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There was good reason to believe that 2019 was going to be the year when Apple introduced us to the Apple 2 AirPods – and no, we are not talking about Apple's AirPods half-amplifiers (2019 ).
What we expected from the new generation of Apple's wireless headsets is a thorough overhaul, which analysts have promised for two years.
Unfortunately, we still have not understood it.
However, the new PowerBeats Pro wireless headsets have something special. They share much of the same wireless technologies as the new AirPods, but they are extremely comfortable, have a decent sound and never seem to fall.
Price and release date
The PowerBeats Pro is due out May 10, 2019 and will cost you $ 249 / £ 219 / AU $ 350. They will be available in four colors – Black, Ivory, Foam and Navy – all come with a matching cargo case.
For comparison, the price has increased significantly compared to Apple's AirPods, currently on sale at $ 159 / £ 159 / AU $ 249, and much more expensive than the basic PowerBeats 3 model that can be generally find online at less than $ 100 / £ 100.
Nevertheless, what you get with the PowerBeats Pro is a significantly improved design, a new H1 chip and better sound quality than the PowerBeats 3.
Design
In terms of design, the new PowerBeats Pro has many advantages: it looks sporty, while remaining practical enough to be worn outside the gym.
On each of the two earbuds, the PowerBeats Pro have a center play control button, with the Beats logo on it, and a volume rocker. This means that you can control your music with any free hand, which is a nice feature. (Of course, if Hey Siri is activated, you can simply say the wakeup word with a voice command for the same effect.)
It is also useful for the Pro to be extremely comfortable, not only with regard to its position in and around the ear, but also with regard to the feeling felt when listening to music.
If you have used other true wireless headphones in the past, you may remember feeling a bit of pressure in your ears while listening to music. This is something we have certainly felt while listening to other workout headphones like the Jaybird X4, but this uncomfortable pressure just does not exist with the PowerBeats Pro. It's because of a barometric micro-laser vent in the front chamber that, in Apple's own words, reduces pressure in the ear and improves bass response … even if Beats headphones do not need help for bass levels.
Another factor that contributes to the excellent fit is the finesse of the earphone nozzle: it is smaller than many other truly wireless earbuds on the market and with four different earmuff options There are still many ways to achieve a perfect seal. .
The biggest defect we have found so far with the PowerBeats Pro, and it's something that other critics have also noticed, is that the case of PowerBeats is huge. This is the kind of thing that looks odd in your sports shorts and may be a problem to wear in your pockets. It seems like the helmet is only in its case in your gym bag or locker. It is a little disappointing if you want to wear the Pro while you work in the office.
Apple's response to this claim is that PowerBeats can last up to nine hours between charges and store about two charges in the case. Together, Apple claims that the PowerBeats Pro have a 24-hour battery and should last a few days between refills.
We can not yet know if this really fits this statement, but it's something we'll definitely try before we publish our latest review.
Install
Like other AirPod products, PowerBeats Pro are the most comfortable when paired with other Apple devices. On iOS, pairing the PowerBeats Pro is as easy as opening the case near your iPhone or iPad. Two contacts later and your devices are synchronized.
That said, PowerBeats Pro are not exclusive to Apple and work with Android and Windows 10 devices; all you have to do is hold the pairing button in the charging box and select the PowerBeats Pro on the device you want to pair. There is virtually no difference in sound quality between a paired iOS device (our iPhone 8) and a paired Android device (our Google Pixel 3a XL) because both connections use Bluetooth 5.0.
One of the main reasons you want to use an Apple device is to take advantage of the new H1 wireless chip, the same one just used in Apple's AirPods. Thanks to this technology, you will notice faster pairing times and a hands-free Siri, but you can certainly survive without these features.
Performance
Staying in your ear and quickly connecting to your smartphone is a table issue for Bluetooth headphones. What really matters is the quality of their sound when you move – an area that many popular headphones do not really master.
The good news is that PowerBeats sound good, whether during a workout or when you're out of the gym. Yes, the sound is slightly light if you listen to it, but it's not the kind of thing you'll notice during your workout.
What is more surprising is that the PowerBeats Pro have really lowered the bass this time. They are not quite a flat equalizer, but it's like a soft v-shape that increases the ups and downs with a slight pullback on the midrange. It's a gentle curve for the music to sound reasonably energetic, but not too slanted for movies and shows to be unassailable. In fact, Thor Raganarok sounded great with them.
The problem here, though, is that music – and audio as a whole – is relatively subjective. Our preferences for an equalizer curve will not be to your taste and Apple will not provide you with any tools to change the sound. This can be frustrating if you do not feel like you're hearing enough medium when watching a movie and worse, if you feel your music lacks a glow in the upper register. At the moment, there is no way to add anything in it.
A more practical problem that people might have with PowerBeats is that they are only IPX4 splashproof. This means that they can take a little sweat, perhaps an accidental splash of a bottle of water or someone who jumps into the pool, but they are not waterproof.
Basically, do not plan to take them on your next beach vacation.
Early verdict
After using them for a few days, we believe that the new PowerBeats Pro has a lot to offer: they are very comfortable, they have a battery life of nine hours, work perfectly, stay connected and offer a pleasant sound.
That said, they cost significantly more than other genuine wireless headphones and really can not be adjusted to your liking. They are not waterproof, so they should not be taken near water (goodbye, relax on the beach) and the case of loading is really not practical for the pockets.
We love them a lot more than the new Apple AirPods, and we expect others to feel the same way, but we will still need more time with them before we can do our final assessment.
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