Walmart has marked down the Beats Solo 4 on-ear headphones in the Gray and Sandstone colors as early Black Friday sales begin. Before buying, check the price at checkout, since deal pricing and availability can change after publication.
The headphones skip active noise cancelling (ANC, which uses microphones to cancel outside sound). They rely on passive isolation, meaning the ear cups block sound physically. They also have no adjustable EQ.
What they do have is endurance. Battery life is around 50 hours per charge, about 10 hours more than the previous model. A 10-minute charge gives roughly five hours of playback, and a full recharge takes about two hours. They connect over Bluetooth 5.3 with the AAC and SBC codecs (the two common ways audio is compressed for wireless transfer), and they also accept wired audio through 3.5mm or USB-C. Controls are physical buttons.
Apple users get the most from them. They support one-touch pairing with most Apple devices and hands-free Siri. PCMag, in its review, described the sound as "sculpted with accentuated bass and highs."
That description matters more than the discount. A bass-and-treble tilt suits pop, hip-hop and casual listening, and it suits people who dislike fiddling with settings. It is a poor match for anyone who wants a neutral sound, since there is no EQ to correct it. The missing ANC rules the Solo 4 out as a commuter or flight headphone.
The case for them is a narrower one: a compact pair with a battery you charge a few times a month and a wired fallback for when it dies. The useful test is whether the phone you carry is an iPhone.