I’ve used them for strength training, 5k runs, and light walks and haven’t had to adjust them at all after use. When Beats announced these new headphones, the company said the design changes would make the Powerbeats Fit more comfortable to wear throughout the day, and not just when working out. I’ll admit that I didn’t find the previous Beats Fit Pro uncomfortable to wear when I wasn’t at the gym or on the track. Yes, the Powerbeats Fit is now slightly more comfortable and the wingtips are narrower, but the change is subtle. If you initially like the wingtip design, you can easily use the Powerbeats Fit as your daily exercise and training companion.
It’s striking that the Powerbeats Fit comes with an extra pair of earbuds (four instead of the previous three). So once you’ve found the headphones that suit you best, you’re ready to hit the races. In addition to gray and black, you can also choose between two new vibrant colors: orange and pink.
What is the same?
Fortunately, Beats didn’t neglect all the great features of the Fit Pro when developing the Powerbeats Fit. The new earbuds have an IPX4 waterproof rating, which isn’t the highest level of protection on the market, but more than enough to withstand the most intense workouts. The built-in controls in the form of physical buttons remain the same, although I didn’t accidentally activate the buttons on the Powerbeats Fit as often as on the Fit Pro. That may be because all the small changes Beats made to the design paid off: I didn’t fiddle with the new headphones as much as before, and therefore didn’t accidentally press the buttons as often.
The Powerbeats Fit also features Apple’s H1 chip, which enables features such as hands-free Siri, automatic device switching, adaptive equalizer, audio sharing and custom spatial audio with dynamic head tracking. The transparency mode also returns here and remains one of the key features of all Apple wireless headphones. And if you decide to wear the Powerbeats Fit all day, you’ll probably use Transparency Mode even more, as you’ll have to jump in and out of conversations around you. In addition, you can track your new headphones in Apple’s Find My app.
Beats promised no improvement in sound quality with the Powerbeats Fit, and after listening to them side by side with the Beats Fit Pro, I can say that they sound almost identical. When listening to a few songs with the Powerbeats Fit, I noticed an almost imperceptible improvement in voice clarity, but that’s about it. The bass is still punchy and punchy and the headphones sound very loud.
Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) is the same on the new headphones: powerful enough to block out ambient noise around you and the voices of others. When I ran out I could still hear the loudest sounds, like trucks passing by and the strangely loud laughter of the surrounding wildlife, but that was probably for the best. When exercising outdoors, whether in a park or in the city, you should be at least somewhat aware of your surroundings.
Battery life is consistent here too, with Beats promising up to seven hours on a single charge (or six with ANC enabled) and up to 30 hours total when using the Powerbeats Fit charging case. Anecdotally, after a week of using the Powerbeats Fit for an average hour per day, there was still 75% of the battery in the charging case. If you use them all day, every day, you obviously need to turn them on more often. However, if these are primarily your training partners, it may take a week or two before you need to pair them up.
Summary
This is a real upgrade for the Beats Fit Pro. The latter has been one of the best units in the Beats range since its inception and the latest model only improves on that winning formula. They offer a solid balance between a comfortable and safe design, good sound quality and ANC and practical extras at a reasonable price. The latter is probably as important as the earbuds’ ability to withstand a sweaty workout: if you’re looking for many of the AirPods’ conveniences, you’ll find them here in an alternative design and in a pair of earbuds that work just as well with Android devices. If you’re willing to pay more, you can pay $250 to get the full hook style, or both have built-in heart rate monitoring. But for most, this feature will be more of an asset than a necessity.