MacRumors

Apple introduced the first Apple silicon Macs back in 2020, marking the start of its transition away from Intel's chips. Apple's custom chips are Arm-based and are similar to the A-series chips used in iPhones and iPads, making them markedly different from the Intel chips that were used in earlier Macs. Apple finished its transition to Apple silicon after a three-year period in 2023 with the launch of an Apple silicon Mac Pro. At this point, none of Apple's Macs use Intel chips, and Intel chip technology has been entirely phased out.

This guide covers everything you need to know about Apple silicon chips.

Apple Silicon Mac Lineup

All of Apple's Macs use Apple silicon, and Apple is on its third generation M-series chips. The MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, Mac mini, Mac Studio, iMac, ‌Mac Pro‌, and iPad Pro all use variants of the M2, M3, and M4 chips.

M-series chips feature Apple's "System on a Chip" design for the Mac, and it integrates several different components including the CPU, GPU, unified memory architecture (RAM), Neural Engine, Secure Enclave, SSD controller, image signal processor, encode/decode engines, Thunderbolt controller with USB 4 support, and more, all of which power the different features in the Mac.

Apple's current chip lineup includes the M4, M4 Pro, M4 Max, all of which are built on a 3-nanometer process and are upgrades to the M3 chips. The Ultra chip line has not yet been updated to the M4 Ultra, and some of Apple's Macs, like the ‌Mac Pro‌ and ‌Mac Studio‌, still use the prior-generation chip variants.

• M4 - Up to a 10-core CPU, up to a 10-core GPU
• M4 Pro - 14-core CPU, up to a 20-core GPU
• M4 Max - 16-core CPU, up to a 40-core GPU
• M2 Ultra - 24-core CPU, up to a 76-core GPU.

In the case of the M3 Ultra, it is essentially two M3 Max chips that are linked together, which is why it has the specifications of a doubled prior-generation ‌M2‌ Max chip. Apple uses the M4 in its entry-level Macs, including the ‌iMac‌, ‌Mac mini‌, and the entry-level 14-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌. The M4 Pro is for the 14 and 16-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ models and higher-end ‌Mac mini‌ models, while the M4 Max is designed for upgraded ‌MacBook Pro‌ models. The ‌M2‌ Ultra is used in the ‌Mac Pro‌ and the ‌Mac Studio‌, and it will be replaced with an M4 Ultra chip later in 2025.

All of the Apple silicon chips have unified memory that's shared between all chip components to eliminate swapping and improve performance, plus a 16-core Neural Engine and other add-ons like an image signal processor, Secure Enclave for secure booting and Touch ID, and more.

Why Apple Made the Switch

Apple adopted its own Apple silicon chips to make better Macs. Apple's chips bring a whole new level of performance with more powerful Macs that are also more energy-efficient. M-series Macs are much more powerful than Intel Macs ever were, and the battery life is much improved.

Apple Silicon Advantage

Apple has years of experience with power-efficient chip design thanks to its work on the iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch, all of which use custom-designed chips developed by Apple engineers. Apple has made huge gains in processor performance over the years, and its chips are now more than powerful enough to be used in Macs.

Apple aimed to deliver the highest possible performance with the lowest power consumption, a goal that its expertise made it well-suited to achieve. Better performance and efficiency were Apple's main goals, but there are other reasons that the company decided to transition away from Intel, and that includes all of the custom technologies that are built into Apple silicon to further boost the Mac's capabilities and make it stand out from the competition.

Deep integration between software and hardware has always made iPhones stand out from other smartphones, and the same is true for the Mac. Apple's custom chips provide best-in-class security with the Secure Enclave and high-performance graphics capabilities for pro apps and games, but the true performance gains remain to be seen.

Apple silicon chips are built with Neural Engines and Machine Learning Accelerators to make Macs ideal platforms for machine learning. Other technologies include a high-quality camera processor, performance controller, Secure Enclave and ‌Touch ID‌, high-performance DRAM, unified memory, and cryptography acceleration.

Ditching Intel

Apple's pre-Apple silicon Macs used x86 chips from Intel, while its iPhones and some iPads used Arm-based chips. x86 chips and Arm chips like the M-series chips are built using different architectures, so the transition from x86 to Arm has took some effort.

