DRE DREAM BELIEVER Beats Studio Buds

Beats headphones aren’t exactly known for being affordable – what do you expect when Apple spent $3bn on buying the company from Dr Dre? – but at barely half the price of a pair of Airpods Pro, the new Studio Buds look like a bargain.

With active noise-cancelling, Siri-based voice control and support for Apple Music’s nifty new Spatial Audio tracks (see p21), you don’t have to make do without any of the fancier features you get on pricier buds – although it’s got to be said the 5hr battery life (with 10 more in the charging case) is a little bit stingy. Switch the noise-cancelling off and that jumps to 8+16hrs, but why have ANC if you’re not going to use it?

Each bud weighs just 5g, and with an IPX4 rating they’re not bothered by water or sweat, plus there’s a transparency mode in case you want to eavesdrop on your fellow commuters’ thrilling conversations about seahorse mating rituals. Their one-touch pairing also works with Android phones, which is unusual for an Apple product, but then these buds are all about nice surprises.

As hot as… a randy seahorse £130 / beatsbydre.com