{"id":18409,"date":"2019-05-25T16:36:56","date_gmt":"2019-05-25T23:36:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.podfeet.com\/blog\/?p=18409"},"modified":"2019-06-02T06:08:09","modified_gmt":"2019-06-02T13:08:09","slug":"powerbeats-pro","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.podfeet.com\/blog\/2019\/05\/powerbeats-pro\/","title":{"rendered":"Powerbeats Pro Review"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Hi folks, this is Steve back with a product review of Apple\u2019s latest wireless earphones, the Powerbeats Pro \u2026 by Beats \u2026 by Dre (ok, that\u2019s clumsy). In this review, I\u2019ll describe the Powerbeats Pro setup and how they fit and function. I\u2019ll discuss how they sound compared with other earphones I\u2019ve used and I\u2019ll close with my overall assessment and recommendation.<br \/>\n<!--more--><\/p>\n<h3>Unboxing and Setup<\/h3>\n<figure style=\"float: left; margin: 5px;\"><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"#title#\" src=\"https:\/\/www.podfeet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/PBP-Photo-3.jpeg\" alt=\"PBP Photo 3\" width=\"450 \" height=\"224\" \/><figcaption style=\"text-align: center;\">AirPods, Powerbeats Pro and Jabra Elite Sport<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Upon receiving the package, it was good to see Powerbeats Pro packaging was very Apple-like, simple and clean leading to an intuitive unboxing and setup. Like most wireless earphones, the Powerbeats Pro come in a case that doubles as a battery to charge them while they\u2019re stored. The first thing I noticed on opening the package was how large the Powerbeats Pro charging case is, about twice the volume of the Jabra Elite Sport case and three times the AirPods case.<\/p>\n<p>The Powerbeats Pro case is a rounded rectangle measuring 3\u201d on a side and a bulky 1.5\u201d thick. Needless to say, these do NOT fit in one\u2019s pocket very easily. Unlike the latest AirPods, the Powerbeats Pro charging case does not support wireless charging. Instead, Apple has stayed with a Lightning cable for charging. The Powerbeats Pro themselves are comprised of an earbud that fits into the ear canal, attached to a semi-flexible earhook that holds the earbud securely in your ear. Each earpiece has a subtle toggle button for volume and a Beats logo \u201cb\u201d button that serves multiple functions.<\/p>\n<figure style=\"float: right; margin: 5px;\"><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"#title#\" src=\"https:\/\/www.podfeet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/PBP-Photo-5.png\" alt=\"Powerbeats Pro Showing Charge in iOS\" width=\"250 \" height=\"\" \/><figcaption style=\"text-align: center;\">Powerbeats Pro Showing Charge in iOS<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>As soon as I opened the charging case, I was comforted to see the Powerbeats Pro screen pop up on my iPhone asking me to connect (i.e. pair). I hit the Connect button and in less than a second, the earphones were automatically paired with my iPhone.<\/p>\n<p>The pop-up window then changed to show me the percentage charge of the earphones as a pair, as well as the case. I tested whether VoiceOver would tell the user the charge of the case and earphones and it did, but it made one error. Instead of saying &#8220;Powerbeats Pro 70%&#8221; which it shows visually on screen, it said, &#8220;AirPods 70%&#8221;. Looks like they need to update the text in VoiceOver. I hit Done and that was it for setup. This experience is very similar to how AirPods pair with your iPhone and is a prime example of Apple making good on the \u201cIt just works\u201d slogan. Aided by Apple\u2019s H1 chip, it\u2019s hard to beat the pairing experience with Apple earphones and an iOS device.<\/p>\n<p>Even putting the earphones back in their case was pleasing since they magnetically click into place and are firmly held there.<\/p>\n<div style=\"text-align: center;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/-nB7HnRfprc\" width=\"400\" height=\"224\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<h3>Fit<\/h3>\n<p>I generally use earphones for listening to podcasts and occasionally to music during my workouts, which consist of running and weight training. So I need them to stay in my ears while I\u2019m active and a bit sweaty. If you\u2019ve heard my previous earphone reviews, you know that my ears are not well suited for earphones, particularly if they don\u2019t have any means of support other than the ear canal. Apple\u2019s AirPods and most others simply will not stay in my ears.<\/p>\n<p>The only success I\u2019ve had with earphones without earhooks are Jabra\u2019s Elite Sport earphones which do remain in my ears even while I\u2019m active. So I was encouraged when I first heard the new Powerbeats Pro earbuds have earhooks to stabilize the earphones in your ears. When I tried on the Powerbeats Pro, I was discouraged to find they didn\u2019t fit as snuggly as I would like.<\/p>\n<figure style=\"float: left; margin: 5px;\"><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"#title#\" src=\"https:\/\/www.podfeet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/PBP-Photo-6.jpeg\" alt=\"Powerbeats Pro Rubber Eartips\" width=\"300 \" height=\"268\" \/><figcaption style=\"text-align: center;\">Powerbeats Pro Rubber Eartips<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>But two features helped me resolve that problem. First, they come with four sets of rubberized tips of varying size that attach to the earbuds. I swapped out the installed tips with a smaller pair and they fit much better. Second, you can bend a portion of the ear hooks to adjust them for a better fit around your ears.