Apple used Intel's chips in its Mac lineup starting in 2006 after transitioning away from PowerPC processors, which meant that Apple was subject to Intel's release timelines, chip delays, and security issues, which at times, negatively affected Apple's own device release plans.

Apple cited platform consolidation and performance advantages as reasons for ditching Intel chips. There were rumors about Apple designing its own Mac chips as far back as 2014, so the decision to stop using Intel chips was in the works for a long time.

Swapping to house-made chips allows Apple release updates on its own schedule and with more regular technology improvements, plus Apple is also able to differentiate its devices from competing products with tight integration between software and hardware, similar to its iOS platform and A-series chips.

Common iOS and Mac Architecture

With Apple designing its own chips for iOS devices and Macs, there is a common architecture across all Apple product lines, which makes it easier for developers to write and optimize software that runs on all Apple products.

In fact, apps designed for the ‌iPhone‌ and the ‌iPad‌ can run on Apple silicon natively, and compatible iOS apps can be downloaded from the Mac App Store on an M1 Mac.

Support for Intel Macs

Apple will continue to release software updates for Intel Macs for years after the transition to Apple silicon, so those who purchased Intel-based Macs will receive macOS updates throughout the life of their machines.

Running Intel Apps on Apple silicon

Most developers have created native apps, but users can run Intel apps even if those apps haven't been updated. For Intel-based apps, Apple uses Rosetta 2, a translation process that runs in the background and is invisible to the user. Rosetta 2 translates existing Intel apps so they work on Macs equipped with Apple silicon quickly, seamlessly, and without issues.

No Boot Camp

Windows does not operate in Boot Camp mode on Macs that run Apple silicon as Microsoft only licenses Windows 10 on Arm to OEMs and has no current plans make an Arm-based version of Windows freely available.

Apple has also said that it does not plan to support Boot Camp on its future Macs. "We're not direct booting an alternate operating system," Apple software engineering chief Craig Federighi said. "Purely virtualization is the route." If, however, Microsoft releases an Arm-based version of Windows that consumers can purchase, things might change.

Apple silicon Macs and Thunderbolt Support

Apple is transitioning away from Intel's chips in its Mac and is instead opting to use Apple silicon chips, but Apple is continuing to support Intel's Thunderbolt USB-C standard. Apple's Macs continue to support Thunderbolt 4 and Thunderbolt 5.

Current Apple Silicon Macs

Every Mac in Apple's lineup uses Apple silicon chip technology. Most use the M4 chip series, ‌MacBook Air‌, ‌Mac Pro‌, and ‌Mac Studio‌ haven't been updated and still use prior-generation chips.

• 13-inch MacBook Air - M3
• 15-inch MacBook Air - M3
• 14-inch MacBook Pro (entry-level) - M4
• 14-inch MacBook Pro - M4 Pro and M4 Max
• 16-inch MacBook Pro - M4 Pro and M4 Max
• 24-inch iMac - M4
• Mac mini - M4 and M4 Pro
• Mac Studio - ‌M2‌ Max and ‌M2‌ Ultra
• Mac Pro - ‌M2‌ Ultra
• iPad Pro - M4
• iPad Air - ‌M2‌

Future Arm-Based Macs

Apple is working on next-generation M5 chip technology, and mass production is under way. The first devices with M5 chips could be introduced as soon as late 2025.

M5 chips will feature an enhanced Arm architecture and are being manufactured on a more advanced 3-nanometer process technology. The M5 will adopt TSMC's System on Integrated Chip (SoIC) technology, which should bring notable improvements to thermal management over the M4 chip options.

The first device to get an M5 chip could be the ‌iPad Pro‌, with Apple expected to introduce new ‌iPad Pro‌ models in late 2025 or early 2026. The ‌MacBook Pro‌ is also a candidate, and rumors suggest it could get an M5 update in late 2025.

M5 versions of the ‌MacBook Air‌ could come in early 206, and the Apple Vision Pro is expected to get an M5 chip either in late 2025 or early 2026.

