I have had my Powerbeats Pro for about a week now and after a bit of a rocky start and an adjustment period, I find them to be almost perfect headphones. When I first put them on, I was wildly disappointed. They were uncomfortable and sounded tinny with no bass at all. I genuinely believed I would be returning them and getting second gen Air Pods instead. But, given how excited I was for the Powerebeats Pro to come out and the cost, I decided to put in a little effort and give them a chance. It wasn't until about 3 or 4 days in that I decided to keep them.
So, if you are like me and think your new Powerbeats Pro sound like garbage when you first put them on and you wonder if all the positive reviewers are high, experiment with all the tips before dismissing the headphones as crap. In-ear buds need a good seal to sound good. I have freakishly small ears so I always start with the smallest tip available when trying out new headphones which usually works for me. Not this time. It sounded awful and I was briefly outraged that I had paid $250 for garbage. It was counter-intuitive, but I finally tried the biggest tips instead which gave me a good seal and let me wear the headphones without having to go as deep into my ears which made them more comfortable too. Once I found the right fit with a good seal, I discovered that yes, in fact, these things do actually have some nice ear-thumping bass. I think the bass is better than original Air Pods but also not overwhelming as Beats products have a reputation for being. It's satisfyingly skull shaking without being distorted and is balanced out nicely by clear highs. I'm not an audiophile by any means, but I won't listen to any old crap either. I like a little bass and good clarity and the Powerbeats Pro deliver.
My biggest issue with these is comfort. As I mentioned, I have freakishly small ears and while I have been using Air Pods for a couple years, I was doing so with discomfort. I put up with a little paind because of the convenience of function. I love the automatic connection, the ability to use one bud at a time and charging on the go in the case. So, when I first read about the Powerbeats Pro, I was expecting something that would have the convenience of Air Pods with better comfort and something that wouldn't fall out of my ears all the time. Generally, I do okay with headphones that have different sizes of silicone tips so I was expecting the Powerbeats Pro to be a comfort upgrade. Initially, they actually hurt my ears more than Air Pods, especially my right ear. I fully blame this on my freakishly small ears. I'm one of those people who often finds "one size fits all" to be laughably ridiculous. Again, I was determined to love these things so I tinkered a bit to find an acceptable level of discomfort. The largest tip allows me to get a good seal without having to put them in so deep, relieving some pressure and cutting down on pain. When I first tried them, I could only last about 20 minutes before the pain forced me to take them out. After adjusting to find a good angle and replacing the silicone tips with Comply Sport tips, I'm a lot more comfortable and can last 2 or 3 hours before I feel discomfort. Even then, I would call it discomfort and not outright pain. It's discomfort I can live with and not any worse than what I experience with Air Pods. Also, my discomfort is only in my right ear instead of both like I get with Air Pods. Since I go with one bud a lot of the time, I'll just use the left one. No biggie. I can't blame the manufacturer for my tiny ears which is why I'm not taking away a star.
On the plus side, the fit is very secure. I have worked out in them several times and they don't budge. I never could work out in Air Pods because they fell out all the time. I can also wear these while laying down which I couldn't do in Air Pods without them falling out periodically. Also, the connection is great. Original Air Pods used to randomly lose connection or not connect when they were supposed to. The chip upgrade in the Powerbeats Pro seems to have resolved this little annoyance. They connect faster and after a week, I haven't experienced a drop or glitch once.
The Powerbeats Pro do come with a tradeoff when it comes to the size of the case. If you are used to carrying around Air Pods in your pocket in their tiny case, forget about it with Powerbeats Pro. The case is significantly larger. It goes in a bag or purse without taking up a ton of room but it's too big to fit comfortably in a pocket. The extra battery life for Powerbeats is nice though. I frequently use one bud at a time and used to drain an Air Pod and have to switch ears regularly. I'm using the Powerbeats Pro the same way and haven't drained a bud yet. I'm okay with the bigger case since the better battery life makes me feel secure about leaving the case at home when I need to go bagless.
So in summary, these are the best sounding buds I have used. They are super convenient, easy to connect and won't fall out of your ears. If you have normal human sized ears, they will probably be comfortable and the battery life is great. You have to deal with a bigger case but the positive improvements over Air Pods make the size trade-off worth it. If you don't hear the bass, try different tips and twist them around a bit before you give up. Hopefully you won't have to work as hard at it as I did to find your happy place with Powerbeats Pro but the effort has been worth it. These are really great headphones and worth the price.
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| Price | From: $149.95 | From: $179.95 | From: $169.95 | From: $159.95 |
| Ratings | (7) | (7,282) | (2,718) | (37,185) |
| Form-Factor | On-ear Headphones | Over-ear Headphones | Wireless earbuds | Wireless earbuds |
| Fit | UltraPlush on-ear cushions | UltraPlush over-ear cushions | 4 ear tip sizes (XS, S, M, L) | 3 ear tip sizes (S, M, L) |
| Battery Life (listening time on one charge) | Up to 50 hours of listening time | Up to 40 hours of listening time | Up to 9 hours of listening time | Up to 7 hours of listening time |
| Battery Life (listening time with charging case) | Up to 36 Hours | Up to 36 Hours | ||
| Fast Fuel Charging | 10-min charge = 5-hour playback | 10-min charge = 4-hour playback | 5-min charge = 1-hour playback | 5-min charge = 1-hour playback |
| On-Device Controls |
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| Active Noise Cancelling and Transparency Mode |
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| Personalized Spatial Audio with Dynamic Head Tracking |
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| Lossless Audio |
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| Sweat & Water Resistant |
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| In-Ear Detection |
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| Chip Platform | Beats Proprietary Platform | Beats Proprietary Platform | Beats Proprietary Platform | Apple H1 Platform |
| Charging Port | USB-C | USB-C | USB-C with charging case | USB-C with charging case |
Reviews with images
Love them
I had them for almost two year and there the best I have no regrets buying them I jus got a second pair for my daughter she’s going to love them for sure
Top reviews from the United States
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Reviewed in the United States on June 3, 2019
Color: BlackStyle: Powerbeats ProSet: Without AppleCare+Verified Purchase
Reviewed in the United States on November 12, 2020
Color: BlackStyle: Powerbeats ProSet: Without AppleCare+Verified Purchase
Top reviews from other countries
Kassandra
Cautiously optimistic
Reviewed in Canada on December 2, 2023Color: NavyStyle: Powerbeats ProSet: Without AppleCare+Verified Purchase
Moises Kasparian
Recomendo
Reviewed in Brazil on December 17, 2021Color: BlackStyle: Powerbeats ProSet: Without AppleCare+Verified Purchase
Kindle Customer
Not worth the price
Reviewed in India on February 23, 2024Color: BlackStyle: Powerbeats ProSet: Without AppleCare+Verified Purchase
Chaitan Rao
Charging Earphones is Very Difficult
Reviewed in Singapore on November 30, 2020Color: NavyStyle: Powerbeats ProSet: Without AppleCare+Verified Purchase
shosie
Comfortable to wear
Reviewed in Australia on October 3, 2020Color: NavyStyle: Powerbeats ProSet: Without AppleCare+Verified Purchase
