If you want an on-ear listening experience with powerful sound and long battery life, choose Beats Solo 4; if you need open ears and a secure design for running, choose Raycon Fitness Open Ear. For a run where hearing the path, traffic, or people around you matters, Raycon’s open-ear approach is the more direct fit. Beats is the more compelling choice if you want headphones that sit over your ears and prioritize an immersive music experience.
• Beats Solo 4 strength: On-ear design, custom acoustic architecture, and Personalized Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking. Trade-off: It covers the ears rather than leaving them open to surrounding sounds.
• Raycon Fitness Open Ear strength: Open-ear listening, adjustable ear hooks, and a design made for movement and sweat. Trade-off: Its open design does not block the environment, so it is not the pick for shutting out nearby sound.
• Battery: Beats lists up to 50 hours; Raycon describes 8 hours of playback plus 32 additional hours from its case.
• Running fit: Beats uses a flex-grip headband and adjustable ear cups; Raycon uses hooks that sit behind the ears and can be adjusted for fit.
• Choose Beats Solo 4 if your priority is on-ear sound and extended listening between charges.
• Choose Raycon Fitness Open Ear if you want true wireless earbuds for running while staying more aware of your surroundings.
Beats Solo 4 is an on-ear Bluetooth headphone with custom acoustic architecture and updated drivers. That setup is aimed at a fuller, more powerful listening experience, while Personalized Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking adds an immersive option for compatible hardware, software, and content. The spatial feature is not universal: using it depends on compatibility, and creating a personal profile requires an iPhone with a TrueDepth camera.
The fit is built around a flex-grip headband and adjustable, ergonomically angled ear cups. UltraPlush ear cushions are designed with comfort and durability in mind. Those features make the Beats a reasonable fit for someone who wants a headband-style headphone for music, commutes, or long listening sessions, rather than a small, open earbud. Its listed battery figure is up to 50 hours, which favors listeners who want fewer charging interruptions.
For running, the headband and ear cups offer a different feel from Raycon’s behind-the-ear hooks. The stable-fit design may appeal if you prefer on-ear headphones, but the ear cups cover the ears. That is a meaningful compromise for outdoor routes where staying aware of nearby sounds is part of your routine. Beats also lists active noise cancellation in its product information, though the data does not specify how much sound it reduces or how it behaves in particular settings.
How We Research
We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
Who should skip it: Skip Beats Solo 4 if an open-ear design is central to your running routine or you want earbuds rather than a headband.
Raycon Fitness Open Ear is designed around awareness. Its open-ear shape lets outside sound reach you while you listen, which can suit runs through neighborhoods, parks, or other places where hearing what is happening around you matters. That openness is also the main trade-off: it does not isolate you from your surroundings. If your goal is to block out nearby noise, this is not the design to choose.
The earbuds use lightweight, adjustable hooks that sit behind the ears. Raycon describes the hooks as rotating on two axes to help users find a secure position, and presents the fit as intended for running, lifting, stretching, and other movement. The product is also described as sweat-resistant and water-resistant, although the provided information does not give a specific resistance rating. That makes it a running-focused option without a numeric claim about how much exposure it can handle.
Raycon’s battery description separates playback from case capacity: the earbuds are described as providing 8 hours of continuous sound, with another 32 hours available through the case. The product information also lists an 8-hour average battery life, so it is useful to distinguish a single listening stretch from the combined figure. Multipoint connection is another practical feature: it can pair with multiple devices at once and switch between them, which may help if you move from a workout playlist to a call on another paired device. Raycon also describes digital signal processing for calls, but the data does not quantify call performance.
Who should skip it: Skip Raycon Fitness Open Ear if you want sound isolation, a covered-ear fit, or a single uninterrupted listening stretch longer than its described 8-hour earbud playback.
• Best for running while staying aware → Raycon Fitness Open Ear. The open-ear design leaves you more connected to your environment than an on-ear headphone that covers your ears.
• Best for an on-ear listening experience → Beats Solo 4. Its adjustable ear cups, headband, and custom acoustic design are the better match if you specifically prefer headphones over earbuds.
• Best for long playback between charges → Beats Solo 4. Its stated figure is up to 50 hours, compared with Raycon’s 8 hours of continuous earbud playback before the case is used.
• Best for extra listening time carried in a case → Raycon Fitness Open Ear. The case adds 32 hours to the earbuds’ described 8-hour playback, for a stated combined 40 hours.
• Best for a customizable behind-the-ear fit → Raycon Fitness Open Ear. Its adjustable, rotating hooks are meant to help you position the earbuds securely during movement.
• Best for spatial listening features → Beats Solo 4. Personalized Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking is a distinct feature, subject to compatible hardware, software, and content.
• Best for switching between paired devices → Raycon Fitness Open Ear. Multipoint connection is described as allowing connection to multiple devices and quick switching.
• Best if you want less environmental isolation → Raycon Fitness Open Ear. For someone seeking a way to hear more of the surroundings during an outdoor workout, open ear is the defining advantage.
Buying Considerations
First, decide what you want to hear besides your audio. A safer-feeling or more convenient run may mean keeping environmental sounds accessible, which points toward Raycon’s open design. If you would rather have your ears covered while listening, Beats offers that style, but it is a different compromise for outdoor use. Neither product’s listed features alone can determine which one will feel secure on your particular ears or head.
Fit and function matter just as much as the headline specs. Beats offers a headband, adjustable ear cups, and UltraPlush cushions. Raycon takes a smaller earbud approach with hooks that adjust behind the ears. Beats adds Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking; Raycon adds multipoint connection and describes call-focused digital signal processing. If you are comparing these as a USB C charging wireless headset for running, check the product’s current connection and charging details before deciding: the provided specifications do not identify a USB-C charging connection for either one.
Finally, think about where you will use them most. For a gym session or run where awareness is a priority, Raycon’s open design and movement-oriented hooks align closely with that use. For music listening at home, on a commute, or during other routines where an on-ear fit is welcome, Beats may make more sense. Shoppers looking for the best earphones for running should start with the fit and awareness trade-off, not just a combined battery number.
In my opinion, I would choose Raycon Fitness Open Ear for running because its open-ear design and adjustable hooks address two practical concerns: awareness and staying in place during movement. It also offers the convenience of a case and multipoint connection. Beats Solo 4 is the stronger fit if immersive on-ear listening and a higher stated total battery figure matter more. But for my running-focused pick, Raycon’s design is the deciding advantage.
FAQ
Raycon is the more running-specific fit on paper: it has an open-ear design, adjustable hooks, and a movement-focused description. Beats has a headband and ear cups that cover the ears, which some listeners may prefer but which offers a different level of awareness.
Beats lists up to 50 hours. Raycon describes 8 hours of continuous earbud playback plus 32 more hours from its charging case, so its combined figure includes case recharging rather than one uninterrupted stretch.
Raycon’s open-ear design is meant to let surrounding sound remain audible, and its listed noise control is none. Beats lists active noise cancellation, but the provided information does not specify its effectiveness or level.
Choose Raycon if you want an earbud-style, open-ear fit with adjustable hooks. Beats Solo 4 is an on-ear headphone with a headband and ear cups, so it is better suited to someone who prefers that style.
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