To follow along with Apple's product update plans, make sure to check out our guide on everything Apple has planned for 2025.

Guide Feedback

Have questions about Apple's work on Apple silicon Macs or want to offer feedback on this guide? Send us an email here.

Apple today released the first beta of iOS 13.3 to developers, and based on early reports from those who have downloaded the new update, it fixes the frustrating multitasking bug that is impacting many iOS 13.2 users.

Last week, we shared details on a number of complaints from iPhone and iPad users running iOS 13.2 that were seeing poor RAM management on their devices.

The issue caused apps like YouTube and Safari to reload more frequently than normal, with the software "aggressively" shutting down background apps and tasks. From MacRumors forum member Rogifan, who describes the problem:

I was watching a video in YouTube on my iPhone 11 Pro. I pause the video to respond to a text message. I was in iMessage for less than one minute. When I returned to YouTube it reloaded the app and I lost the video I was watching. I noticed this a lot on my iPad Pro too. Apps and Safari tabs reloading a lot more frequently than they did in iOS 12. Very annoying.

In the iOS 13.3 beta, this issue may be fixed. Multiple MacRumors readers in our beta bug fixes and changes thread are reporting improvements in multitasking behavior. We've also seen similar reports from Twitter users who are already seeing fewer refreshes. From MacRumors reader The Carny:

Only had it installed for a few minutes so there's plenty of time for horrors to reveal themselves, but I've had no Safari tab refreshes so far. With the amount of app switching I've just done, that simply wouldn't have been the case on 13.2.

More testing will need to be conducted to make sure the issue is fully resolved, but based on multiple similar reports, it looks promising.

The iOS 13.3 beta is limited to developers at this time, but a public beta should be coming in the near future so non-developers can install the new software.

Apple today released an iOS 13.3 beta to developers for testing purposes, and the new update introduces Communication Limits for Screen Time, a feature Apple promised was coming to iOS 13 in a future update.

With Communication Limits, parents can control who their children are able to contact. Communication Limits apply to the Phone, FaceTime, and Messages apps, along with iCloud contacts.

There are settings to control communication during Screen Time, with options to allow just contacts or everyone to be contacted. There's also a toggle that either allows or disallows users to be added to a group chat when a contact or family member is in the group.

There's also a separate setting for communication limits during downtime, which is also able to be set to everyone or just specific contacts.

Finally, there's a toggle for allowing or disallowing contact editing, which can change some of the contact settings.

Regardless of Communication Limits settings, calls to emergency numbers are always allowed and will turn off communication limits for 24 hours when placed.

With the Communication Limits feature, parents will be able to better control who their children are contacting during different periods of the day, cutting off access to friends during school, for example.

There are other smaller tweaks in iOS 13.3, including an option to disable Memoji and Animoji stickers from showing up on the emoji keyboard and a change to the Apple Watch app that shifts the Digital Crown on the icon from black to gray.

\Apple today seeded the first betas of an upcoming iOS and iPadOS 13.3 update to developers, just a week after the release of iOS 13.2 with new emoji, Siri privacy controls, Deep Fusion, and more.

iOS and ‌iPadOS‌ 13.3 can be downloaded through the Apple Developer Center or over the air after the proper developer profile has been installed.

We don't yet know what's new in the iOS 13.3 update, but it likely includes bug fixes for issues not able to be addressed in the prior update. As a 13.x update, it also likely features some feature changes and updates.

What's new in iOS 13.3 beta 1:

- Communication Limits - There are now Communication Limits in the Screen Time section of Settings for limiting who children are speaking with via the Phone, Messages, and FaceTime apps.

- Multitasking Bug Fix - The beta appears to fix the iOS 13.2 issue that was causing apps to refresh more frequently than normal.

- Memoji/Animoji Stickers - In the Keyboards section of the Settings app, there's a new option to prevent Animoji and Memoji Stickers from being displayed on the Emoji keyboard.

- Apple Watch app - The Apple Watch app icon's Digital Crown is now gray instead of black.

Apple is rumored to be working on an updated lower-cost "iPhone SE 2," which is set to be released in 2020. In a new research note to investors highlighting supplier expectations for the new device that was seen by MacRumors, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has shared some sales predictions.

