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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.
- Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.
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.
Hollis Johnson/Business Insider
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.)
One of the biggest changes with the new Powerbeats is the design.
Hollis Johnson/Business Insider
Beats really overhauled the look and feel of the Powerbeats with the new Pro model. They’re sleeker, and they feel more premium. The coating on the outside is that kind of smooth-yet-velvety material that’s pleasing to touch, and they have a bit of heft to them (although they’re not so heavy you’ll hate wearing them).
Beats also upgraded the case, which is now a hard outer shell that can charge up your headphones, just like the AirPods case. It, too, has a luxurious look and feel, and acts as a good ambassador for the headphones inside: expensive-looking, branded — of course — but not ostentatious.
There are two key downsides to the case design, however: For one, Beats didn’t integrate wireless charging into the case itself, so you do still need to plug it in in order to power-up. At least this time around, Beats hopped aboard the proprietary-charger bandwagon, so the case now uses a Lightning cable, just like your iPhone (and it’s black, to boot).
The other downside is the overall heft of the case. This is not a case you can stick in your pocket, or slip into a purse — it is, quite frankly, a hulking hunk of plastic that does nothing to sell the portability of the buds within.
I’ll get to what it’s like to actually use the Powerbeats Pro in a moment, but first, I want to talk about the elephant in the room: ear hooks.
Hollis Johnson/Business Insider
Listen, I know that this design isn’t for everyone. The ear hooks feel like a bit of a throwback, they’re more complicated to put on, and they’re certainly not subtle.
But the ear hooks are also what make Powerbeats Powerbeats, and I’m grateful that Beats didn’t try to eliminate them. Believe me when I say that I care a lot about how something looks when I’m wearing it, and I would be the first to decry a dumb-looking accoutrements on my headphones. But Beats made the design of the Powerbeats Pro as sophisticated as I think it possibly could have, and the result is comfortable and barely noticeable.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
See Also:
- This $8 accessory solves every single problem with the Apple TV remote
- Apple’s design guru Jony Ive designed a lot of unusual things you’d never expect to come from the person behind the iPhone — check them out
- Jony Ive’s departure may be a sign that one of Tim Cook’s top lieutenants is becoming even more powerful
Source: Business Insider – ahartmans@businessinsider.com (Avery Hartmans)