Apple Announces Powerbeats Pro, Launching Soon for $250

[yegon]

Instabuy.

I’ve tried and returned loads of truly wireless alternatives - Samsung, B&O, Jabra, and another I cant remember - but always end up coming back to the AirPods as I found all of these had too many connection/control foibles or were simply outright poor (the B&O ones were absolutely lousy in all regards).

I love the AirPods for certain purposes - calls, podcasts, convenience - but find them severely lacking in noise isolation. Whacking up the volume to max is not good for your ears and they’re effectively useless at my noisy gym, and very poor commuting. Knowing the Powerbeats will perform just like the AirPods albeit in different form factor is killer for me.

Sound quality is a secondary consideration for what I’ll use them for. My Powerbeats 3 have always been adequate for gym use etc. I’ve got the Sony XM3’s for lengthy commuting and at home usage, but no way am I carrying them around for the 80% of the time I’m not carrying a bag.

 

[anson42]

You don't like the sounds of Beats but you like the sounds of airpods??? SMH Lol

To each his own, everybody's ears are different. Personally, I can't stand the AirPods but I know many folks who love them, so there you go. Also, I much prefer in-ears for sound isolation and IMO ultimately better sound.

 

[coolbreeze]

Quarter of a grand and they don’t even have wireless charging? Lol nope. And yikes.

 

[dazz87]

$250.00 why not.............

 

[amirz1000]

Yikes..... $250 is steep.

9 hours of listening isn’t specified if that’s with case recharge or 9 hours of listening “per charge” for each ear piece. AirPods 2.0 get about 4-5 hours and my AirPods 1.0 get (now) about 1.5-3.0 hours of listening per charge.

So, if Apple are advertising 9 full hours of use “per charge,” and they have improved sound performance over the AirPods, it might be worth a look relative to the $250 tag, but there are a lot of options other once u get over $250.

AirPods at $175 (est.) is a tough sell; these at $250 might be impossible. But what do I know about sales and purchasing lol.

In the article:
"The Powerbeats Pro come in their own clamshell-style charging case, which adds over 24 hours of combined playback with the nine hours of listening time that you get from each earbud. There's a 5-minute Fast Fuel feature that provides up to 1.5 hours of playback in five minutes"

 

[Macaddict16]

Any idea on dimensions of the charging case or the actual headphones? Would love to see an authentic comparison between AirPods and Powerbeats Pro. Bought gen 2 AirPods and they work fine, but debating retiring and getting these instead. Or keeping both. Haha

Macaddict16

 

[jimmy_uk]

Way over-priced for a lousy 9 hour play time.
A little smaller than the Powerbeats3. Again, form over function.
Glad I picked up a new, spare set of Pb3’s for $100.

What day do you have where you wear earphones for 9+ hours constantly?

 

[joeblough]

That's why I went with the Jabra Elite 65t and haven't looked back. I don't get the AirPods at all.

cool, i'll look into those.

 

[dazz87]

What makes them Pro? Truly wireless worth $50 more? H1 chip - too much for me

Pro? Its short for Profit

 

[joeblough]

Listen, go on Amazon and get the little covers that have hooks for the AirPods. My ears were the same way. The hooks that go on the AirPods are like $5 for a set of 3 sizes. They aren’t perfect and u have to take them off when U charge the AirPods IN their charging case, but they stay in my ears now 100% without any question or discomfort at all. They hooks are exactly the same as the ones on the back of my BOSE sports and stay in the same way; perfect.

What I do to not lose them is keep my AirPods in a little zip bag that is the same size width as the AirPods case. In the bag I keep the charging case, the rubber hooks, and a lighting cable to charge the case if needed. This keeps everything together (when I use the AirPods I take them out of their case and then take out the hooks, put them on, then put the AirPods in and keep the case and cable on the bag. When I want to recharge the AirPods, I take them out of my ear(s), place them in the charging case, and then put the case and hooks all back in the bag. This also keeps everything dry as well.

This was the BEST $5 I ever spent as I can use the AirPods as designed and enjoy them. And even with the rubber hooks on them while IN my ears, I can still use ALL the features (tap to pause, next track, etc.), use the speaker when answering calls, hear my music perfectly, and use “hey Siri” without any issue at all. It is worth the effort to try and see if this fix works for you; it worked for me and pretty much everyone in my family without “Apple Ears” lol.

i actually preemptively ordered those things when i bought the i12. they 1) didn't help me and 2) having to take them off to charge was a dealbreaker.

basically my ears are totally weird...

edit - or are you talking about the kind that goes over the ear? cause the ones i got just have a hook that goes inside the ear.