Kuo believes Apple will ship at least 20 million ‌iPhone‌ SE 2 units in 2020, following the device's launch in the first half of the year. An optimistic situation, says Kuo, is 30 million units.

According to Kuo, the ‌iPhone‌ SE 2 will use a 10-layer Substrate-like PCB (SLP) for its motherboard, which will benefit some ‌iPhone‌ suppliers like Pending Holdings, Xinxing, and AT&S despite the fact that it's expected to be a less expensive component than the SLP used in the ‌iPhone‌ 11 series.

In prior research notes, Kuo has shared quite a lot of detail on the "‌iPhone‌ SE 2," which, despite the somewhat misleading name, is actually closer in design and specification to an ‌iPhone‌ 8.

The device will feature a 4.7-inch display, a single-lens rear camera, and a Touch ID fingerprint sensor. It will ship with the same A13 chip that's in the ‌iPhone‌ 11 and 11 Pro, and it will have 3GB RAM.

The only thing that's "‌iPhone‌ SE 2" about the upcoming ‌iPhone‌ is its price, which is expected to be $399. At that price point, it will replace the ‌iPhone‌ 8, which Apple currently sells for $449.

Apple's upcoming low-cost ‌iPhone‌ is expected to be a very popular upgrade option for ‌iPhone‌ users who are still holding on to an older model like an ‌iPhone‌ 6 or 6s and are looking for an affordable upgrade option that offers the same speeds and many of the same features as Apple's flagship devices.

It's also expected to be popular in countries where lower-cost devices sell well, such as India and China.

The new ‌iPhone‌ is expected to come out in the spring of 2020, which would see Apple launching it months ahead of when the new 2020 flagship iPhones come out in September.

New data from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners indicates that 35 percent of iPhone buyers in the United States have a smartwatch, compared to just 16 percent of Android buyers. This suggests that ‌iPhone‌ users are more than twice as likely as Android users to purchase a smartwatch.

Within this percentage of ‌iPhone‌ owners in the U.S., 19 percent own the Apple Watch and 10 percent own a Fitbit. Android owners are more likely to own a Fitbit (5 percent) than a Samsung smartwatch (4 percent).

“Among the relatively small share of all smartphone buyers that have any kind of smartwatch, iPhone buyers are twice as likely to own one than Android buyers,” said Josh Lowitz, CIRP Partner and Co-Founder.

“Not surprisingly, Apple Watch is the leading smartwatch for iPhone buyers, while about half as many own a Fitbit. Until now, Fitbit was a neutral brand, but now becomes part of the Google-Android-Pixel-Nest universe. This creates an interesting new Android entry point into the Apple ecosystem, with a decent percentage of iPhone owners now using a wearable that becomes a more Android-friendly device. Also, among the small percentage of Android owners that have a smartwatch, Samsung and Fitbit have roughly equal shares.”

Google just announced its plan to acquire Fitbit for $2.1 billion, planning to release a new "Made by Google" wearables category that includes Fitbit devices.

For Apple, CEO Tim Cook recently stated that Apple set new fourth quarter revenue records for its wearables in every market, based on strong sales for Apple Watch and other devices like AirPods and Beats headphones.

CIRP based its findings on a survey of 500 mobile phone buyers in the United States, surveyed from September 29 through October 10, 2019. Those surveyed activated a mobile phone in the U.S. in the July to September 2019 period.

Almost a quarter of Apple customers in the U.S. own an Apple TV, according to new data shared by Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP). As reported by Cult of Mac, the survey asked U.S. Apple customers which devices they own, and ‌Apple TV‌ came out top in the "Other Products" category, suggesting the set-top box is more widely used than AirPods and Apple Watch.

"Apple TV is the most popular of the gadgets among the Other Products, with about one-quarter of current customers owning one," said Mike Levin, CIRP partner and co-founder. "Apple TV has been around for many years, so we're not surprised that it has achieved this penetration."

Apple Watch came in second in the Other Products category, with around 20 percent of Apple customers owning the iPhone accessory, while less than 10 percent of customers own a pair or AirPods.

