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As yet Apple hasn't said anything about the Beats Studio Buds Plus, but they've already been spotted in at least one store in the US – which is as good a confirmation of their existence as you're going to get outside of an official press release.
Tech tipster Ben Geskin (via MacRumors) was supplied with photos of the wireless earbuds in a Best Buy, though it would seem they're being stocked ready to go on sale, and can't actually be purchased right now.
It shows a launch is imminent and will most likely follow in the coming days. The Beats Studio Buds make their debut all the way back in June of 2021, so we've been waiting quite a while at this point for the upgrade to arrive.
The other two colors https://t.co/q4kAPZj8QG pic.twitter.com/8QBpMdcZF9May 13, 2023
Colors and battery life
The first image and a follow-up picture shared by Geskin show that the Beats Studio Buds Plus will be available in white or black colors, as well as in a transparent style that has definite Nothing Ear (2) vibes about it.
On the box we can see there's a mention of active noise cancelling, and a 36-hour battery life with the help of the case. Those tick two features off our wishlist for these earbuds – the original versions lasted a mere 15 hours with the case battery included.
The details in this latest leak match what we previously learned from an Amazon listing that went up earlier than it should've. That listing put the price of the Beats Studio Buds Plus at $169.95 ($20 more than the Beats Studio Buds), with a launch date of May 18.
Analysis: a solid upgrade in store
As you'll know from our best wireless earbuds list, this is a competitive space right now. Apple will know this better than most, as it puts out the AirPods and the AirPods Pro as well as the earbuds that come with the Beats brand attached.
Nothing is official yet about the Beats Studio Buds Plus of course, but based on what we've heard so far, we'd say that they're shaping up to be a solid upgrade. It doesn't look like the design will be changing much, but that's not really a problem.
If these new earbuds offer substantially better battery life and noise cancelling, as promised, then the slight hike in price is more than acceptable. They'll apparently support “hey Siri” voice commands as well, which is another welcome touch.
We like the new transparent option as well, which may not be to everyone's tastes but is definitely different to the norm (the latest Nothing earbuds aside). As soon as Apple makes these official, we will of course let you know about it.