Powerbeats Pro review: The best Apple AirPods alternative you can buy – Business Insider

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Apple-owned Beats introduced the Powerbeats Pro wireless earbuds back in April.
They’re Beats’ first truly wireless earbuds, and they have a revamped design and better battery life than past Powerbeats headphones.
They do have some downsides: namely, a clunky charging case and a lack of long-term comfort.
But I’ve been using the Powerbeats Pro for going on two months, and they’ve quickly become my favorite headphones.
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If you don’t own AirPods at this point, it’s probably for one of four reasons:

You don’t own an iPhone, and you don’t buy into the Apple ecosystem.
AirPods are too expensive.
AirPods don’t fit your ears.
You think AirPods look truly stupid.

Well, Apple’s cooler, hipper younger sister is here to help with at least a few of those reasons.

Enter the Powerbeats Pro, the first fully wireless earbuds from Beats. They look a lot like Powerbeats of years’ past, without the pesky cord connecting them or the clunky, plasticky design. The new Powerbeats are the more sophisticated, more stylish, and more modern version of their predecessors, and they’re also an excellent alternative to AirPods in more ways than one.

I’ve been using the black Powerbeats Pro for going on two months, and they’ve quickly become my favorite and most-used headphones.

Because Beats is Apple-owned, the pairing process was incredibly simple.

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One of the great things about using Beats products is the fact that pairing them with your devices is as easy as pairing any Apple device.

For the Powerbeats, all it required was opening the lid of the case while my iPhone was unlocked — immediately, my phone asked if I’d like to pair my new headphones. (Why yes, I would, thank you.)

There are some comfort issues with the Powerbeats Pro, however.

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If there’s one area where the Powerbeats Pro fell short for me, it was long-term comfort.

I tried wearing the buds on a flight, and by the end, my ears were aching. It wasn’t even a long flight, either — only about 2.5 hours.

The comfort issues aren’t a deal-breaker by any means, since I would mostly use these for working out and commuting anyway. But it might be a downside for distance runners or cyclists, or anyone who prefers buds over over-ear headphones.

There are a handful of other nice perks of the Powerbeats Pro.

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Unlike previous Powerbeats, there’s no on/off button, since they charge in their case at all times. This also meant that Beats was able to make the hand-off between the case and your ear really seamless and futuristic. When you put the buds in your ears, they automatically turn on and are ready to use. And when you’re talking on the phone and want to switch to the Powerbeats, opening the case and putting them in your ear automatically hands off the call to the buds.
Call quality was excellent. I didn’t really have high hopes for the Powerbeats Pro when it came to taking calls, since past Beats earbuds have been, honestly, garbage on that front. But Beats made a lot of improvements with the Powerbeats Pro, and they’re now my go-to headphones when I’m chatting on the phone. (The only downside is that outside noise can sometimes get distorted or amplified for the person on the other end — my boyfriend said that me wrapping up leftovers in tinfoil while we talked on the phone sounded like gunshots to him.)
Believe it or not, they are comfortable to wear with glasses. If you are a glasses-wearer or just want to be able to wear your sunglasses and headphones at the same time, it is possible — nay, comfortable— with the Powerbeats Pro.
Beats added external buttons, so you can leave your phone in your pocket. There are volume and play/pause/skip buttons on both earbuds, which is almost a must-have in 2019.

So, should you buy them?

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It’s an enthusiastic “yes!” from me.

The Powerbeats Pro certainly have their downsides: they’re not comfortable for long stretches of time, their charging case is too big to be as portable as AirPods, and some people may not like the ear hooks. Plus, they cost $250, which is not nothing.

But their revamped, streamlined design, the fact that they stay in no matter what, and their position as an AirPods alternative for Apple users (but they do work with Android phones, too!) make them my new favorite earbuds, and the headphones I use the most overall.

So if you’re on the hunt for excellent wireless earbuds, you’ve found them.