Beats Powerbeats Pro review: Stuck in my head

The Beats Powerbeats Pro aren’t unique, exactly, but there aren’t a lot of earbuds that can hold on for dear life no matter what. Only a few of the best workout earbuds can. Of course, if you’re just going for a jog, you don’t need those hooks. But, for more extreme sports or activities, they’re more ideal as you’re not going to risk losing an earbud.

Since the Powerbeats Pro have been around since 2019, they’re a bit more stripped down than many of the best wireless earbuds, but there’s still a few nifty features available, though one or two are limited to iPhone users. And, despite their age, they’re still somewhat pricey. The biggest omission is a lack of transparency mode or active noise cancellation, which is only slightly offset by the fact that they have spatial audio support. Still, if you need earbuds that won’t go anywhere no matter what, the Beats Powerbeats Pro should be on your shortlist.

Price and availability

Pricey for what they are

The Beats Powerbeats Pro are fairly pricey for workout headphones, costing the same as AirPods Pro. That $249 price tag is pretty high considering you can buy other earbuds with stable over-ear hooks for much less, such as the JBL Endurance Peak 3, which costs only $100.

You’re essentially paying for Apple’s engineering and the Beats brand. Sure, there’s cool Apple-related integration like hands-free Siri support, but Android users won’t be able to take advantage of it.

Design and fit

Ear hooks make for incredibly secure fit

The Powerbeats Pro reviewed here are the Glacier Blue colorway, but at most retailers, you’ll only find black, navy, and ivory finishes (color options used to be a bit more varied). No matter which pair you get, the large charging case only comes in black. Aesthetically, I would have loved for the case and earbuds to match, but that’s just a quibble.

More annoyingly, the large charging case uses a Lightning port to recharge. Of course, you’ll get one included with the earbuds along with a total of four different-sized eartips (including the ones pre-installed). But if you’re like me, you would like to be able to use the same USB-C cable to charge all your peripherals.

Onto the earbuds themselves, their most striking feature is the large earhooks that wrap around the ear. And they’re indeed pretty big, requiring a special maneuver to put them on. I can’t just put them in my ear — I have to essentially screw them on to get them around my ear. However, once the earbuds are on, they are incredibly secure. If you wanted earbuds to use during rock-climbing or sky-diving or some other activity where a normal earbud has no chance of staying in, these would be the way to go.

Since they’re made to be so secure, the comfort is okay but not great as the buds do hug tightly around the ear. They started to hurt my outer ears after about an hour of use. Considering their focus is on a tight, secure fit, I’m not surprised. If you want something that prioritizes comfort, but still makes for a secure fit during less extreme sports like jogging, then something like the Jabra Elite 10 might be the better way to go. Just be aware that with the IPX4 rating, these are sweat-resistant but not waterproof. So, keep that in mind when considering you want to use these for.

Controlling the Beats Powerbeats Pro is straightforward as button presses are the same on either side. There are buttons on the side, allowing you to play/pause, forward, and rewind. There’s also a second button on top of each earbud to control the volume.

Features and app

Hands-free, but only for iOS; multipoint connectivity

First, as far as any kind of app goes, I’m testing the Beats Powerbeats Pro with an iPhone, meaning that it has the same integration as other Apple products. On iOS, there’s no separate app for the Powerbeats Pro. Instead, features, like engaging spatial audio, are done through the phone’s OS.

Of course, this does mean pairing is very easy as the earbuds pop up automatically when first opening the case. All you have to do is press a button to connect when given the option and you’re done. Apple users will appreciate that you can turn spatial audio on and off through settings (you have to go to the settings for the Music app) as well as monitor safe listening levels.

For Android users, however, there is a Beats app to download. The only real feature on hand here is spatial audio. There’s no active noise cancellation or transparency mode, the latter always being an oversight when not included in earbuds meant for sport or working out, so there’s not much that you need to control. But, with the app downloaded, you can easily pair the earbuds by opening the app, then opening the case near your phone.

