Beats 360 Headphones Review: Watch Before You Buy

Quick summary: The Beats 360 are $350 over-ear headphones you can customize. They have real physical buttons, one of the most natural transparency modes I’ve heard, solid noise cancellation, and up to 32 hours of battery. They’re missing an EQ, auto-pause and auto-off, but I’d still recommend them.

Key takeaways

• Customizable: I swapped my white pair to blue accents. Swappable parts are about $10 each right now; the regular price is about $50, which I think is too much.
• Physical buttons for ANC/transparency, play/pause and volume.
• USB-C charging, Bluetooth only, with no wired mode.
• Transparency mode is a highlight: natural, not robotic.
• ANC is really good, close to or equal to Sony’s XM4C. Sony’s XM5 and XM6 are a bit better.
• Battery: up to 32 hours with ANC.
• IP4, so they’re fine for workouts and rain.
• Missing: a custom EQ, auto-pause when you take them off, and auto-off when idle.

Design and customization

You can customize these. Mine started as plain white, with white cups and a white top, and I changed it up with blue. My setup looks slightly different from most other headphones out there.

Physical controls

Some people won’t like it, but I love that these have real buttons: one for ANC and transparency, one for play/pause, and volume controls. You can feel them, so they’re easy to remember. Charging is USB-C. There’s no wired mode, but Bluetooth has been completely reliable for me.

Fit and comfort

The fit is fine. I can wear them for long stretches and take a break after a few hours, like with any over-ear headphones. They’re not the most comfortable I’ve ever worn, but they’re comfortable, and they don’t make me overly hot.

Transparency mode and ANC

Transparency mode is one of my favorite features. It uses the mics to pass through what’s around you, and it sounds natural and loud enough to hear people. ANC is really solid too. It isn’t a blow-away improvement over everything, but it’s very close to the Sony XM4C, which also costs $350.

Sound and calls

Calls sound good to my friends and family. Music, audiobooks and videos sound really, really good. They’re not $500-headphone level, but close enough that you don’t need to spend $500. A few YouTuber friends got these too, and we were all genuinely impressed.

The app

The Beats app is simple. You can switch noise modes, rename your Beats, adjust tones and call controls, get automatic updates, and locate them on a map, even from my Android phone. The big thing missing is any EQ or custom sound profile.

What’s missing

• No auto-pause when you take them off. My Sony XM4Cs, at $300, do this.
• No auto-off when connected but idle. Mine died twice after I forgot to turn them off.
• No EQ.

Hopefully some of that can come in an update.

Water resistance and battery

They’re IP4 rated, so sweat and rain are fine, but don’t submerge them. Battery is up to 32 hours with ANC, enough for a long international flight.

Verdict

At $350, they’re definitely worth it: customizable, great physical controls, excellent transparency mode, strong ANC, great sound and calls, and long battery life.

• Beats 360 at Best Buy
• Beats 360 on Amazon