Beats Fit Pro vs Powerbeats Pro: The Ultimate Wireless Earbud Showdown
Are you searching for the perfect pair of wireless earbuds to fuel your workouts and everyday listening? Two top contenders from the renowned Beats by Dre brand are the Beats Fit Pro and the Powerbeats Pro. While both deliver signature powerful sound in a true wireless design, there are some key differences to consider. In this comprehensive comparison, we‘ll pit the Beats Fit Pro against the Powerbeats Pro and crown a winner.
Design and Comfort
The Beats Fit Pro opts for a more compact design compared to the Powerbeats Pro. Protruding "wingtips" on the Fit Pros nestle into the contours of your outer ear to provide a locked-in fit without the over-ear hooks of the Powerbeats.
Both models come with multiple eartip sizes to customize the in-ear seal. However, the Powerbeats‘ earloops offer the ultimate stability and are ideal if you frequently engage in intense, high-impact exercises. The tradeoff is more weight (0.39 oz vs 0.2 oz each) and a bulkier aesthetic.
For comfort during extended listening sessions, the Beats Fit Pro‘s 30% reduced weight and lower profile allow them to practically disappear in your ears. So they get the edge for all-day wearability.
Winner: Beats Fit Pro for everyday comfort, Powerbeats Pro for extreme athletic stability.
Sound Quality
Beats has upped the ante with refined acoustics in its latest models. Both the Beats Fit Pro and Powerbeats Pro deliver full, rich sound with ample bass. They use the same 9.2mm drivers and support the AAC and SBC Bluetooth codecs.
However, the Beats Fit Pro adds a couple of notable upgrades:
- Active noise cancellation (ANC) to block out external sounds. The Powerbeats Pro relies on passive isolation only.
- Adaptive EQ which automatically tunes the sound based on your unique ear shape.
- Spatial audio with dynamic head tracking for immersive Dolby Atmos content (Apple devices only).
While the Powerbeats Pro still sound excellent, the Fit Pro‘s intelligent adaptive sound and ANC put them a notch above, especially in noisy environments. Phone call quality is similar with dual beamforming microphones on each earbud.
Winner: Beats Fit Pro for ANC and adaptive EQ.
Battery and Charging
With battery life, the Powerbeats Pro reign supreme. They boast up to 9 hours of continuous listening, crushing the Beats Fit Pro‘s 6-7 hours (6 with ANC on). Both models come with charging cases that provide multiple additional charges. But the Powerbeats Pro case stores up to 24 hours of juice compared to 18 from the Fit Pro case.
In terms of charging speed, a 5-minute Fast Fuel charge gives you 1 hour of use from the Beats Fit Pro or 1.5 hours from the Powerbeats Pro. Only the Powerbeats Pro case uses Apple‘s Lightning connector. The Fit Pro case charges via USB-C. Neither case supports wireless charging.
Winner: Powerbeats Pro for longest battery life.
Connectivity
Equipped with Apple‘s H1 chip, both earbuds deliver seamless instant pairing and switching between iCloud-connected devices. Android users don‘t get quite as smooth an experience but still benefit from one-touch pairing and reliable connections.
The Beats Fit Pro does have the advantage of being compatible with Apple‘s audio sharing feature that lets you wirelessly share audio with another pair of Beats or AirPods. The Powerbeats Pro misses this.
Winner: Tie
Durability
If you‘re tough on your earbuds, both of these can withstand your abuse. With an IPX4 rating, the Beats Fit Pro and Powerbeats Pro are equally sweat and water resistant. Feel free to crank out a hardcore gym session – just don‘t submerge them.
The Powerbeats Pro‘s over-ear hooks make them less likely to get knocked out by an errant arm movement. But the Fit Pro‘s lower profile means they probably won‘t get hooked and yanked out in the first place.
Winner: Tie
Controls and Special Features
As you‘d expect from premium earbuds, the Beats Fit Pro and Powerbeats Pro provide a full array of media controls accessible via click buttons on the earpieces. Play/pause, volume, track skipping, call management, and voice assistant activation can all be handled without touching your phone.
That said, the Beats Fit Pro has a few tricks up its sleeve not found on the Powerbeats Pro:
- ANC mode button to toggle between noise canceling and transparency mode
- Ear tip fit test to ensure an optimal acoustic seal
- Find My support to track down lost earbuds
- Customizable controls on Android via the Beats app
The H1 chip enables always-on "Hey Siri" voice activation on both models, but only when connected to an Apple device. The Powerbeats Pro‘s controls are also incompatible with non-Apple voice assistants.
Winner: Beats Fit Pro for bonus features.
Price
Here‘s where the aging Powerbeats Pro has an advantage. With a regular retail price of $249, they often go on sale for much less now that the $199 Beats Fit Pro has arrived as the new flagship.
At the typical $50+ price difference, the Powerbeats Pro are arguably the better value purely for their class-leading battery life. But the Beats Fit Pro‘s superior noise cancellation and additional features are easily worth the premium for those who will use them.
Winner: Powerbeats Pro
The Verdict
For most people, the Beats Fit Pro will be the better buy. Their cutting-edge ANC, adaptive sound, more compact design, and expanded feature set make them some of the best workout and everyday earbuds around. Go with them if you want the latest tech and supreme noise isolation.
Still, the Powerbeats Pro remain a great pick for hardcore fitness fanatics who prize a zero-budge fit and want the longest battery life possible. And you may snag them at a steep discount. Whichever pair you choose, you‘ll be jamming out with classic Beats power and clarity for years to come.
