The Beats Powerbeats Pro Truly Wireless are sports earbuds with an ear hook design that helps keep them stable on your head during more intense exercises. An IPX4 rating also assures their protection from water splashes during hard runs outside. If you're an iPhone user, their H1 chip allows for seamless pairing with iOS devices, access to Spatial Audio via Apple Music, and compatibility with hands-free voice controls.
Our Verdict
The Beats Powerbeats Pro are good for neutral listening. They have a well-balanced sound profile with adequate bass and mid response, though their treble range veils voices and dulls sibilants. Their in-ear design won't be ideal for neutral listeners who care about soundstage, though, and you can't customize the sound since their companion app doesn't feature an EQ or presets.
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Very stable ear-hook design for sports.
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Good audio reproduction.
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Comfortable in-ear fit.
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Good control scheme.
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Lower IP rating than other sports headphones.
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Poor isolation performance.
The Beats Powerbeats Pro are acceptable for commuting. The Powerbeats Pro are comfortable enough for your daily commute, and you'll also have enough battery life for long trips. However, they don't do a good job of isolating against ambient noise. They won't block out the deep rumble of a bus engine and will let a lot of noise seep into your audio.
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Very stable ear-hook design for sports.
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Good audio reproduction.
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Comfortable in-ear fit.
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Good control scheme.
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Lower IP rating than other sports headphones.
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Poor isolation performance.
The Beats Powerbeats Pro are great for sports. These headphones are designed for physical activity. Their ear-hook design is stable and doesn't move around during intense sports. Like most in-ears, they are also very breathable, and you won't sweat more than usual when wearing them during your workouts. They have nice physical controls that are easy to use, even when being active. They are easy to carry around, but their case is a bit bulky, though this won't be a problem if you put it in a gym bag.
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Very stable ear-hook design for sports.
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Good audio reproduction.
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Comfortable in-ear fit.
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Good control scheme.
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Lower IP rating than other sports headphones.
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Poor isolation performance.
The Beats Powerbeats Pro are decent for the office. They have a long battery life and are quite comfortable to wear for long listening sessions. Unfortunately, they don't isolate well against ambient chatter and can become slightly leaky at high volumes. However, this won't be a problem if you don't blast your music or work from home.
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Very stable ear-hook design for sports.
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Good audio reproduction.
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Comfortable in-ear fit.
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Good control scheme.
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Lower IP rating than other sports headphones.
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Poor isolation performance.
The Beats Powerbeats Pro are sub-par for gaming; these headphones aren't designed for this use. Their latency will be too high for video games, and their microphone won't suit online multiplayer games.
The Beats Powerbeats Pro are wireless earbuds; you can't use them wired.
The Beats Powerbeats Pro are mediocre for phone calls. Their mic makes your voice sound muted and loses a lot of detail. They also can't separate your voice from louder background noise, so you won't be as understandable if taking a call from a busy street or subway station.
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Very stable ear-hook design for sports.
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Good audio reproduction.
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Comfortable in-ear fit.
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Good control scheme.
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Lower IP rating than other sports headphones.
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Poor isolation performance.
- 7.6 Neutral Sound
- 6.9 Commute/Travel
- 8.3 Sports/Fitness
- 6.7 Office
- 5.9 Wireless Gaming
- 5.7 Wired Gaming
- 6.3 Phone Calls
- Updated May 17, 2024: The Build Quality and Battery sections have been updated to note reports of corrosion from sweat and charging issues.
- Updated Jan 18, 2024: We've lowered the score of App Support to reflect the limited capacity of the app.
- Updated Oct 20, 2023: Made a note that the newly-reviewed Jabra Elite 8 Active True Wireless have a better build quality and a higher IP rating for dust and water resistance.
- Updated Sep 07, 2023: We've updated this review for improved accuracy and to better align with current writing standards.
