Beats 360

What reviewers agree on

• +Noise cancelling · praised by 7 of 9 sources
  Which sources said this

  • Tom's Guide — positive: The benefit over in-ear and open-ear buds is the great sound quality and active noise cancellation the over-ear design provides, most apparent outside workouts.
  • ZDNET — positive: The 360 with Knit cushions cancel noise, especially voices and higher-pitched noises such as clattering weights, better than the Beats Studio Pro with UltraPlush cushions.
  • ecoustics — positive: Noise cancelling is excellent for the money, testing just a notch or two below top models like the Bose QC Ultra Gen 2 and Sony WH-1000XM6; ANC sub-score 4.25/5.
  • Engadget — mixed: These headphones do a good job with constant noise sources like white noise machines, but like most of the competition, they don't offer much relief from human voices.
  • How-To Geek — positive: ANC is strong: it will not rival the AirPods Max 2 or Bose QuietComfort Ultra in raw isolation, but it is excellent for the money and a better bargain.
  • Macwelt — positive: ANC works impeccably, so much so that you hear the blood pulsing in your ears with no music playing, though a quiet hiss appears next to the AirPods Max 2.
  • SoundGuys — mixed: They can silence the hum of an air conditioner, but won't completely drown out voices or higher-frequency sounds; many over-ears have better ANC, though most cost more.
  • The Verge — positive: Noise-cancelling performance is very good, not as silent as the Bose Ultra Headphones Gen 2, but enough to block out leafblowers and gym chatter.
  • WIRED — positive: While not as strong as flagship headphones from Sony or Bose, the Beats 360 are close enough, and did a good job shushing coworkers, cafes and subway cars.

• +Comfort and fit · praised by 7 of 9 sources
  Which sources said this

  • Tom's Guide — positive: With traditional glasses or sunglasses there is some pressure where the arms are pushed in by the headphones; a cord-arm frame avoided it.
  • ZDNET — positive: Worn with the Knit cushions to the gym three times, the reviewer noticed less heat build-up in the earcups and less sweat in and around the ears after workouts.
  • ecoustics — positive: Still relatively heavy at nearly 300 grams, but the balanced design fits well and remained comfortable for hours of wear, with a comfort sub-score of 4/5.
  • Engadget — negative: The whole setup is surprisingly lightweight, but similar to previous Beats headphones, the clamping force becomes uncomfortable if you have a larger head like I do.
  • How-To Geek — positive: The exercise-friendly knitted cups looked great on a white review unit, even if they make large ears slightly sore over extended periods; UltraPlush is easier for work.
  • Macwelt — positive: As a glasses wearer he wore the 360 for up to five hours at a time without discomfort: the clamping force and soft Performance Knit cushions work well on a large head.
  • SoundGuys — positive: The 360 weigh 294.5 g and are heavier than the Studio Pro, but the light headband makes them more comfortable; the tight UltraPlush seal plus ANC pressure can hurt.
  • The Verge — positive: The headphones have decent clamping force to keep them secure during most workout movements, but after a few hours of non-workout use the knit pads make the side of the head itchy.
  • WIRED — negative: In everyday use the slightly strong clamping force switches from a pro to a con: they get uncomfortable to wear after a few hours of office work.

• +Sweat and water resistance · praised by 6 of 9 sources
  Which sources said this

  • Tom's Guide — negative: The pads were damp with sweat after the 10-miler and took about five hours to dry; the reviewer worries how long-term workout use affects headphones rated only IPX4.
  • ZDNET — positive: Beats rated the 360 at IPX4, so they can withstand particularly sweaty workouts or bouts of rain during a run, which counterparts from Sony, Bose and Sennheiser cannot claim.
  • ecoustics — positive: IPX4 water resistance and diamond-knit earcups that work reasonably well for workouts; the cons list no manual EQ or line-in playback and the odd power-off drain.
  • Engadget — positive: The company offers the additional perk of IPX4 sweat and water resistance, which is not on many over-ear headphone spec sheets.
  • How-To Geek — positive: They have IPX4 sweat and water resistance, which makes the reviewer far more confident wearing these for workouts.
  • SoundGuys — positive: The Performance Knit cushions are more comfortable and better at wicking moisture away, which is crucial because the Beats 360 are IPX4 water-resistant.
  • The Verge — positive: The knit ear cups wicked moisture away well for both reviewers; IPX4 is the minimum rating recommended for workout headphones, though both pairs were wet and icky after exercise.

