The Powerbeats Pro are not bass-heavy the way other Beats headphones and earphones have been known to be. I’ve spent more than 30 full hours at least 8 hours per day since I got these. Listening to a wide variety of music, much of which was recommended to me via Spotify.
If you can overlook the jumbo charging case and high price, the Powerbeats Pro true wireless headphones are superior to the AirPods in a few key ways.
The Powerbeats Pro look leaps and bounds more contemporary than the Powerbeats3, especially when you put them on. Gone is the clip-like design that houses the main components; that’s replaced by a housing that’s much thinner and less obtrusive.
With first workout with the Powerbeats Pro is where we ran into a problem. Spotty wireless connection. We’d had a blip or two walking about, but that grew into a succession of between 15 to 20 dropouts. It was quite the headache, and took away from the luxury vibe the sport-centric buds otherwise present.
Apple claims in its review guide that the Powerbeats Pro have 60% less harmonic distortion than the Powerbeats3, and it’s easy to hear the results. The sound signature is strikingly clear in the upper register, and instrumental separation is especially impressive, allowing you to revel in the subtleties.
Unfortunately, the one place they can’t match Apple’s AirPods is the one that’s most important to most wireless earbuds users: A reliable connection. For now, we’ll have to wait for this to be addressed in future updates.
Good
Class-leading battery life
Water resistant
Secure fit, sleek design
Bold, vibrant sound
Bad
No basic battery gauge
Massive case
Intermittent connection issues