 

[rjp1]

Never liked beats sounding headphones so no thanks airpods are for me, some people will be like wow its black now lol but nah beats never sound good to me

You are talking about sound quality and wanting AirPods?

 

[Rlittle89]

...Soon like AirPower soon?

 

[anson42]

What day do you have where you wear earphones for 9+ hours constantly?

I can think of two: Long haul flights and a horrible day filled with conference calls. I use BT earphones on flights but since my current set (BeatsX) only last 5 hours I have to take some down time to charge them, but if they lasted longer, they'd stay in longer. I've been using in-ears for nigh 20 years and they are the only type of earphone I'll use when traveling; the sound isolation / noise reduction is just so much better than any other type of headphone.

The problem I have with the Powerbeats is actually the over ear hooks. I realize they are intended for the gym and other activities but as a wearer of spectacles I'm afraid the comfort level might not be to my liking.

 

[Hieveryone]

I like them and the price is fine with me depending on sound quality but i don't like the design of how you wear them. Seem like they could be uncomfortable for me. I also don't really like wireless. Dont' want the extra signal near my head.

I think airpods are a great design for those that it fits. I know for some people it doesn't fit.

 

[3rdiguy]

9hrs per earbud? Matte black? I’m getting these on DAY ONE

 

[chfilm]

Sigh... all of this would’ve come so nicely together with AirPower. A bitter pill to swallow still.

 

[abrantes09]

Never liked beats sounding headphones so no thanks airpods are for me, some people will be like wow its black now lol but nah beats never sound good to me

I agree with this, but one thing I do appreciate if the volume control. Thats pretty good

 

[wwooden]

I love my AirPods. I'll consider these for the sound isolation, secure fit, volume controls, and battery life. Pricey? Yup. But I'm not surprised. As long as they connect and sync like the AirPods (they will), this might be my first Beats brand product.

 

[triton100]

$14 headphones with $200 worth of marketing

Have you seen the cost of comparable true wireless in ears ? Sennheisser momentum’s are 300.
Why do people comment on things they have no knowledge of. It’s rather baffling

 

[John Connor]

On a purely aesthetic level, that black case just doesn't match all the 4 colours they are releasing. A minor niggle but a niggle nonetheless.

 

[triton100]

These are the best earphones for the gym, they stay secure no matter how much you jump or move. Definitely be picking up a pair now they have no wire at all.

The crazy thing is the Powerbeats still didn’t stay put for me in the gym. So hopefully these will

 

[Jakewilk]

Yikes..... $250 is steep.

9 hours of listening isn’t specified if that’s with case recharge or 9 hours of listening “per charge” for each ear piece. AirPods 2.0 get about 4-5 hours and my AirPods 1.0 get (now) about 1.5-3.0 hours of listening per charge.

So, if Apple are advertising 9 full hours of use “per charge,” and they have improved sound performance over the AirPods, it might be worth a look relative to the $250 tag, but there are a lot of options other once u get over $250.

AirPods at $175 (est.) is a tough sell; these at $250 might be impossible. But what do I know about sales and purchasing lol.

Over 24 hours charge with the charge case, 9 without

 

[baller1308]

Another Coming Soon. Uggghhhh.

Hey, at least reviewers were able to get to see and use them in person.

 

[triton100]

Still happy that I bought the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless earphones a few weeks ago. Slightly more expensive, but the sound is amazing.

I bought the senns a couple of months ago too. They really do sound great. Better than all the others I tried apart from possibly the BOse sports the ones that make you look like shrek. BUT I may sell them if these have an overall better fit and similar sound quality. I think the fit may be better because of the hooks ( as the senns slip out of my ear when I sweat in the gym) but the quality I doubt will be as good. So will be an interesting comparison.
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Have to say these look a bit rubbish and way overpriced, plenty of far better sounding wireless headphones at that price level!
Compared to my Now first gen AirPods I have to wonder if they sound any better and are overly bass heavy?

But it’s all personal taste I guess, still a ridiculous price.

Oh cool how did you get to hear them already to know this ?

 

[baller1308]

Any idea on dimensions of the charging case or the actual headphones? Would love to see an authentic comparison between AirPods and Powerbeats Pro. Bought gen 2 AirPods and they work fine, but debating retiring and getting these instead. Or keeping both. Haha

Macaddict16

The case is much larger. 24 hours total listening time with the case, 9 hours per charge. Headphones are similar in dimension to current Powerbeats, slightly smaller and a little lighter. Apparently sounds better than AirPods.