Hands-On With Apple's New Powerbeats Pro Earbuds

Apple's new wire-free Powerbeats Pro are set to launch this Friday after pre-orders became available last week, and ahead of their official debut, we were able to get a pair to test out to find out whether Apple's latest Beats-branded earbuds are worth the $250 price tag.

While Apple is planning to sell the ‌Powerbeats Pro‌ in four colors, including ivory, moss, navy, and black, only the black version is available right now, with the other options coming later in the summer.


‌Powerbeats Pro‌ share many features with the AirPods, but the design is totally different because they're aimed at vigorous physical activity like sports and working out. There are a set of earhooks that wrap around your ear to keep the ‌Powerbeats Pro‌ in place, along with four sets of ear tips for a customized fit.

powerbeatsprosize
Multiple tips means the ‌Powerbeats Pro‌ will fit most people, and while it's early, we found them to be lightweight and comfortable overall, though any earbud is going to cause ear fatigue after long periods of usage. This kind of around the ear fit isn't going to appeal to everyone, and it can take a bit of practice to be able to get them positioned in your ears correctly.

The ‌Powerbeats Pro‌ fit on the ears super securely, and it's unlikely these are going to fall out of your ears during physical activity. ‌Powerbeats Pro‌ fit in the ear canal unlike the AirPods, and will drown out ambient noise, which is something to be aware of. We tested these out with sunglasses and found them comfortable, so these may work well for those who wear glasses regularly.

powerbeatsprodesign
As for sound quality, with the tips positioned correctly in your ears, the ‌Powerbeats Pro‌ sound impressive. Everything is full, crisp, and clear, and parts of songs remain distinguishable. Bass sounds great and is not muddy, which can be an issue with other wire-free headphones.

‌Powerbeats Pro‌ have a carrying case, but it's a lot bigger than the AirPods case. It's not really pocketable, and it's worth noting that wireless charging is not an included feature. You need to charge this case using a Lightning cable. Opening up the case causes the ‌Powerbeats Pro‌ to pair with your device just like the AirPods and thanks to the H1 chip, easy pairing, easy device swapping, and "Hey Siri" support are all ‌Powerbeats Pro‌ features.

powerbeatspropairing
We were impressed with how quickly the ‌Powerbeats Pro‌ were able to pair with an iPhone, and it's worth noting that the Live Listen feature available on the AirPods is also available on ‌Powerbeats Pro‌. Live Listen is designed to let the ‌iPhone‌ serve as a microphone, amplifying the ambient noise around you and beaming it to your earbuds.

Automatic play/pause functionality will pause audio when you remove an earbud and play it again when it's put back in place, a super handy feature, and there are some physical buttons for doing things like playing music, pausing music, adjusting volume (these buttons are at the top) and skipping tracks. Physical buttons are nice, but it's not always easy to use the button on the first try and it takes a bit more effort than the tap controls on the AirPods.

powerbeatsproandcase
‌Powerbeats Pro‌ offer up to nine hours of listening time per earbud along with 24 hours of additional battery life from the charging case, plus there's a fast fuel feature that offers up 1.5 hours of playback with a five minute charge. We haven't had the ‌Powerbeats Pro‌ long enough to test the battery life sufficiently, but we'll be providing more detail in a future video.

So are the ‌Powerbeats Pro‌ worth the $250 price tag? We think the answer is yes if you're looking for a set of earbuds that have a secure, comfortable fit with all of the features offered by the AirPods. They're perfect if you live an active lifestyle or are looking for a more traditional earbud fit than the AirPods offer.

We'll be doing a follow up video comparing the ‌Powerbeats Pro‌ to the AirPods, so make sure to keep an eye out for that tomorrow, and for more info on ‌Powerbeats Pro‌, check out our Powerbeats Pro guide.

