If you want immersive on-ear sound and long listening between charges, choose Beats Solo 4; if you need open-ear awareness and a secure fit for running, choose Raycon Fitness Open Ear. For outdoor routes where hearing your surroundings matters, Raycon’s design is the more direct match. Beats makes more sense when your priority is a familiar headphone-style fit and a claimed battery life of up to 50 hours.
Beats Solo 4 vs Raycon Fitness Open Ear at a Glance
• Beats Solo 4 strength: On-ear design, Personalized Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking, and up to 50 hours of battery life. Trade-off: Its on-ear cups do not provide the open-ear awareness Raycon is designed for.
• Raycon Fitness Open Ear strength: Open-ear listening with adjustable ear hooks intended to stay secure during movement. Trade-off: Its battery is described as 8 hours of listening, with 32 more supplied by the case.
• Beats Solo 4 is for: Listeners who want an on-ear headphone for extended music sessions and value the spatial-audio feature.
• Raycon Fitness Open Ear is for: Runners and active listeners who want to hear more of the environment around them while listening.
Beats Solo 4 is an on-ear wireless headphone, not a pair of conventional true wireless earbuds. Its adjustable ear cups and flex-grip headband are designed to provide a stable fit, while UltraPlush ear cushions are intended to balance comfort and durability. The product information also describes the design as lightweight, though the on-ear format will not suit everyone who prefers a small earbud with no headband.
How We Research
We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
Its clearest advantages are long stated battery life and a more immersive listening feature set. Beats lists up to 50 hours of battery life, and Personalized Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking is included for compatible hardware, software, and content. That makes Solo 4 worth considering if you listen for long stretches, want an on-ear fit, and use supported Apple devices and apps for spatial audio.
For running, I would be more cautious about choosing it. The product is described as designed to stay in place during activity, but it covers the ears rather than using an open-ear design. If hearing your surroundings is a priority, Raycon is the more purpose-built option. Also, the Solo 4’s “up to” battery figure is a stated maximum, not a promise that every listening session will reach it.
Raycon Fitness Open Ear is built around awareness and movement. Its open-ear design leaves the ear canal unblocked, and the adjustable, rotating hooks are intended to help the earbuds stay secure during running, gym sessions, and other activity. That design is the main reason to consider Raycon over Beats for outdoor exercise: you can listen without choosing an ear-covering headphone.
The battery details are different from Beats’ headline figure. Raycon describes 8 hours of continuous sound from the earbuds, plus another 32 hours from the charging case, for 40 hours in total. The distinction matters if you need to get through a long day without returning the earbuds to the case. Raycon also lists sweat resistance, Bluetooth 5.2, and multipoint connection, which can be useful when switching between a workout device and another paired device.
Open-ear listening has a trade-off: it does not block the environment. That suits a runner who wants environmental awareness, but it is not the design to choose if your goal is to shut out surrounding sound. Raycon lists no noise control, and its battery life per charge is shorter than the Beats figure.
Side-by-Side: Which Should You Choose?
• Best fit for running with awareness → Raycon Fitness Open Ear. Its open-ear layout is intended to let you hear your surroundings, and its ear hooks are designed to stay put during movement.
• Best for longer listening between charges → Beats Solo 4. Beats lists up to 50 hours of battery life. Raycon lists 8 hours from the earbuds before the case’s additional charge capacity comes into play.
• Best for a headband-style on-ear fit → Beats Solo 4. Its adjustable ear cups, flex-grip headband, and UltraPlush cushions suit listeners who prefer headphones over separate open-ear pieces.
• Best for supported spatial audio → Beats Solo 4. Personalized Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking requires compatible hardware, software, and content, so the feature is not universal.
• Best for switching between paired devices → Raycon Fitness Open Ear. Its listed multipoint connection is meant to let you pair with multiple devices and switch between them.
• Best for a quieter listening environment → Neither is a clear winner from these specifications. Raycon has no noise control, while Beats lists active noise cancellation; the product details do not provide a direct measure of how much surrounding sound either one reduces.
• Best earphones for running specifically → Raycon Fitness Open Ear, in my opinion. The open-ear design and adjustable hooks fit that use better than an on-ear headphone, although the right choice still depends on whether awareness or a more enclosing fit matters more to you.
I would choose Raycon Fitness Open Ear for running because its open-ear design and adjustable hooks are aimed at movement while keeping the ears uncovered. That is the deciding difference for my use case, not a claim that it has better sound or longer battery life. Beats Solo 4 is the stronger fit if I wanted on-ear headphones, spatial audio, and longer stated battery life. For a runner choosing between these two, I would start with Raycon.
FAQ
Beats lists up to 50 hours. Raycon lists 8 hours from the earbuds and 32 additional hours from the charging case, for 40 hours total. Those figures are stated differently, so consider whether you care more about the earbuds’ listening time per charge or total time with the case.
Raycon lists no noise control and is designed to keep the ears open. Beats lists active noise cancellation, but the supplied specifications do not say how much outside sound it reduces.
Choose Raycon if an open-ear design and awareness of your surroundings are priorities. Beats Solo 4 is an on-ear headphone, so it is not the same style of product. Check the current product details if a particular charging connection matters to you.
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