Apple's Beats debuts $299 Solo Pro noise cancellation headset with H1 chip

Beats has debuted the new Solo Pro, its first on-ear, noise-cancelling headphones featuring Apple Audio sharing and Lightning for charging.

Solo Pro is Beats by Dre's first-ever on-ear headphone featuring Pure Adaptive Noise Cancelling (Pure ANC), the brand's proprietary technology. The company says that it uses advanced algorithms to continuously monitor and adjust to your listening environment.

According to Beats, the Pure ANC detects and blocks ambient noise in multiple environments of varying loudness. The technology also evaluates fit and adjusts for leakage caused by hair, earrings, different ear shapes and movement of a user's. Additionally, it simultaneously checks what you're hearing while noise cancelling is applied against the original music content.

When the "Transparency" feature is enabled, Solo Pro activates its external microphones for a natural filter of environmental noise. No need to pause your music as Transparency effectively blends the outside world into your listening experience. Hear announcements, talk with your friends and stay aware of your surroundings — all with a tap of a button.

All Beats headphones powered by the Apple W1 and H1 chips, including Solo Pro, Powerbeats Pro, Beats Studio3 Wireless, Solo3 Wireless, BeatsX and Powerbeats3 Wireless, are compatible with Apple Audio Sharing. Solo Pro users can also still toggle Pure ANC and Transparency while sharing.

Multi-function controls on the right earcup allow you to answer and end calls, play or pause music, skip songs, control volume and activate voice commands like "Hey Siri" when connected to a compatible device.

Pharrell Williams, renowned artist and longterm ambassador of the brand, has partnered with Beats to create the "More Matte" collection, comprised of vibrant colors Dark Blue, Light Blue and Red. The collection will be available alongside core colors Black, Ivory and Gray.

"The Solo form factor is incredibly popular, with over 30 million sold to date," said Luke Wood, president of Beats by Dre. "Beats created Solo Pro to bring much needed innovation to the on-ear headphone market. With phenomenal acoustics, multiple listening modes and a progressive design, Solo Pro joins recently launched Powerbeats Pro as part of the next generation of Beats products."

Beats claims that with Pure ANC and Transparency off, the battery will last for 40 hours. With either feature on, the battery is said to last 22 hours. Charging is performed through a Lightning port on the headset.

Availability in the US for $299.95 Solo Pro will begin on October 30th in Black, Ivory, Gray, Dark Blue, Light Blue and Red. Best Buy is currently accepting pre-orders for the new headphones in all six shades.