Beats 360 sells sweat resistance and replaceable earcups for $350
Apple's second headphone brand has shipped an IPX4 over-ear whose cushions twist off and swap, about $200 below AirPods Max, while Beats Studio Pro takes a permanent cut to $299.99 that Amazon already beat.
The Product Desk
What happened
- Beats opened orders for the 360 over-ear headphones at $350, with stock reaching store shelves and Apple.com on September 24th.
- They are the first Beats headphones rated IPX4 for sweat and water resistance, and Beats is selling them as a hybrid sports model.
- The ear and headband cushions come off and swap, with replacement kits at $49.99 and a launch promotion at $9.99 while supplies last.
- Beats Studio Pro drops permanently to $299.99, though 9to5Mac notes Amazon was already listing it at $169.95.
Why it matters
- What it costs cost Wear becomes a line item the owner pays: keeping a knit set for the gym and an UltraPlush set for the desk adds $99.98 once the $9.99 promo expires, on a $349.99 purchase.
- Who has to decide decision Anyone buying a batch of these has to check the cable case before ordering, because with no jack and no USB-C audio the seat-back screen and the mixing desk are ruled out.
- What's now possible capability Apple's account-level audio features now reach a sweat-rated over-ear that also Fast Pairs with Android phones, which CNET rates as friendlier to Android than Apple's own AirPods.
- What doesn't add up contradiction The reviews split on what the $200 saving costs in sound, with CNET placing the noise cancelling just behind AirPods Max 2 and 9to5Mac telling switchers they take a hit.
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Anyone who has owned Beats knows which part dies first. XDA's reviewer wrote that the swappable earcups feel like Beats admitting that "after a few years, its headphone cups start to disintegrate and rot", and said he has bought at least two sets of Beats Solo Pros in the past five years or so [26]. On the 360 the cushion comes off with a slight twist instead of popping off the way an AirPods Max pad does [11]. A replacement kit is $49.99 [2].
Each pair ships with one Knit Performance Kit matching the headphones [17], so a second look is a second purchase. Oliver Schusser, president of Beats, told CNET: "If you buy one or two extra cushions and headbands, it feels like you've bought two or three pairs of headphones overall" [35]. Two kits after the launch promo run $99.98, about 29 percent of the $349.99 headphone [27]. At launch they are $9.99 while supplies last [2].
The cushions are tuned parts. CNET reports a built-in sensor recognises which kind of cushion is fitted and calibrates sound, noise cancellation and transparency accordingly [32].
There is no Apple H2 inside. The 360 runs Beats silicon and still supports automatic device switching through the Apple Account, Hey Siri and Find My, according to 9to5Mac [7]. On Android it handles Fast Pair and Audio Switch [13]. It is the first Beats over-ear rated IPX4 [5], a rating CNET calls common on earbuds and rare on full-size headphones [6]. The swappable parts are the ear cushions and the headband pad. The three reviews do not say whether the battery is user-replaceable [29].
There is no headphone jack, and 9to5Mac reports USB-C does not appear to carry audio either [24]. There is also no wear detection, so nothing pauses when the headphones come off a head [25].
Studio Pro's permanent reduction to $299.99 [30] sits $130.04 above the $169.95 Amazon listing 9to5Mac cited in the same review [31][37].
On sound, the three reviews do not line up. CNET rates the noise cancelling as only slightly behind AirPods Max 2's and the sound as excellent [20]. 9to5Mac, writing for someone moving down from AirPods Max, said "you're taking a hit on sound quality" [21]. XDA found the bass short of AirPods Max and Sony's WH series with a wide, detailed soundstage, plus a slight hiss with ANC on or off that goes away once audio plays [22][36].
If any pair in the order ever has to plug into a seat-back screen or a mixing desk, the 360 is out at any price [24]. If the pads on your current headphones fail before the drivers do, the cushion kit is the feature being sold, and the figure to budget is $49.99 rather than the promotional $9.99 [2]. For the buyer who needs a cable, Studio Pro is listed at $169.95 on Amazon [31].
What to watch
- Whether the $9.99 cushion promotion is extended or lapses into the $49.99 list price, and how quickly the knit pads actually wear out in gym use.
- Whether third-party cushions appear, and how the 360's cushion-detecting sensor calibrates for pads Beats did not make.
- Whether Studio Pro's $299.99 official price holds while retailers keep selling it near $169.95.
Clarity's read
What the record supports and how the coverage leans. The claims behind it follow.
Reality
- Evidence62
- Adoption
- Not scored
- Hype gap+12
- Incentives40
- Confidence64
Perspective Coverage
5 publishers- Builder
- Builder 8%
- Operator
- Operator 80%
- Investor
- Investor 12%
Claim ledger
Ranked by verification strength, evidence, and original report placement.
- [1]
The Beats 360 are priced at $349.99.
- [2]
Each set of Beats 360 cushions costs $49.99, with a launch promo while supplies last at $9.99.
- [3]
The Beats 360 are available to order now for $350 and will hit store shelves and Apple.com on September 24th.
