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Beats 360 Arrives at 350 Dollars With Modular Cushions and No Wired Audio

The new over-ear model splits processing across both ear cups and drops all analog and digital audio cable support.

By Plugged In

The Gadgets Desk · (1 hour ago)

Reported fromoutlet, credited1
Beats 360 wireless over-ear headphones sitting on a plain surface showing ear cups and headband.
Beats 360 wireless over-ear headphones sitting on a plain surface showing ear cups and headband.Photo via SoundGuys

Beats has priced the new Beats 360 over-ear headphones at $350 in the United States, positioning the modular set directly against its existing Studio hardware. The headset takes an unusual hardware route by abandoning all wired listening. A lone USB-C port on the bottom of the left cup serves strictly for recharging the battery, with no analog 3.5mm input and no wired digital audio passthrough.

That trade-off stems from how the hardware is built. SoundGuys reported after testing the headset that Beats adopted an internal setup borrowed from true wireless earbuds. Each ear cup houses its own battery cell, antenna, and processing unit. A curved cylindrical plastic band links the two sides without carrying bulky interior modules, keeping the frame compact once the pads detach. The entire unit registers at 294.5 grams, which makes it heavier than the earlier Studio Pro, though SoundGuys found the weight distributed well across the crown.

Swappable Pads and Workout Durability

The ear pads snap off and come in two distinct textures: an eco-leather option called UltraPlush and a sweat-wicking textile dubbed Performance Knit. SoundGuys observed that the choice alters the physical sensation considerably. The UltraPlush material forms an airtight clamp that improves active noise cancellation isolation at the expense of skull pressure, while the knit build breathes easier during physical exercise. An IPX4 splash-resistance rating protects the cups against sweat and light rain.

Physical buttons now sit along the rear edges rather than behind the exterior logos. A playback toggle and volume rocker ride on the right cup, while the left cup holds an ANC toggle switch and a recessed power key that SoundGuys noted was tricky to locate by touch in the dark.

Wireless Features and Ecosystem Ties

Inside sits the fourth-generation custom silicon from Beats, allowing native pairing and controls through iOS device settings as well as the dedicated Beats app on Android. That parity ends with surround sound. Personalized Spatial Audio with head tracking requires an iPhone equipped with a TrueDepth camera array for setup, locking Android owners out of the feature entirely.

Listeners also go without manual frequency sliders. Beats supplies only an Adaptive EQ function that mirrors the AirPods Max approach by tailoring output to ear seal geometry. According to SoundGuys, this calibration operates exclusively when listeners manually turn off both ANC and transparency mode inside system settings. For $350 buyers who demand high-resolution wired audio, however, the complete lack of cable connectivity remains the clearest compromise.

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How this story was made

Written by the Hitechreports desk from the reporting credited above, with facts attributed to their original publishers. We do not test devices ourselves; anything about performance, battery life or cameras comes from the outlets that did. Prices are as reported at the time of writing. Editorial policy · Report an error

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