Popular Stories

apple watch ultra yellow

What's Next for the Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Apple Watch SE 3

Friday April 25, 2025 2:44 pm PDT by
This week marks the 10th anniversary of the Apple Watch, which launched on April 24, 2015. Yesterday, we recapped features rumored for the Apple Watch Series 11, but since 2015, the Apple Watch has also branched out into the Apple Watch Ultra and the Apple Watch SE, so we thought we'd take a look at what's next for those product lines, too. 2025 Apple Watch Ultra 3 Apple didn't update the...
iPhone 17 Air Pastel Feature

iPhone 17 Air Launching Later This Year With These 16 New Features

Thursday April 24, 2025 8:24 am PDT by
While the so-called "iPhone 17 Air" is not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the ultra-thin device. Overall, the iPhone 17 Air sounds like a mixed bag. While the device is expected to have an impressively thin and light design, rumors indicate it will have some compromises compared to iPhone 17 Pro models, including only a single rear camera, a...
iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 13 New Features

Wednesday April 23, 2025 8:31 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of April 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
iPhone 17 Air Pastel Feature

iPhone 17 Reaches Key Milestone Ahead of Mass Production

Monday April 28, 2025 8:44 am PDT by
Apple has completed Engineering Validation Testing (EVT) for at least one iPhone 17 model, according to a paywalled preview of an upcoming DigiTimes report. iPhone 17 Air mockup based on rumored design The EVT stage involves Apple testing iPhone 17 prototypes to ensure the hardware works as expected. There are still DVT (Design Validation Test) and PVT (Production Validation Test) stages to...
iphone 16 display

iPhone 17's Scratch Resistant Anti-Reflective Display Coating Canceled

Monday April 28, 2025 12:48 pm PDT by
Apple may have canceled the super scratch resistant anti-reflective display coating that it planned to use for the iPhone 17 Pro models, according to a source with reliable information that spoke to MacRumors. Last spring, Weibo leaker Instant Digital suggested Apple was working on a new anti-reflective display layer that was more scratch resistant than the Ceramic Shield. We haven't heard...
Beyond iPhone 13 Better Blue

20th Anniversary iPhone Likely to Be Made in China Due to 'Extraordinarily Complex' Design

Monday April 28, 2025 4:29 am PDT by
Apple will likely manufacture its 20th anniversary iPhone models in China, despite broader efforts to shift production to India, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In 2027, Apple is planning a "major shake-up" for the iPhone lineup to mark two decades since the original model launched. Gurman's previous reporting indicates the company will introduce a foldable iPhone alongside a "bold"...
top stories 2025 04 26

Top Stories: iPhone 17 Air Rumors, Apple Watch Turns 10, and More

Saturday April 26, 2025 6:00 am PDT by
We've known for quite some time about Apple's plans for a thinner "iPhone 17 Air" coming later this year, but wow, the latest dummy models give us our best look yet at just how thin this phone is going to be. Other Apple news and rumors this week included another iOS 18.5 beta, the 10th anniversary of the Apple Watch launch, and more management reshuffling in Apple's Siri division, so read...

Top Rated Comments

Analog Kid Avatar
78 months ago
Why don’t any of these reviews include anything about the sound quality?
Maybe they all do and you’re not reading them?:
As for sound quality, with the tips positioned correctly in your ears, the Powerbeats Pro sound impressive. Everything is full, crisp, and clear, and parts of songs remain distinguishable. Bass sounds great and is not muddy, which can be an issue with other wire-free headphones.
;)
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bruinsrme Avatar
78 months ago
Why don’t any of these reviews include anything about the sound quality?
he mentioned they sound good and the bass isn't muddy, that's something
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
winglet69 Avatar
78 months ago
Not a fan of the "Beats hype", but I can't wear AirPods as they're Just. Too. Uncomfortable. I do think they (AirPods) are the most tightly-integrated true wireless earbuds out there though. I WANT to like them. So I may just end up splashing out for the Beats, I can live with the case size and don't care about wireless charging.

Hell truly hath frozen over. :D
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
calzon65 Avatar
78 months ago
I did not purchase Apple AirPods, but these are impressive. I may be tempted to purchase.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Pepe4life Avatar
78 months ago
Why don’t any of these reviews include anything about the sound quality?
Because these are just glorified unboxing videos
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
costeta Avatar
78 months ago
$250. Hard pass.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)