studio Pro model, which is now available for $299.99.
