For Apple’s series of workout-focused headphones, the Beats Powerbeats Pro is the next logical step: true wireless earbuds are the future.
Although Apple may have churned out a half-decent, sweat-resistant pair of real wireless buds, Powerbeats Pro is something unique. They are supremely comfortable, sound decent, and don’t fall out.
Now that the AirPods Pro is here, Beats Pro may not be the best true wireless earbuds in Apple’s audio arsenal, but they are Apple’s premium play in the world of running headphones.
Design and Look
There is a lot to like about the new Powerbeats Pro in terms of design. They have a sporty look while still being practical enough to wear outside the gym.
There is a main playback control button on the Powerbeats Pro, where each of the two earbuds has the Beats logo, plus a volume rocker. That means that you can control your music with any freehand.
If you have Hey, Siri allowed, you can simply say the wake word for the same effect with a voice order. It also helps the Pro relax, not only in terms of how it blends in and around the ear but also how it sounds.
You might remember feeling a sort of in-ear pressure from other wireless headphones. With Beats, it doesn’t happen because of a barometric micro-laser venting hole in the front chamber that decreases ear pressure.
Set-Up
Like other AirPod products, when combined with other Apple gadgets, the Powerbeats Pro is the homiest. On iOS, it is as easy as opening it up near your iPhone or iPad to pair up the Powerbeats Pro.
Two taps later, and they sync your devices. You can then open the case, as with the AirPods, and see how much power life is left on your iOS computer, and that helps further their feeling of being space-age.
That said, the Powerbeats Pro is not exclusive to Apple and will work with devices running Android and Windows 10-all. You need to hold the pairing button inside the charging case and pick the Powerbeats Pro on the device you want to pair.
There is almost no distinction within a paired iOS device (our iPhone 8) and a matched Android device (our Google Pixel 3a XL) in sound quality since both types of connections use Bluetooth 5.0.0.
Sound
Beats has a tradition of making bass-heavy headphones, and there is no shift of style here. The tonal bias is entirely appropriate when listening to lower-quality streaming services, though.
The delivery is smooth and consistent at the usual listening volume. It is only when we turn up the volume that it becomes a challenging and violent contact. With excitement behind the vocals and vibration on every guitar strum, there’s decent detail, too.
But these are headphones to workout with, and allowing them the opportunity to do what they were made for is valuable. So, we put our trainers on, fire up a playlist of Spotify Running Hits, and hit the pavements.
A lack of dynamic range in the sound allows a weak pitter-patter sound like the opening recordings of a runner’s feet pounding the pavement. We’re surprised at how gentle and inaccurate it sounds to Sony WF-1000XM3s.
Price
You will be set back $249 / £219 / AU$349 / AED 949 by the Powerbeats Pro. They will be available in four shades, all of which come with a matching charging case-Black, Ivory, Moss, and Navy.
Compared to the Apple AirPods, currently on sale for $159 / £159 / AU$249 / AED 679 they are super expensive.
And they are much more expensive than the standard Powerbeats 3, which can typically be bought online for less than $100/£100, this is a significant price leap.
Still, the substantially improved design, new H1 chip, and better sound quality than the Powerbeats 3 are what you’re getting with the Powerbeats Pro price tag.
Conclusion
Ultimately, while we were impressed with the Powerbeats Pro, they are just not the best real wireless earbuds on the market. Apple has innovated since it started, but maybe earbuds aren’t its strong suit.
Like the AirPods Pro, these earbuds are also not noise-canceling, nor are they water-proof like the Jaybird Run XT, nor do they sound as good as Sony WF-1000XM3. So it’s up to you to decide if you need these guys.