Beats' Minecraft special edition Solo 4 headphones promise block-rocking beats

Beats x Minecraft Special Edition Solo 4

(Image credit: Apple)

Minecraft is 15, and that makes us so old we don't want to think about it. But we must, because Beats has just dropped a special edition iteration of its Beats Solo 4 true wireless headphones to celebrate the anniversary.

The special edition on-ears are black with metallic green hinges and feature the iconic creeper. Also, when you buy a pair you'll also get a code to unlock an in-game character creator item.

To accompany the launch Beats has teamed up with some musical pals to provide something to listen to: Minecraft creator TinaKitten will curate a special spatial audio playlist on Apple Music (let's not forget, Beats is an Apple subsidiary), and Imagine Dragons' new song Wake Up provides the soundtrack to a new animated short that takes you through the world of Minecraft.

Beats x Minecraft special edition Solo 4: pricing, availability and specifications

Styling aside, these are the same Beats Solo 4 we recently reviewed. That means an impressive 50-hour battery life, USB-C charging and Apple's head-tracked spatial audio from an iOS device, but no active noise cancellation.

They're a decent set of headphones, but at this price they're facing some serious competition and we felt that the lack of true multi-point pairing, imperfect comfort levels and middling sound quality prevented us from wholeheartedly recommending them. But while rivals may deliver better features or sound quality, none of them have metallic green bits or undead creatures printed on them – and none of Beats' direct competitors unlock an in-game character with your purchase…

If you're in or near New York, Apple is holding an event at Apple Fifth Ave featuring TinaKitten and Apple Music Radio's Travis Mills on launch day, 18 July. You can register for tickets from 16 July.

The Beats x Minecraft Special Edition Solo 4 will be available from 18 July from Apple, EE and Target. The US price is $199.99 and the UK price is £199.99, which means pricing in Australia is likely to come in at around AU$299.

Writer, broadcaster, musician and kitchen gadget obsessive Carrie Marshall has been writing about tech since 1998, contributing sage advice and odd opinions to all kinds of magazines and websites as well as writing more than a dozen books. Her memoir, Carrie Kills A Man, is on sale now and her next book, about pop music, is out in 2025. She is the singer in Glaswegian rock band Unquiet Mind.