- Updated Mar 20, 2023: We've added a comparison between these headphones and the JBL Endurance Peak 3 True Wireless in Compared To Other Headphones.
- Updated Jul 22, 2021: Converted to Test Bench 1.5.
- Updated Feb 05, 2020: Converted to Test Bench 1.4.
- Updated Nov 21, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.1.
- Updated Nov 21, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.
- Updated Jun 21, 2019: Review published.
- Updated Jun 19, 2019: Early access published.
- Updated Jun 19, 2019: Our testers have started testing this product.
- Updated Jun 17, 2019: The product has arrived in our lab, and our testers will start evaluating it soon.
- Updated Jun 14, 2019: We've purchased the product and are waiting for it to arrive in our lab.
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The Beats Powerbeats Pro are available in three colors: 'Black', 'Navy', and 'Ivory'. We tested the 'Black' unit and expect other variants to perform the same.
If you encounter another variant, let us know in the forums, and we'll update our review.
Compared To Other Headphones
The Beats Powerbeats Pro are great sports headphones that set themselves apart by their neutral audio reproduction, great battery life, and very stable ear hook design. They have a more comfortable fit than the similarly designed JBL Endurance Peak 3 True Wireless and are stable enough for tough workouts or runs in the park. Unfortunately, they don't create a very tight seal and can't passively isolate against much ambient noise.
See our suggestions for the best true wireless earbuds, the best Bluetooth earbuds, and the best wireless headphones for working out.
The Beats Powerbeats Pro Truly Wireless and the Beats Studio Buds True Wireless have different strengths, and you may prefer one over the other. While both headphones are comfortable, the Powerbeats are better for sports as they have a very stable in-ear fit. They also have a longer continuous battery life and an H1 chip so that you can seamlessly pair them up with other devices in your Apple ecosystem. However, the Studio Buds are better for commutes or in-office use. They have ANC, and while it offers a disappointing performance, it can still block out more background noise than the Powerbeats. They also leak less audio.
The Beats Powerbeats Pro Truly Wireless and the JBL Endurance Peak 3 True Wireless have different strengths and, depending on your preferences, you may enjoy either pair. The Beats are worth considering if you're already in the Apple ecosystem since they have an H1 chip for seamless pairing with iOS devices. They're also significantly more comfortable and have a more neutral sound profile, which some users may prefer. However, the JBL are better built with a higher IP rating for water resistance. They have a better overall battery performance, and their sound can be customized to your liking using their companion app's graphic EQ and presets.
The Beats Powerbeats Pro Truly Wireless have better sound reproduction than the Apple AirPods Pro Truly Wireless. The Beats also have a better control scheme, a great battery life, and a more sports-friendly ear-hook design. On the other hand, the Apple feel a bit more premium, have significantly better noise isolation thanks to their ANC, and have a much smaller and more portable design.
The Beats Powerbeats Pro Truly Wireless and the Shokz OpenFit True Wireless are sports headphones with different strengths, so depending on your usage, you may prefer either one. While both buds are similarly well-built, comfortable, and stable, the Beats have an in-ear fit, so they can block out a bit more sound. They have a more neutral overall sound, a longer-lasting continuous battery life, and an H1 chip for seamless pairing with your Apple devices. Conversely, the Shokz have an open-ear fit, so they don't block out any background noise and allow you to monitor your surroundings when exercising outside. They also have a more customizable sound, thanks to their companion app's graphic EQ and presets.
The Beats Powerbeats Pro Truly Wireless are better wireless headphones for sports and fitness than the Beats Flex Wireless. The Powerbeats Pro have a more stable fit and a better-balanced sound profile. Their carrying case also offers an additional charge, giving them over 22 hours of continuous battery life, and feature a standby mode to conserve battery life when not in use. However, the Flex isolate against more noise and leak less sound.