As far as the feature set goes, the ability to use a voice assistant in hands-free mode is limited to iPhone users since it’s just for use with Siri. However, there are a few features that aren’t locked to iOS: Dolby Atmos-powered spatial audio, auto-play/pause for when you remove earbuds for any reason and then put them back, multipoint connectivity (which works like a treat), and mono earbud use for either earbud.

Performance and audio quality

Polished sound with spatial audio support

The sound quality on the Beats Powerbeats Pro is pretty good. Even though Apple has owned the Beats brand for a while now, it’s important to mention that the infamous, skewed, low-end-heavy frequency response Beats was known for is thankfully no more. That growth is certainly on display here as the low-end is tastefully balanced. If you want hard-hitting bass, you’ll have to EQ these to get it through the Android app or the iOS settings. The high-end is clear and decently detailed.

Probably the most interesting thing about the frequency range is the midrange, which seems slightly recessed to give these earbuds a very clear yet neutral sound. However, while hard to describe, the way the mids are recessed keeps the audio from sounding completely natural, almost like it’s a bit too polished. I’m certainly nitpicking here, but it’s important to realize that while you’re getting good sound with these earbuds, you’re still getting mid-range level audio quality.

As with most earbuds, the soundstage is good and wide enough, but isn’t really a standout. It will probably feel as wide as any other pair of earbuds you’ve used. The sound imaging is also good and on par with other sub-$300 earbuds I’ve come across.

If you use a streaming service like Apple Music that supports Dolby Atmos spatial audio, you can take advantage of that with these earbuds as they support it. While subtle, it’s a nice touch that will make everything sound just a bit more spacious and just a little bigger.

As far as call quality goes, the Beats Powerbeats Pro are better than expected. While my voice wasn’t the detailed sounding when on the phone, it came through clearly and loudly without any of the issues that often plague beam-forming mics used on earbuds, namely sounding like the speaker is far away or hollow.

Battery and charging

Decent battery life with fast charging

The battery life on the Beats Powerbeats Pro is pretty good, lasting a good nine hours before needing to be recharged. While not that surprising as it doesn’t have any battery draining features like ANC on hand, that’s still better than many earbuds even when ANC is off. With the case, you get a total of 24 hours of use, which is somewhat low considering many charging cases offer a total of 30+ hours and aren’t nearly as sizable as the charging case here. Probably the most frustrating part is the fact that you can’t charge with a USB-C cable – you need a Lightning one. There’s no wireless charging, either.

On the bright side, the Beats Powerbeats Pro do have fast charging, so if you need to get some extra juice quickly, five minutes of charging will net one and a half hours of additional time.

The competition

Earbuds with hooks are not hard to find. The JBL Endurance Peak 3 mentioned above are only $99. The sound quality is not quite as balanced as the Beats Powerbeats Pro – they’re a bit too pronounced in the low-end – and they don’t have hands-free voice assistant support, but they do have transparency mode, which is great for anyone looking to use rugged earbuds during a workout while out in public or on a trail.

If you’re hoping for a more fully-featured pair of earbuds, the Beats Fit Pro have active noise cancellation, transparency mode, and fins that fit inside the ridges of the outer ear to stay in place. Maybe not quite as secure as the Beats Powerbeats Pro, but more than secure enough unless you’re playing a contact sport. Plus, they’re $199.

Should you buy them?

The Beats Powerbeats Pro are very good for a very select group of people. The large earhooks are so sturdy, you could probably wear them during a rugby match or football game and not worry about them flying off.

There’s no transparency mode or ANC, unfortunately, so you might not be comfortable using them for a job along a busy street. That said, the sound quality is fairly balanced for workout headphones and the inclusion of spatial audio is a treat. And, the battery life is pretty good, too. So, if you just want some earbuds to use for a jog, you have a lot of options that are more fully featured or cheaper. But, if you want a very, very secure fit for whatever reason, these should do nicely — especially if you have an iPhone.