Powerbeats Pro Review: Good sound if you get the right fit - The Dallas Morning News

A few weeks ago, I reviewed Apple’s AirPods Pro, which I really liked.

This week, I have another pair of Apple wireless earbuds — well, technically they are from Beats, but Apple owns Beats. Thanks to T-Mobile for providing my review unit.

The Powerbeats Pro are similar to AirPods Pro, but they’re also very different.

You may seen lots of people wearing AirPods Pro, but unless you hang out at the gym, you might not see too many of them wearing Powerbeats Pro.

Their over-the-ear hook design makes them perfect for wearing during a workout.

Apple bought Beats by Dre a few years ago, and while Beats headphones have always sounded great, the addition of Apple engineering brought some features that made them more a part of the Apple ecosystem.

The Powerbeats Pro earphones ($249.95) don’t look anything like Apple’s AirPods. They have a very slick design with a hook that fits over your ear, leading to a wide, flat body dominated by a large round button with the Beats B logo.

Above the round button, you’ll find a small but easy to press rocker switch for volume control. There is a control button and volume rocker on each earpiece, so you can control music, answer or hang up a call or change the volume from either ear.

On the inside is a silicone ear tip that fits comfortably in your ear (once you pick the right set of tips from the four included sizes).

They are IPX4 water resistant against splashing from any direction, but don’t take them swimming.

Small? Not really

Unlike the AirPods, Powerbeats are not trying to be small. Their size is appropriate for their shape, which means there is plenty of room for a battery that will last for up to nine hours of listening before it needs a recharge.

Speaking of recharge, like the AirPods, Powerbeats Pro come in a case with a built-in battery. The case is big — too big to fit comfortably in a pants pocket.

Powerbeats Pro in their charging case.(Beats)

The case is something you’ll want to leave in your gym bag or computer bag or locker, but the battery life of the Powerbeats Pro is so good that you won’t need it very often.

When you remove the Powerbeats Pro from their case, they are ready to go. There is no power button.

When they need a charge, return them to the case and they’ll get a full charge in about 90 minutes. If you’re in a hurry, five minutes of charging in the case will let you listen to music for up to 1.5 hours.

The battery in the case can keep the Powerbeats Pro charged up for more than 24 hours.

Powerbeats Pro have Apple’s H1 chip, which allows the earphones to make a faster connection to your iPhone and invoke hands-free Siri. By the time you take them out of the case and put them in your ears, they are connected and ready to go.

The case charges with an included lightning cable, and there is no wireless charging.

Setup and use

When you unbox them, the Powerbeats Pro should have enough charge to start listening.

Simply bring them near your iPhone and open the case (don’t remove them from the case just yet).

You should see a popup on your phone’s screen showing the Powerbeats Pro and asking whether you want to connect. Press the connect button, and you’re set.

Android users will need to press a pairing button inside the case to start the Bluetooth discovery for their phones.

iPhone users can check the battery level by bringing the case close to their phones and opening it. A battery status popup should appear on the iPhone’s screen.

Putting the Powerbeats Pro in your ears takes a bit of practice, but it is easy enough once you’ve done it a few times.

Music sounded good once I got a decent fit in my ear canal. I tried all of the four sizes of ear tips, and the largest sounded best for me, but I wanted the ear tips to fit deeper in my ears. I didn’t get the kind of seal with the Powerbeats Pro that I get with my AirPods Pro, and for that reason, I think the music playback quality suffers a bit.

Powerbeats Pro have an over-the-ear hook to keep them in place(Beats)

Without a good seal, the bass isn’t as boomy as I’d like, and I hear a lot of sounds from the outside world.

I don’t blame Beats for this. I just have funny-shaped ear canals, I guess.

If I press in on each earpiece, the bass sounds better, so I know the sound is there, I just need the tips to seal better. As the saying goes, “your mileage may vary.”

The Powerbeats Pro don’t have active noise canceling like the AirPods Pro.

I’d say the Powerbeats Pro sound about 90% as good as AirPods Pro.

Where the Powerbeats Pro surprised me is in phone call clarity. My wife said my voice sounded very clear on her end during a test call. She sounded fine as well. Because the Powerbeats Pro is designed to sit entirely in your ear, I was skeptical that the microphone would pick up my voice clearly. I was wrong.

If you work out or run or just commute on the train, the Powerbeats Pro are a pretty good choice. The four sizes of ear tips help with sound quality, and the hook keeps them in place no matter the activity. They aren’t cheap, but they’ll do pretty much everything you’d want them to do.

Pros: Good sound with the right fit; all day battery life; splash-resistant.

Cons: I couldn’t get a great fit. The case is really big. Expensive.

Bottom line: Great choice if you work out and need an over-the-ear design to keep them in place.

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Powerbeats Pro Review: Good sound if you get the right fit - The Dallas Morning News
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