It's important to note that the survey doesn't tally new sales, but devices that are in use as of September 2019, regardless of when they were purchased. Even so, the results show a several percentage point rise in ‌Apple TV‌ penetration over the last year.

That bodes well for ‌Apple TV‌+, the company's streaming service which launched on November 1 featuring $2 billion worth of original programming. For $4.99 per month, ‌Apple TV‌+ subscribers can watch Apple Originals on their television via Apple's set-top box. The service is also available on iOS devices and Mac via the TV app, as well as select Samsung smart TVs and Roku and Amazon Fire TV devices.

As for HomePod, Apple's $299 smart speaker "trails both Amazon Echo and Google Home, even among Apple customers," noted Levin. Apple cut the price of ‌HomePod‌ by $50 in April, down from $349. Apple does not disclose exact ‌HomePod‌ sales figures.

Rumors have suggested that Apple is considering a more affordable version of the ‌HomePod‌ that could be priced as low as $150, but it's not clear if and when Apple might release such a speaker.

CIRP bases its findings on a survey of 500 U.S. Apple customers, surveyed from September 29 to October 10, 2019 that purchased an Apple device in the U.S. in July-September 2019 period.

Apple TV+ has the highest 4K streaming quality offered by a streaming service that supports 4K, according to testing conducted by FlatpanelsHD founder Rasmus Larsen.

Larsen says that the ‌Apple TV‌+ offers higher quality 4K streaming than most iTunes movies, based on averages of the variable bitrate employed by the service.

"See" had the highest bitrate of an ‌Apple TV‌+ show tested, averaging a 29Mb/s video bitrate and a 41Mb/s peak.

"The Elephant Queen" averaged right around 26Mb/s for video bitrate, and other content, such as "Snoopy in Space" also performed well.

According to Larsen, the ‌Apple TV‌+ offers 1.5 to 2x the video bitrate of a typical HD Blu-ray disc and around half of a typical UHD Blu-ray disc.

Comparatively, Netflix's 4K bitrate appears to max out at right around 16Mb/s, though Netflix requires a 25Mb/s connection to stream 4K content.

Apple in late October 2019 surprised us with an upgraded version of the AirPods called the AirPods Pro, which feature Active Noise Cancellation, superior sound quality, and an all-new design.

Apple's AirPods Pro are its second set of headphones to feature the "Pro" moniker, following the Beats-branded Powerbeats Pro earbuds that Apple released back in April 2019. In this guide, we'll go over all of the differences between the AirPods Pro and the Powerbeats Pro.

AirPods Pro Design vs. PowerBeats Pro Design

The AirPods Pro are designed for casual use, while the ‌Powerbeats Pro‌ are aimed specifically at those who are using them for workouts like running, biking, and trips to the gym.

Design wise, the AirPods Pro look similar to the AirPods 2 but with a much shorter stem and a tweaked body design that incorporates flexible silicone ear tips, a first for the AirPods line. The silicone ear tips snap right onto the base of the AirPods Pro, allowing for a comfortable fit and Active Noise Cancellation technology.

Apple designed the silicone tips of the AirPods Pro to ensure a comfortable fit in most ears, with the design aimed at conforming to the contours of each individual ear for a superior seal.

AirPods Pro have also been designed with what Apple is calling an "innovative vent system" that's meant to equalize pressure within the ear to minimize discomfort that's common in other in-ear designs.

Apple says that AirPods Pro will make you feel like there's nothing in your ears, and in testing, we have found the AirPods Pro to be more comfortable than the ‌Powerbeats Pro‌, especially over long periods of use.

The ‌Powerbeats Pro‌ also use silicone ear tips much like the AirPods Pro, but they're designed for fitness, also incorporating earhooks that fit over the ears to secure them in place.

‌Powerbeats Pro‌ come with four tip sizes, rather than three, also offering a customized fit for each user. ‌‌Powerbeats Pro‌‌ are meant to stay in the ears during vigorous activity, and Apple says that it tested over 20 designs before settling on the current design that fits most people.

