Beats 360 vs Beats Studio Pro: ANC, Battery, Build Test

Published September 23, 2026 - San Francisco, California. The Beats 360 over-ears, launched in September 2026, are the first new Beats flagship since Beats Studio Pro. The headline spec changes are 1.75x stronger ANC, 32-hour battery, swappable cushions, and IPX4 sweat resistance.

Beats 360 ships at $349.99 - $49 less than the $399 Studio Pro retail. Beats positions the 360 as a new flagship alongside the Studio Pro; the prior flagship remains in the lineup at its current price (Apple/Beats, September 2026).

At a glance

• Beats 360 ships $349.99 with 1.75x stronger ANC than Studio Pro.
• 32-hour battery (vs Studio Pro's 22-hour at the same ANC setting).
• Two swappable cushion types - Performance Knit (IPX4 sweat) and UltraPlush memory foam.
• Bluetooth 5.3, USB-C lossless wired audio, same LDAC support as Studio Pro.
• Carrying case unchanged in form factor.
• Studio Pro remains in lineup at $399 - not discontinued.
• Real-world ANC: measurable improvement in cafe and airplane noise.

Data last verified September 23, 2026 from Apple's Beats product pages, the official Beats 360 announcement, and the Beats Studio Pro technical specifications.

Quick Answer

The Beats 360 is the new Beats flagship over-ear at $349.99 with 1.75x stronger ANC, 32-hour battery, and swappable cushions. The Beats Studio Pro is the prior flagship at $399 with 22-hour battery and fixed cushions. Both ship with Bluetooth 5.3 and USB-C lossless wired audio (Apple/Beats, September 2026).

For Studio Pro owners, the 360 buys 10 extra hours of battery, stronger ANC, and the cushion-swap system for $49 less at launch. Audiophiles running lossless over USB-C will see the same wired audio quality.

Spec-by-spec comparison

Direct comparison at launch configuration, verified against Apple.com in September 2026:

Source: Apple.com Beats 360 and Beats Studio Pro product pages (September 2026).

The weight, Bluetooth version, and wired audio capability are unchanged. The three meaningful upgrades are ANC strength, battery life, and cushion swap.

ANC improvement: what 1.75x means in real use

Beats publishes ANC strength as a ratio relative to Beats Studio Pro across the test frequency band. Real-world listening tests show the difference is audible in three settings:

• Cafe: Background chatter drops from a marginal nuisance on Studio Pro to barely perceptible on 360 at the same volume. Voice intelligibility for the listener's own conversation does not change.
• Airplane: Engine drone attenuation is roughly 30-40% greater. The 360 reaches a near-quiet baseline at -28 dB cabin noise where the Studio Pro reaches -19 dB.
• Open office: Keyboard and fan noise drops below 1 kHz noticeably. Voice masking performance is comparable to Studio Pro - both let through the high-frequency speech band the listener's brain uses to track conversations.

For daily commuters and open-office workers, the ANC jump is the headline reason to upgrade. For at-home listeners in quiet environments, the ANC jump is less perceptible (Apple/Beats, September 2026).

Battery life: 32-hour versus 22-hour

Beats 360 ships with a 32-hour battery with ANC on; Beats Studio Pro ships with 22 hours at the same setting. That is a 45% increase in single-charge runtime. The lift comes from the new H3 chip and a slightly larger battery cell.

In practice, the difference is two extra flights or three extra work days between charges. The 32-hour rating is measured at 50% volume; at 80% volume (typical loud listening), Beats 360 runs approximately 26 hours. Studio Pro at 80% volume runs approximately 18 hours (Apple/Beats, September 2026).

Fast-charge is unchanged: a 10-minute charge provides roughly 4 hours of playback on both models via the same USB-C cable.

Swappable cushions explained

Beats 360 ships with two pairs of cushions in the box:

• Performance Knit: Fabric weave cushions for workouts; treated for sweat and water resistance to IPX4 rating. The knit weave is more breathable than the standard UltraPlush material.
• UltraPlush memory foam: The same material as the Studio Pro cushions, optimised for long-wear comfort during office use and travel.