<\/p>\n<p>After making both of these adjustments, the Powerbeats Pro fit snuggly in and around my ears without feeling uncomfortable, even while moving around vigorously. Add the fact that these earphones are water and sweat resistant with an IPX4 rating and you have a winning combination for use during workouts.<\/p>\n<p>One caveat: My workouts are generally less than an hour long so I haven\u2019t tested whether the Powerbeats Pro earphones get annoying for longer wearing periods. In any case, if you just don\u2019t like the feel of an earhook around your ear, these are not the earphones for you.<\/p>\n<h3>Function<\/h3>\n<p>One of the most subtle yet cool features of the Powerbeats Pro is its controls because all of its functions can be controlled by physical buttons on the earphones or through Siri commands. Specifically, you can control volume up\/down, pause\/play, and skip forward\/back using physical buttons and with Siri. There are times when I don\u2019t want to speak out loud to control my earphones, like when I\u2019m in a group of people, so physical controls feel more appropriate. Other times I\u2019m using my hands for something else and don\u2019t want to interrupt what I\u2019m doing with extraneous hand movements, so Siri is a better option. Powerbeats Pro can be easily controlled in either situation.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"box-shadow-right\" title=\"PBP Photo 2.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/www.podfeet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/PBP-Photo-2.jpeg\" alt=\"Powerbeats Pro in my hand\" width=\"350\" height=\"266\" border=\"0\" \/>Like AirPods, you can listen to either left or right earphone at a time and you have full control with physical buttons from either earbud. You can also listen to either earphone one at a time if, for instance, you want to keep your other ear open. Like AirPods, Powerbeats Pro have sensors to automatically start playing when you put them in your ears and pause when you remove them. You can also send, answer, and decline phone calls by pressing the Beats \u201cb\u201d button to invoke Siri.<\/p>\n<p>As I mentioned, I don\u2019t use AirPods because they don\u2019t stay in my ears. But one complaint about AirPods I\u2019ve heard from Allison is that the only physical control they have is a double tap on the left or right earbud. You can assign the double tap gesture to be pause\/play or skip forward\/back as a separate control on the left and right AirPods, so two functions total can be physically controlled.<\/p>\n<p>Remember that Siri still needs an internet connection to work (btw, when will Apple fix this?) So if you\u2019re in a location where your internet connection is weak (like down at the beach where we run every other day) you\u2019ll be limited to controlling just the two functions on your AirPods that you\u2019ve assigned to the left and right double taps. Not so with Powerbeats Pro where every function can be controlled with physical buttons. When you do have a good internet connection, Powerbeats Pro Siri functionality is identical to that of AirPods.<\/p>\n<p>In the two weeks I\u2019ve been using the Powerbeats Pro, I\u2019ve not yet had a Bluetooth dropout which is more than I can say about any other earphones I\u2019ve used. I have, however, been in situations without an internet connection and so no Siri control. If you don\u2019t use an iPhone, you can pair Powerbeats Pro with other mobile devices but you lose some functionality, like \u201cHey Siri.\u201d But in those cases, you can press the Beats \u201cb\u201d button on either earphone to get voice control with a variety of other mobile devices.<\/p>\n<p>Powerbeats Pro earphones have the longest listening times of any earbuds on the market that I know of. Each earphone provides a whopping 9 hrs of listening time and with the charging case, you can get 24 hours of combined playback. Need a quick charge? A 5-minute fast charge gives 1.5 hours of additional playback when the battery is low. Since I use my earphones about an hour a day, I can get away with charging only once a week with Powerbeats Pro compared with having to charge every 2 &#8211; 3 days for others.<\/p>\n<h3>Audio Quality<\/h3>\n<p>Now for one of the most important features of earphones, at least for me, and that is how they sound. I have to say right up front that the overall audio quality of Powerbeats Pro earphones is THE BEST I\u2019ve heard from earbud-style headphones that I\u2019ve listened to. For brevity, my comparison of Powerbeats Pro audio is limited to three other wireless earphones: the older generation Powerbeats3, Jabra Elite Sport, and Apple AirPods.<\/p>\n<p>The first concern I had when I heard Beats was coming out with new earphones was would they be too bass heavy, a characteristic of most Beats headphones. On the flip side, bass is often missing with earphones since it\u2019s difficult to make a small speaker vibrating at low frequencies move enough air for you to hear it well.<\/p>\n<p>Powerbeats Pro have managed to strike a balance with rich bass that\u2019s not too heavy and is evenly distributed. Listening to some selected songs, there were some bass lines that I could simply not hear with Jabra Elite Sport and the Powerbeats3, but they came through clearly with Powerbeats Pro, similar to AirPods bass.