AirPods Pro and ‌Powerbeats Pro‌ both come in charging cases. The AirPods Pro charging case is larger than the charging case for the AirPods 2, but it's still quite a lot smaller than the case for the ‌Powerbeats Pro‌, which is huge.

The ‌Powerbeats Pro‌ clamshell-style case is much larger because it has to incorporate the earhooks, which makes it almost unpocketable. The AirPods Pro case fits comfortably in a pocket.

Active Noise Cancellation

One of the key features of the AirPods Pro is Active Noise Cancellation (ANC), and this marks the first time that Apple has built ANC technology into earbuds. The feature has been previously used in over-ear Beats headphones, but not earbuds, including the ‌Powerbeats Pro‌.

The ‌Powerbeats Pro‌ have silicone ear tips and offer noise isolation properties, but noise isolation is nowhere near as powerful as Active Noise Cancellation.

ANC uses two microphones and Apple's software algorithms to adapt sound to each user's ears. One microphone is outward-facing and designed to detect external sound to let the AirPods Pro analyze and cancel out environmental noise, while a second inward-facing microphone listens to sounds towards the ear to fine tune the noise cancellation.

AirPods Pro with Active Noise Cancellation can drown out a lot more sound than the ‌Powerbeats Pro‌ with simple noise isolation.

AirPods Pro also have a Transparency mode that's designed to tweak the Active Noise Cancellation algorithms so that you can continue to hear what's going on around you, useful for situations like commuting, listening for traffic, and more.

There is no ‌Powerbeats Pro‌ feature for filtering in ambient noises, which is something to be aware of as the ‌Powerbeats Pro‌ can drown out exterior sound with the volume turned up high enough.

Sound Differences

When announcing the ‌Powerbeats Pro‌, Apple said that sound was a focus. The ‌Powerbeats Pro‌ are designed to offer powerful, balanced audio with pure sound reproduction, enhanced clarity, and improved dynamic range.

Superior sound is also a selling point of the AirPods Pro, and the AirPods Pro have an Adaptive EQ feature.

Adaptive EQ tunes the low- and mid-frequencies of music that's playing to the shape of each person's ear for what Apple says is a rich and immersive listening experience.

The AirPods Pro feature a custom high dynamic range amplifier to produce pure, clear sound, along with a custom high-excursion low-distortion speaker driver that optimizes audio quality and removes background noise.

In our testing, we didn't find a significant difference in sound quality between the ‌Powerbeats Pro‌ and the AirPods Pro, as both offer sound that's quite good. The ‌Powerbeats Pro‌ are a bit warmer and slightly more bass heavy whereas the AirPods Pro sound more neutral to our ears.

AirPods Pro have less bass, but the sound profile allows all of the instruments to be heard clearly and distinctly.

Physical Buttons

The AirPods Pro feature a Force Sensor on the stem, a control method that's unique compared to the ‌Powerbeats Pro‌ and the AirPods 2.

The Force Sensor supports press-based gestures, so you can press once to play or pause music, press twice to skip forward on a track, press three times to skip backwards, or press and hold to switch between Active Noise Cancellation and Transparency mode.

The ‌Powerbeats Pro‌ are quite a bit larger than the AirPods Pro and thus have the space for physical buttons. There are buttons for adjusting volume, changing the song track, and accepting or declining an incoming call.

The AirPods Pro have no on-device option for adjusting the volume, and that's something that needs to be done using a connected device.

Water Resistance

AirPods Pro and ‌Powerbeats Pro‌ both feature IPX4 water resistance, which means they can hold up to water splashing against the enclosure from any direction, but can still fail when immersed in water.

With an IPX4 water resistance rating, the AirPods Pro and the ‌Powerbeats Pro‌ can survive sweat exposure, but rain, swimming pools, and other excessive moisture should be avoided.

Apple's warranties do not cover water or sweat damage, which is something to be aware of.

Powerbeats Pro Colors vs. AirPods Pro Colors

Despite rumors suggesting the AirPods Pro would come in multiple colors, Apple only released them in white.

‌Powerbeats Pro‌‌ come in Black, Ivory (an off white shade), Navy, and Moss (an olive green). ‌AirPods Pro‌ also feature a white charging case while all ‌‌Powerbeats Pro‌‌ models ship with a black charging case.