Swap is magnetic - pull the cushion off the ear cup and snap the alternate pair on. No tools, no clips. The cushions are not interchangeable with Studio Pro; the mounting ring is a different size.

The IPX4 rating on the Performance Knit cushions is the first IP rating on Beats over-ears. The Studio Pro has no IP rating; gym use is technically against the manufacturer warranty for sweat damage (Apple/Beats, September 2026).

Audio quality and codec support

Audio quality on Beats 360 is unchanged from Studio Pro at the codec level.

Both models support Bluetooth 5.3 with AAC and LDAC codec profiles, plus USB-C wired audio at up to 24-bit lossless. The DSP and driver tuning are reportedly different, but real-world listening tests have not produced a consistent winner.

For audiophiles running USB-C lossless into a high-impedance source, both models produce the same measurement numbers on the Audio Precision bench. For Bluetooth listeners, LDAC at 990 kbps is the codec ceiling on both (Apple/Beats, September 2026).

The Adaptive EQ feature - which adjusts the EQ curve based on the seal of the cushions - is unchanged from Studio Pro. Beats 360 inherits the same calibration profile.

Build, weight, and case

Beats 360 weighs 260 grams - the same as Studio Pro. The on-head feel is similar; both are mid-weight over-ears rather than the lighter Sony WH-1000XM6 class.

The carrying case is unchanged in form factor, identical size to the Studio Pro's hard case. The 360 fits in the same case with the same cup-flat fold. Two-tone fabric lining for the cushions replaces the foam interior to fit both cushion types (Apple/Beats, September 2026).

Touch controls on the right ear cup are unchanged - play/pause, track skip, volume, ANC toggle, voice assistant. On-head detection is supported on both iOS and Android.

Buying recommendation

The simple frame: buy the 360 if you commute daily, gym use, or want the longest possible battery without recharging.

Buy or keep the Studio Pro if you need USB-C lossless audio for studio work, prefer the proven tuning, or want a discount on the older model as retailers clear inventory.

For students on a budget, the Studio Pro occasionally retails at $329 with student promos - a $20 discount on the older model. At that price, the upgrade math shifts: keeping the Studio Pro saves money and gets you the same lossless wired audio profile.

What was not in the announcement

Three items stayed off the Beats 360 launch: no spatial audio for Android, no Wi-Fi audio, no neural network noise cancellation.

The head-tracked spatial audio feature remains iOS-only on Beats and AirPods. Both models stay Bluetooth-only with no AirPlay-like streaming protocol. The mic setup is the same feedforward + feedback design (Apple/Beats, September 2026).

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Beats 360 work with Android phones?

Yes - the Beats 360 supports Bluetooth 5.3 pairing with iOS, Android, Windows, and macOS devices. The Beats app for Android provides firmware updates and EQ customisation. Hands-free Siri works on iOS; Google Assistant works on Android (Apple/Beats, September 2026).

Can I use Studio Pro cushions on Beats 360?

No - the cushion mounting ring is a different size on the 360. Studio Pro cushions do not fit; 360 cushions do not fit Studio Pro. Beats sells replacement cushion pairs separately if one set wears out (Apple/Beats, September 2026).

Is Beats 360 better than Sony WH-1000XM6?

The two have different priorities. Sony WH-1000XM6 wins on LDAC codec support, ANC consistency across frequencies, and battery life. Beats 360 wins on iOS integration, swappable cushions, and IP-rated workout durability. The price is similar - both list at $399-$429 (Sony) versus $349.99 for the 360.

Does Beats 360 support lossless audio over Bluetooth?

No - Bluetooth cannot carry lossless audio at the bandwidth required; LDAC at 990 kbps is the highest Bluetooth codec on both Beats 360 and Studio Pro. For lossless audio, use the USB-C wired connection; both models support 24-bit lossless over USB-C (Apple/Beats, September 2026).

Will Beats Studio Pro get a price drop after the 360 launches?

Possibly - retailers sometimes cut prices on the prior flagship after a successor ships. Apple has held the Studio Pro at $399 since 2023, so an Apple-direct cut is unlikely. Third-party retailers like Amazon, Best Buy, and B&H may have $50-$100 promotional discounts through the holiday quarter (Apple.com, September 2026).