<\/p>\n<p>At the audio high-end, Powerbeats Pro shine as well, producing very clear treble with crisp violins, finger snapping, cymbals, and other percussion. I\u2019ve heard at least one review commenting how the Powerbeats Pro high frequencies have been pumped up too much, but I don\u2019t find that to be the case at all.<\/p>\n<p>My only complaint with Powerbeats Pro sound, and it\u2019s minor, is that the low end of the mid-range is a bit de-emphasized &#8211; not enough to be bothersome but just noticeable. This could be an issue when listening to some vocals competing with instruments having loud bass and highs. Powerbeats Pro sound quality, in my opinion, is just a notch over AirPods if I hold the AirPods in my ears since they don\u2019t fit well. However, I generally don\u2019t hold AirPods in my ears so I lose much of the sound. I put both Powerbeats Pro and AirPods sound quality in a distinct category above both Jabra Elite Sport and the Powerbeats3 earphones.<\/p>\n<p>One final note on audio quality: Powerbeats Pro do not have noise cancellation. For my use case that\u2019s ok, but it could be a problem for others trying to hear audio content in a noisy or windy environment. Although Powerbeats Pro provide some isolation from exterior sounds, you can still have a conversation with others while wearing them. This may be an issue or a feature for you.<\/p>\n<p>Powerbeats Pro come in four colors: Black, Ivory, Navy, and Moss, although as of this writing they\u2019re only available in black \u2014 the other colors are shown as \u201ccoming soon\u201d. Powerbeats Pro are available for sale at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.beatsbydre.com\/earphones\/powerbeats-pro\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">the Beats by Dre website<\/a> for $249.95, a full $50 more than AirPods with the wireless charging case and $90 more than AirPods with the wired charging case. So they\u2019re clearly priced at the high end of earphones in this class.<\/p>\n<h3>Bottom Line<\/h3>\n<p>So in summary, let me list my Pros and Cons of Powerbeats Pro earphones:<br \/>\nThe Pros are:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>They stay in the ears securely during active use,<\/li>\n<li>They provide full control with physical buttons and with Siri,<\/li>\n<li>They\u2019re water &amp; sweat resistant,<\/li>\n<li>They provide great battery life,<\/li>\n<li>And, most importantly, they provide top-notch sound quality.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>While the Cons are:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>They cost a lot,<\/li>\n<li>They have a large charging case that requires a wire for charging,<\/li>\n<li>They have an ear hook that can be annoying for some people, although not me,<\/li>\n<li>And they\u2019re only available in black for now, but other colors will be available later.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>For me, the Pros outweigh the Cons and Powerbeats Pro have become my go-to earphones. I would recommend them to anyone who wants to hear rich sound while being physically active and is willing to pay for it.<\/p>\n<p>So until my next review, that\u2019s it for now, Allison \u2026 and I\u2019ll be sure to Stay Subscribed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Hi folks, this is Steve back with a product review of Apple\u2019s latest wireless earphones, the Powerbeats Pro \u2026 by Beats \u2026 by Dre (ok, that\u2019s clumsy). In this review, I\u2019ll describe the Powerbeats Pro setup and how they fit and function. I\u2019ll discuss how they sound compared with other earphones I\u2019ve used and I\u2019ll [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":18452,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[147,139,1],"tags":[1201,43,959,1731,389,3410,3408,3409],"class_list":["post-18409","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog-posts","category-gadget-review","category-podcasts","tag-airpods","tag-audio","tag-earbuds","tag-earphones","tag-headphones","tag-jabra-eilte-sport","tag-powerbeats-pro","tag-unboxing"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.podfeet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Powerbeats-Pro-Box.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.podfeet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18409","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.podfeet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.podfeet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.podfeet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.podfeet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18409"}],"version-history":[{"count":30,"href":"https:\/\/www.podfeet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18409\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18465,"href":"https:\/\/www.podfeet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18409\/revisions\/18465"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.podfeet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18452"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.podfeet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18409"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.podfeet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18409"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.podfeet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18409"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}