Price Difference

‌Powerbeats Pro‌ are priced at $249, as are AirPods Pro, but you can often find deals that drop the price of the ‌Powerbeats Pro‌ by $50.

Processor, Sensors, and ‌Siri‌ Support

AirPods Pro and ‌Powerbeats Pro‌ both use Apple's H1 chip, offering simple setup, fast switching between devices, low latency, and hands-free "Hey Siri" support.

‌‌Powerbeats Pro‌‌ and AirPods Pro have all of the same sensors and features that come with the H1 chip, including ear detection that plays/pauses music appropriately based on position.

The H1 chip in the AirPods Pro has a unique design because it was engineered to be in the shape of the AirPods Pro earbud, with the design dictating the internal component arrangement instead of the other way around.

Phone Calls

AirPods Pro feature a speech-detecting accelerometer and beamforming microphones designed to filter out noise when you're making a phone call or a ‌Siri‌ request, and ‌Powerbeats Pro‌ also have a similar feature.

Both earbuds have dual beamforming microphones, with the microphones in the ‌Powerbeats Pro‌ positioned on each side to make up for the lack of a stem like the AirPods Pro have.

Calls on both the AirPods Pro and ‌Powerbeats Pro‌ are crisp, clear, and sound great with little difference between them.

Battery Life

Battery life is the main area where the ‌Powerbeats Pro‌ have a significant edge over the AirPods Pro.

Each ‌Powerbeats Pro‌ earbud offers nine hours of listening time, a full four and a half hours longer than the AirPods Pro promise.

AirPods Pro offer 4.5 hours of battery life when Active Noise Cancellation is turned on, or five hours of battery life when it's turned off.

Both the AirPods Pro and the ‌Powerbeats Pro‌ have battery cases that extend battery life to over 24 hours, but you can get much longer listening time with the ‌Powerbeats Pro‌.

Live Listen

‌Powerbeats Pro‌‌ and ‌AirPods Pro‌ both support the Live Listen feature for using the earbuds as a directional microphone.

Charging

The AirPods Pro and the AirPods Pro Wireless Charging Case can be charged using the included USB-C to Lightning cable or a Qi-based wireless charger.

The ‌Powerbeats Pro‌ case does not support Qi-based wireless charging and must be charged with a Lightning cable.

The ‌‌Powerbeats Pro‌‌ have a Fast Fuel feature that adds 1.5 hours of music playback after five minutes of charging and 4.5 hours of playback after 15 minutes of charging.

The AirPods Pro also have a fast charging feature that offers around an hour of listening or talk time after charging for five minutes.

Comparison Chart

Here's an at-a-glance comparison chart that gives a quick overview of the differences between the ‌AirPods‌ Pro and the ‌‌Powerbeats Pro‌‌.

Bottom Line

With the same $249 price point, the AirPods Pro are superior to the ‌Powerbeats Pro‌ because of the Active Noise Cancellation feature.

For casual, everyday use, the AirPods Pro edge out the ‌Powerbeats Pro‌, but for athletes and those who need the secure fit of earhooks and the much longer battery life, the ‌Powerbeats Pro‌ win out.

Fit is subjective, so some people may prefer the fit of the ‌Powerbeats Pro‌ over the AirPods Pro or may not care about Active Noise Cancellation.

The AirPods Pro are smaller and more convenient to carry and offer wireless charging, while the ‌Powerbeats Pro‌ come in more colors.

Choosing between AirPods Pro and ‌Powerbeats Pro‌ will ultimately come down to the fit that you prefer and the set of features that you want.

More Info

For more details on the ‌‌Powerbeats Pro‌‌, make sure to check out our full Powerbeats Pro guide, and for more info on the AirPods Pro, make sure to check out our AirPods Pro roundup.

We also have a comparison between the AirPods and AirPods Pro and the Powerbeats Pro and AirPods.

Guide Feedback

Have questions about AirPods Pro or ‌Powerbeats Pro‌ or want to offer feedback on this guide? Send us an email here.