Are Microsoft's Surface Headphones 2 or Apple's Beats Studio3 a better buy?

Surface Headphones 2

Surface Sounds

$250 at Microsoft

Pros

• Excellent build quality and sound
• Very comfortable
• USB-C with fast charge
• More affordable
• Included carry case

Cons

• Quite chunky.
• Lower maximum battery life

Microsoft's latest headphones are incredibly impressive, with excellent battery life, a superb design and sound, and built-in voice features while cutting the asking price quite significantly over its predecessor.

Beats Studio3

Apple's best

$289 at Amazon

Pros

• Plenty of colors
• Comfortable
• Good quality sound
• Headphones fold flat
• Included carry case

Cons

• Micro USB charging
• Max battery life only available with Apple devices.
• Voice assistant not baked in, uses the one on your phone.

Beats has a mixed reputation, but the Studio3 is easily the best pair of headphones to come from the brand. They're even better if you use Apple's mobile devices, too.

The Surface Headphones 2 are overall the better choice for folks not using Apple devices. The Beats Studio 3 gets a boost from the Apple W1 chip, which you can't take advantage of on your Android phone or Windows PC, but the Surface Headphones 2 come in at $100 less, which makes it a far more attractive choice for everyone else.

It's worth highlighting, too, that Amazon Prime Day is on the horizon and it's always a good time to get a new pair of headphones. The Surface Headphones 2 are some of the best noise cancelling headphones so any discount would be a winner for all parties, though they aren't currently in stock on Amazon except for inflated prices through resellers. But sometimes deals are released by competitors around Prime Day to take advantage of the shopping fever. Microsoft's own store is the best place to look. Beats remain popular to this day and since the Studio 3 has been around for a while now there's every chance of a nice price drop.

Microsoft vs Apple

Both Microsoft and Apple find themselves in the high-end headphones market with the Surface and Beats brands, respectively. Of the two, Apple has the history and brand recognition, though that itself doesn't come without its fair share of criticism.

However, the Studio3 wireless headphones aren't the Beats of old and deserve plenty of respect.

Microsoft, on the other hand, has now launched only its second generation of Surface Headphones, but rather than attempting to completely redesign the product, simply refined the original model and made it even better while chopping a massive chunk off the asking price.

What we end up with is both Apple and Microsoft producing high-quality headphones. They both sound great, are very comfortable to wear, and, in their own unique ways, very stylish, with excellent ANC all round.

	Surface Headphones 2	Beats Studio 3
Noise cancellation	Active	Active
Battery life	Up to 20 hours (with ANC, Bluetooth and voice enabled)	Up to 22 hours (used with Apple devices) Up to 40 hours (ANC off)
Charging port	USB-C Fast charge	Micro USB
Price	$250	$350

Beats are great for iPhone and iPad owners

Where Beats have a definite edge over the Surface Headphones 2 is if you use an Apple device such as an iPhone or iPad. Thanks to the Apple W1 chip, you get some serious benefits, including a better, easier to manage the wireless connection and much better battery life.

The W1 also allows you to switch seamlessly between your Apple devices without worrying about pairing each time. If you can take advantage of this connectivity, it's very, very good.

Of course, for everyone else, the Beats Studio3 is just a standard pair of wireless headphones. Sure, you can use your voice assistant with them, but it'll be the one on your phone, running from your phone.

Surface Headphones 2 work the same across every device

The Surface Headphones, by contrast, are a consistent experience across whichever devices you pair with it. Part of that is because voice is built into the headphones, so you always have it ready to help out, no matter the device.

The ultimate battery life may be a little weaker than the Studio3, but you at least have USB-C to top it off with, something you're likely to be carrying. An Apple product with a micro USB port, on the other hand, is pretty absurd and doesn't present itself for a lot of charging opportunities.

The Surface Headphones 2 can also be interacted with through the new Surface Audio app on Windows 10, Android and iOS to set equalizers, update firmware and more.

A great all-rounder

The Surface Headphones 2 are undoubtedly worthy contenders against the likes of Beats and Bose. The latest model is a definite improvement, and you have a high-end pair of ANC headphones to use with any device at a pretty attractive price. If you're not using Apple hardware, they're the ones to get.

Surface Headphones 2

Surface Sounds

$250 at Microsoft

The difficult second album comes off with flying colors

Microsoft put its Surface design and build quality into a pair of headphones, tossed in voice actions and ANC, and made something your ears will love.

Beats are best for Apple devices

Thanks to the W1 chip from Apple, there's just no way the Surface Headphones 2 can compete when you're using an iPhone or iPad. The seamless switching between devices and extraordinary battery life enhancements simply can't be matched. There's just a less compelling argument to get a pair unless you have that Apple device.

Beats Studio3

For Apple

For Apple fans, there's nothing better

$289 at Amazon

Thanks to the Apple W1 chip, if you're using the Beats Studio3 with an iPhone, you'll get superior battery life and connectivity. For everyone else, they're less impressive.