She’s already made a name for herself as both a reality TV star and business mogul.
And now Kim Kardashian, 43, has added another feather to her cap, having launched her second collaboration with Beats.
The ‘Beats Studio Pro – Kim Special Edition’ went on sale this week, in what Apple is describing as an ‘instantly classic collaboration.’
The headphones come in three neutral shades and boast a number of impressive features, including active noise cancellation and up to 40 hours of battery life.
But are they worth splashing £350 on? MailOnline’s Shivali Best got hands-on with the new headphones – and wasn’t convinced on the colour scheme.
MailOnline’s Shivali Best got hands-on with the new headphones – but wasn’t convinced on the colour scheme
The Beats Studio Pro themselves aren’t new, with the original headphones going on sale back in July 2023. However, what’s new with this collab are the neutral colours, which Kim describes as ‘chic’
Kim first collaborated with Beats back in 2022, with a special-edition version of the Beats Fit Pro.
These neutral headphones were like nothing else on the market, and quickly became the brand’s best-selling collaboration.
Now, she’s back with the Beats Studio Pro – over-ear headphones inspired by her signature neutral palette.
The Beats Studio Pro themselves aren’t new, with the original headphones going on sale back in July 2023.
However, what’s new with this collab are the neutral colours, which Kim describes as ‘chic’.
The headphones themselves are completely skin-coloured, with the exception of the extenders, which are copper. They come in a small mesh carry case, which is emblazoned with the logo, ‘beats x kim’
A colleague made the observation that if you blur your eyes, the headphones almost make it look like you have a bald strip running across your head
‘I’m so excited we’re bringing these three popular, chic colors to Beats’ most iconic and advanced headphones,’ Kim said.
‘Beats Studio have always been a fashion statement, so I can’t wait to see how everyone styles them.’
Buyers can choose between three shades – Moon (light), Dune (medium), and Earth (deep).
I have naturally tanned skinned, so opted for Dune, which turned out to be a pretty decent match to my skin tone.
The headphones themselves are completely skin-coloured, with the exception of the extenders, which are copper.
They come in a small mesh carry case, which is emblazoned with the logo, ‘beats x kim’.
If you’re not one for keeping your headphones in a case, this could easily be regifted as a makeup bag for any Kardashian-loving friends.
Kim describes the skin-colours as chic, but I’m still trying to work out why you would want skin-coloured over-ear headphones.
With Kim’s previous collaboration, Beats Fit Pro, the skin colour made sense as the earbuds sat within the ear.
They come in a small mesh carry case, which is emblazoned with the logo, ‘beats x kim’. If you’re not one for keeping your headphones in a case, this could easily be regifted as a makeup bag for any Kim Kardashian-loving friends
In contrast, these new headphones sit over the ears, with a thick band stretching across your head.
A colleague made the observation that if you blur your eyes, the headphones almost make it look like you have a bald strip running across your head.
This might be less of an issue if you have fair, or no hair, but isn’t a great look if like me (and Kim) you have darker hair.
Beyond the colour issues, like the original Beats Studio Pro, these are excellent headphones.
The over-ear cushions are made with seamless engineered leather, and are soft and comfortable on the ears.
Weighing in at 260g, the headphones are so light that you can barely feel them on your head.
With Kim’s previous collaboration, Beats Fit Pro, the skin colour made sense as the earbuds sat within the ear
Unlike the hefty 451g Dyson OnTrac headphones I tested recently, you could definitely wear these all day without experiencing any headaches or discomfort.
The headphones are also very easy to set up – I simply had to press the ‘on’ button on the Beats, and a pop-up appeared within seconds on my iPhone, prompting me to connect.
Most importantly, the sound quality is excellent.
Fully immersive with 360 surrournd sound and free from any tinniness, both music and audio sound clear and full through the Beats headphones.
Meanwhile, at the touch of a button, you can toggle between the two dynamic listening modes (Active Noise Cancellation and Transparency Mode), helping you to filter out the background noise, as and when you want.
In conclusion, I’m a big Beats Studio Pro fan, but perhaps Apple’s original colours are more up my street than Kim’s signature palette.
If neutral colours are more your bag, the new headphones are available to buy online now at Apple.com/beatsxkim in the US, Canada, Mexico, UK, France, Germany, Japan, China, South Korea, Hong Kong, and Thailand for £349.99.
