Description

Powerbeats Pro By Beats Review- Totally Wireless Earphones

If there is one thing that stands out from the moment you put these headphones on is that the new Beats PowerBeats Pro true wireless headphones are very comfortable, sound decent and seem to never, ever fall out, whatever activity you do. You could argue that they are definitely the best workout buds or running headphones that you can buy.

Design

The PowerBeats Pro has an undeniable sports look yet it looks and feels nice to wear out and about outside the gym. The volume and controls are on both earbuds and are easy to reach and operate. This is a really nice addition as it means you can control your music with whichever hand you have free, which is a nice feature. With Hey Siri enabled, you can simply talk with a voice command and it will work. For normal use, this might not be a huge thing but during workouts, it is a fantastic feature.

The buds are unique in that they push upwards and into the inner ear, while the hooks support them from above. Some people might find this invasive but anyone who’s used to in-ear buds will find them comfortable and secure listening to music. A micro-laser barometric venting hole in the front chamber helps with that as, in Apple’s own words, reduces pressure in the ear and improves the bass response… In all fairness, we are not sure that Beats headphones need any help with bass levels.

The PowerBeats Pro earbuds nozzle are really slim which helps in providing a perfect fit given the fact you get four different ear tip options. Plenty of options to get the perfect fit. The headphones might not be ideal to go to or lay on bed with them given their size. We feel they put too much pressure in the ear canal. Also, in the real world, it is impossible to avoid the fact the encasing is on the bigger end, which feels that unless you wear them, they might be too big to carry in a pocket. It is unfortunate if you want to wear them at work as they won’t go unnoticed but if this is not an issue for you, then fantastic.

In terms of battery life, that extra size had to serve a purpose and this is where that comes into play. The PowerBeats can last up to nine hours in between charges and store, based on our tests, about two and a half charges in the case. This means a full 24-hour battery life, which is a welcome feature. Something to bear in mind though, there is no wireless charging capacity. Unfortunately, being an Apple product, this is reserved for the airpods. However, with the lightning cable, you get the PowerBeats charged in no time.

The noise-excluding, unmovable yet comfortable fit is handy when listening to music anywhere but the PowerBeats really comes into its own in its natural environments, the gym, the road, and the running track. Although not the pool or open water, although these are water and sweat resistant they are not intended for liquid immersion or swimming.

Unlike even the very best other running/workout buds we have tried, you can almost forget you are wearing Beats’ earbuds. They’re also clearly very sweat resistant, don’t get dirty and are easy to wipe clean, anyway. They are quite simply the best running and gym headphones we have tested.

Setup

Pairing up the PowerBeats Pro by Beats on iOS is as simple as opening the case near your iPhone or iPad. Two touches later and your devices are synced. It really is the simplest process and simply opening the case will let you see how much battery life is left on your iOS device. It would have been nice to see their battery life in the top-right corner of the phone’s home screen as we’ve seen with other true wireless earbuds, but that is not, in our opinion, a deal breaker.)

If you use a Windows 10 or Android device, the PowerBeats Pro is also very easy to synch. Simply hold down the pairing button inside the charging case and select the PowerBeats Pro on the device you want to pair. It is as simple as that.

There’s almost no difference in sound quality that we could hear between a paired iOS device (our iPhone XR) and a paired Android device (our Google Pixel 3a XL), as both connections use Bluetooth 5.0. However, one advantage of using an iPhone or iPad is that you get to take advantage of the new H1 Wireless Chip, the same one that just went into the Apple AirPods. With it, you’ll notice faster pairing times and hands-free Siri.

Naturally, this is not essential and some might not even be aware of them. It does not affect performance in the slightest, but hands-free Siri is a spectacularly useful feature if you want to place calls or send texts without picking up your phone.

Performance

All of the above is great but the proof is in the pudding. What really matters is how good the sound is, especially when you move which is something most earbuds haven’t quite gotten right. And we are pleased to report that the PowerBeats do sound really good either at the gym on a workout or out and about in the real world. As expected, the Beats brand very much caters for EDM, R&B and rap and the sound is awesome. PowerBeats Pro certainly doesn’t lack bottom end, but there is so much more going on here. They sound massive and epic with rock, hip-hop, pop and electronic music – classic ‘workout angry’ music – but there is enough subtlety to carry off jazz, classical and acoustic sounds.

The PowerBeats Pro by Beats has really turned down the bass this time around. They’re not quite at a flat EQ, but it’s like a gentle v-shape that boosts the highs and lows with a slight recess on the mids. It’s a smooth curve that music sounds reasonably energetic, but not too slanted that movies and shows are unwatchable. In fact, even movies like Thor Ragnarok sounded absolutely fine with them.

The only issue is that music and audio, in general, is a subjective taste. Our preferences for an EQ curve aren’t going to be necessarily yours, and unfortunately, Apple doesn’t provide you with any tools to alter the sound. This is something that can be frustrating to some if you don’t feel like you’re hearing enough mids when you’re watching a movie. Worse, if you feel like your music is missing some sparkle in the upper register then you have no option to EQ that to your taste. As of now, there’s no way to add any of that back in so you need to love the sound the earbuds produce to avoid any surprises. This is something to take into account when you take them out in the streets or in a busy environment. The PowerBeats Pro still doesn’t offer noise-cancellation and that can be a real bummer if you need to blast the audio to the max unless you are ok hearing some sound spilling in. For us, it wasn’t such a deal breaker but demanding listeners might have a different view on the matter. One word or warning, the earbuds are not water-proof so unless you get sweat or a small splash, refrain from any water or water activity anywhere near them.

However, if you have a quiet environment, like an office, home, gym, the PowerBeats Pro provide you with incredible performance. Especially as they last for so long given the long battery life, they are a decent everyday headphone and easy to make a call with or listen to Spotify on our phone. Simply put them back in their case and they will be fully charged next time you need to use them.

Final verdict

Ultimately, while the PowerBeats Pro impressed us, they’re simply not the best true wireless earbuds on the market. These earbuds still aren’t noise-cancelling like other competitors. Saying that they are, in our opinion, Apple’s best true wireless earbuds to date thanks to small additions like the pressure-reducing micro-laser barometric venting hole, their long battery life and their superior sound quality.

If we had to choose between wearing these and the AirPods around the house or office, these are what we’d wear. To that end, buy these earbuds if you’re an Apple aficionado who can appreciate better-sounding music and features like hands-free Hey Siri, and doesn’t mind paying a bit more for those things.

For video, there’s nothing better. Minimal latency, great sound. For gym, sports and running use, if you have the money, buy Beats PowerBeats Pro. There is nothing to touch them. Once you’ve used true wireless when exercising, it’s ever so hard to go back to even the most minimally wired buds, and Powerbeats Pro is by far the best workout-friendly true wireless buds. If you want true wireless buds for pure audio quality, there’s also almost nothing to match this, and that is a pretty amazing outcome.

Want to consider other options? Check out our section of wireless headphones where we review a selection of different options available to you.