- [4]
XDA reports cushion pricing starts at $9.99 for a limited time before jumping to $50.
- [5]
The Beats 360 are the first Beats headphones to be IPX4 sweat and water resistant.
- [6]
CNET notes the IPX4 splashproof and sweat-resistant rating is common for earbuds but rare for full-size headphones.
- [7]
The Beats 360 use Beats silicon, and support automatic device switching with the Apple Account, Hey Siri support and Find My integration.
- [8]
CNET lists "No Apple H2 chip" among the Beats 360's cons.
- [9]
Battery life is 32 hours with ANC on or off, per XDA.
- [10]
The Beats 360 last around 8 hours longer than Beats Studio Pro with ANC turned on.
- [11]
XDA reports the interchangeable earcups do not pop off like the AirPods Max's and require only a slight twist to remove.
- [12]
The Beats 360 come in four colors: Cloud, Sky, Black and Pink.
- [13]
XDA reports the Beats 360's custom chip works across Apple and Android, including Fast Pair and Audio Switch.
- [14]
With four base colors and eight additional cushion options there are 32 total combinations, rising to up to 256 if headband cushions are mixed with earcups, per 9to5Mac.
- [15]
UltraPlush cushions are more comfortable for everyday wear and Performance Knit is better for working out, per 9to5Mac.
- [16]
Compared with Beats Studio Pro, the Beats 360 get 12dB louder and offer 1.75x more active noise cancellation.
- [17]
Each pair of Beats 360 comes with a Knit Performance Kit that matches the headphones.
- [18]
The Beats 360 weigh 294.5 grams, more than the 260-gram Beats Studio Pro.
- [19]
XDA reports the Beats 360 are much lighter than Apple's $550 AirPods Max 2 and cover the entire ear.
- [20]
CNET rates the Beats 360's noise cancelling as strong and only slightly behind AirPods Max 2's, and the sound as excellent.
- [21]
9to5Mac wrote that a buyer switching away from AirPods Max to the Beats 360 is "taking a hit on sound quality".
- [22]
XDA reports the Beats 360's bass does not quite match the AirPods Max or Sony's WH series headphones, while the soundstage is very wide and surprisingly detailed.
- [23]
CNET lists "More Android-friendly than Apple's AirPods" among the Beats 360's pros.
- [24]
The Beats 360 do not support wired connectivity: there is no headphone jack, and USB-C seemingly does not support it either, according to 9to5Mac.
- [25]
The Beats 360 have no wear-detection sensors and no automatic pausing when taken off the head.
- [26]
XDA's reviewer wrote that the easily swapped earcups feel "like Beats admitting that after a few years, its headphone cups start to disintegrate and rot", and said he has bought at least two different sets of Beats Solo Pros over the past five years or so.
- [27]
Two cushion kits at the post-promo price cost $99.98, about 29 percent of the $349.99 headphone price.
- [28]
Beats is positioning the new 360 over-ear headphones as a hybrid sports model, according to CNET.
- [29]
The user-swappable parts described in the three reviews are the ear cushions and the headband pad; none of the reviews describes a user-replaceable battery.
- [30]
Alongside the Beats 360 launch, the existing Beats Studio Pro are being permanently reduced to $299.99.
- [31]
9to5Mac reports Beats Studio Pro currently run $169.95 on Amazon.
- [32]
CNET reports the headphones have a built-in sensor to recognise the kind of earcup cushions in use and calibrate the sound, noise cancellation and transparency mode accordingly.
- [33]
The Beats 360 are 34.5 grams heavier than the Beats Studio Pro.
- [34]
Oliver Schusser, president of Beats, told CNET that in the case of the 360s, "they've never gotten such great feedback" from the athlete brand ambassadors.
- [35]
Oliver Schusser, president of Beats, said: "If you buy one or two extra cushions and headbands, it feels like you've bought two or three pairs of headphones overall."
- [36]
XDA found a slight hiss in the background with active noise cancelling off and on, which disappears as soon as audio starts playing.
- [37]
Studio Pro's new official price of $299.99 is $130.04 above the $169.95 Amazon listing cited by 9to5Mac.
- [38]
AirPods Max are priced at $549.
- [39]
The Beats 360 are $199.01 cheaper than AirPods Max, about $200.
Sources
5 independent publishers whose own reporting we read for this story.
- 9to5mac.comReview: Beats 360 are the closest Apple headphones to AirPods Max, with one caveat
2 articles · September 22, 2026
- cnet.comBeats 360 Headphones Review: Best-Performing Beats Yet, and They're Modular - CNET
1 article · September 22, 2026
- macworld.comApple's new Beats headphones are AirPods Max for athletes | Macworld
1 article · September 22, 2026
- trustedreviews.comBeats 360 vs Apple AirPods Max 2: Which headphones should you get? - Trusted Reviews
1 article · September 22, 2026
- xda-developers.comThe Beats 360 are lighter, cheaper, and way more comfortable than Apple's AirPods Max
1 article · September 22, 2026
Topics and entities
Topics
- Modular and replaceable parts
- Wireless Headphones