• +Repairability and parts · praised by 5 of 9 sources
  Which sources said this

  • ZDNET — positive: The headband padding is removable as well as the ear cushions, so sweat-wicking material can be used over the head during exercise; an extra kit takes the total to $400.
  • ecoustics — positive: Easily swappable earcups and headband cushions; the ratings give Build Quality 3/5 and Value 3/5, with Performance also 3/5.
  • How-To Geek — positive: Ear cups and headband can be quickly replaced for a fresh look or to swap out sweaty gym pads, which the reviewer says helps longevity by delaying replacement.
  • Macwelt — positive: The headband cushion pushes in and the ear cushions twist on, orientation-independent; without the ear cushions fitted the headphones refuse to work and the power button blinks red.
  • The Verge — mixed: They also have a replaceable battery, although there currently isn't any documentation about the process or pricing for the replacement battery; the ear cups clean separately.
  • WIRED — positive: Making the ear cups and headband easy to remove makes them easier to clean and replace, a headache with most other headphones, which the reviewer calls crucial for exercise.

• +Connectivity · praised by 7 of 9 sources
  Which sources said this

  • T3 — positive: One-touch pairing, iCloud pairing, Automatic Switching, Audio Sharing, Find My and hands-free Siri on Apple; Fast Pair, Audio Switch, Find Hub and the Beats app on Android.
  • ZDNET — positive: Android users can see the 360 in their Find Hub, with Google Fast Pair support and the Beats app, alongside hands-free Siri, Find My and Automatic Device Switching for iOS users.
  • ecoustics — positive: Both Android and iOS users get one-touch pairing, audio switching between connected devices and finder functionality, with no manual EQ or line-in playback.
  • Engadget — positive: On iOS you get one-touch and iCloud pairing, automatic switching, Audio Sharing, hands-free Siri and Find My; Android gets fast pairing, ecosystem pairing, Find Hub and the Beats app.
  • How-To Geek — positive: Unlike the AirPods Max 2, the 360 have full Android support: the reviewer used an iPhone but could just as easily have paired them with a OnePlus 15 with few compromises.
  • Macwelt — negative: The headphones use Bluetooth 5.3 but support only the SBC and AAC codecs; high-resolution codecs such as Qualcomm's aptX or Sony's LDAC are not supported.
  • SoundGuys — mixed: Exclusively Bluetooth 5.3 with AAC and SBC only: no aptX or LDAC, no Auracast, though Apple one-touch pairing and Google Fast Pair are supported.
  • The Verge — positive: On Apple devices the 360 support one-touch pairing, iCloud pairing, automatic switching, audio sharing, Find My and hands-free Siri; Android gets fast pairing, account-wide pairing and Find Hub.
  • WIRED — positive: The 360s pair instantly with Apple devices and support Apple device swapping, Find My and Siri; on Android you get fast pairing, Google's Find Hub and the stand-alone Beats app.

• +Battery life · praised by 6 of 9 sources
  Which sources said this

  • T3 — mixed: Up to 32 hours with ANC and Personalised Spatial Audio enabled, though T3 found Transparency mode drains the headphones faster and can empty the battery in 24 hours.
  • CNET — positive: It is rated for up to 32 hours of playback at moderate volume with noise cancelling on, which is eight hours better than the Studio Pro's battery life.
  • ecoustics — negative: Battery life is rated at 32 hours and matched testing, but the battery continued to drain after the headphones were powered down, at around 0.5 percent per hour.
  • Engadget — positive: After 24 hours of testing, the review unit still had 47 percent left, so the headphones are on track to blow past the stated 32-hour longevity.
  • How-To Geek — positive: The battery life is frankly epic: Beats claims 32 hours with ANC on, and the reviewer could easily go days between charges.
  • Macwelt — positive: Beats rates 32 hours, but with head tracking off and ANC on Macwelt measured well over 40 hours before charging at about 20 percent remaining.
  • SoundGuys — positive: Rated for 32 hours of playback with ANC or Adaptive EQ active; on a nearly six-hour flight with ANC on, the headphones used only 14 percent of the battery.
  • WIRED — positive: With ANC enabled you get 32 hours of battery life, which the reviewer calls very strong.

Common criticisms

• −Wired listening · criticized by 5 of 9 sources
  Which sources said this

  • T3 — negative: The reviewer dearly misses the cabled-in option that made the Beats Studio Pro excellent for long-haul flights; the 360 has no wired listening at all.
  • ZDNET — negative: The 360 headphones don't support 3.5 mm or USB-C wired audio; the reviewer attributes the omission to the water resistance, since the USB-C port is used for charging.
  • Engadget — negative: The Beats 360 doesn't even support wired listening, let alone lossless audio over USB-C, and there is no wear detection for automatic pausing either.
  • Macwelt — negative: The Beats 360 cannot transmit audio over a cable at all, and neither the iPhone settings nor the Android Beats app offers an equalizer.
  • SoundGuys — negative: The inbuilt USB-C port is only for charging: there is no USB audio support and no 3.5 mm jack, so the Beats 360 cannot be used over a cable at all.