If these came out a couple of years ago, I'd be a lot more enthusiastic about them. Maybe not quite as good as the AirPods Pro, but still well above average. As far as I could tell, the headset performance was on par with that of the Powerbeats Pro, which also works well for making calls. The noise reduction is fairly effective and callers said they could hear my voice well, even in noisy environments. I also thought headset performance was good.
SPYHUNTER 4 REVIEW CNET PRO
(The Powerbeats Pro earbuds automatically turn on when you take them out of their charging case.) The right bud has the volume control rocker and the "b" button.Ī tight seal is crucial to getting optimal sound. These have a power/Bluetooth button on the left bud because you have to physically turn them on. (There's no equivalent feature available on Android.)Īside from the Lightning port, there are a couple of other small design differences from the true wireless versions. And yes, these have hands-free Siri, so if you have an iOS device, you can just say, "Hey, Siri," to activate Apple's voice assistant. These also have the same dual beamforming microphones and a speech-detecting accelerometer that Beats says targets your voice and filters out external noise for "enhanced call quality and improved voice pick-up" while using your voice assistant.
SPYHUNTER 4 REVIEW CNET DRIVERS
They have the identical piston drivers and digital signal processing that Beats says deliver the same balanced audio as the Powerbeats Pro, with "pure sound reproduction, enhanced clarity, low total harmonic distortion and dynamic range." The same Apple H1 chip that makes it simple to pair and switch between all your iCloud-linked Apple devices is on board. These are IPX4 sweat-resistant and splashproof. You get mostly the same features as the Powerbeats Pro. The new Powerbeats are a little bigger than the truly wireless Powerbeats Pro. That said, the Powerbeats Pro do come across as slightly more premium and offer that extra sense of freedom you get from a true wireless model. As far as the design goes, these are a significant upgrade. Their cord is rounder and thicker than the Powerbeats 3's cord, making it more durable and reducing the snag factor (it doesn't catch as much on your clothes or skin). These are certainly better built than the Powerbeats 3. But they should fit most people's ears well and if you do get a tight seal, they sound quite good. But I still had a hard time getting a tight seal with the included eartips - I had to use my own extra large foam tips that were included with a set of Shure true wireless earbuds I was testing. I would have liked to have seen Beats include that same cheap pouch with the Powerbeats Pro.Īs it did with the Powerbeats Pro, Beats has improved the overall Powerbeats design so they fit more ears better. And I did like that these fit into a compact nylon carrying pouch instead of a bulky charging case. Some people also like to be able to leave their buds dangling around their neck when not using them - it is convenient. Aside from the lower price, one of the Powerbeats' main selling points over the Powerbeats Pro is better battery life - 15 hours versus nine hours for the Powerbeats Pro.