The Beats Powerbeats Pro Truly Wireless ear hook design makes them slightly better for sports use than the Jabra Elite 75t Truly Wireless. While they both have a well-balanced sound profile, the Beats are slightly more neutral while the Jabra are a bit more thumpy and excited sounding, so you may prefer either. They're both good for use at the gym, but the Beats can handle more strenuous workouts thanks to their more stable ear hook fit. The Beats also have a better single battery life of 11.4 hours, but the Jabra get more charges from their case. The Jabra also isolate noise much better as they have an ANC feature, and their app offers a graphic EQ, which the Beats doesn't have.
The Beats Powerbeats Pro Truly Wireless are slightly better headphones than the Bose SoundSport Free Truly Wireless. The Beats have an easier to use control scheme, and their ear-hook design is more stable for sports. Additionally, they have a noticeably better battery life on a single charge and have better wireless range. On the other hand, some may prefer the earbud fit of the Bose, which doesn’t enter your ear canal as deeply. Also, even if their case is quite bulkier, it's easier to carry around than the Beats’ case. The Bose are open-back headphones, which mean they barely isolate against ambient noise, but even the closed-back Powerbeats aren’t great in that regard.
The Beats Powerbeats Pro Truly Wireless and the Bose Sport Earbuds Truly Wireless are both impressive for sports and fitness, but the Beats are better for mixed usage. The Beats have a longer continuous battery life. However, the Bose are better-built, more stable, and they leak less noise.
The Beats Fit Pro True Wireless offer more features than the Beats Powerbeats Pro Truly Wireless. The Fit Pro have a more neutral sound profile, which some users may prefer, a virtual soundstage feature, and ANC, which can block out more ambient noise. However, the Powerbeats Pro are more comfortable and have a better battery performance.
The Beats Powerbeats 4 Wireless are similarly performing headphones to the Powerbeats Pro Truly Wireless. Although the Powerbeats 4 have a neck cable and they lack a carrying case that can hold additional charges, they have a similarly balanced sound and ear-hook design. The Powerbeats 4 also have a longer continuous battery life but they lack a stand-by mode like the Powerbeats Pro.
The Beats PowerBeats Pro Truly Wireless and the Jabra Elite 8 Active True Wireless are both great sports earbuds, and you might prefer either. The Beats have ear hooks to keep them in place, giving you an extra sense of security when you're running outside. They offer a longer continuous battery life. However, the Jabra have an equally stable fit and a higher IP69 rating for dust and water resistance, which is nice for dusty or rainy runs. They're more customizable since they have a companion app that lets you remap the controls and adjust the sound profile.
The Beats Powerbeats Pro Truly Wireless and the Skullcandy Push Active True Wireless have different strengths, and you may prefer either one. While both headphones are comfortable, well-built, and have a very stable fit, the Beats have a significantly better battery performance, and they have an H1 chip for seamless pairing with your Apple devices. Their integrated mic also offers better overall performance. That said, the Skullcandy offer a more customizable sound performance as their companion app offers a graphic EQ and presets to help you adjust their sound, button mapping, and Skull-iQ, which are smart features like voice control.
The Beats Powerbeats Pro Truly Wireless are slightly better sports headphones than the Beats BeatsX Wireless thanks to the very stable ear-hook design. They are also noticeably more comfortable to wear for long listening sessions. Both headphones sound very similar and most people won’t notice the difference. However, the BeatsX provide a better airtight fit, which isolates better against ambient noise. On the other hand, you get about twice the battery life on the Powerbeats Pro, which is very impressive for truly wireless headphones.
The Beats Powerbeats Pro Truly Wireless are better truly wireless earbuds than the Skullcandy Push Ultra Truly Wireless. The Beats offer a far better-balanced and consistent listening experience, block out way more ambient noise, and have more than double the Skullcandy's single-charge battery life. The Beats' integrated microphone is also much higher quality since it isolates speech from background noise far more effectively. Conversely, the Skullcandy are a little more portable and have lower audio latency on mobile devices. Their charging case also provides nearly six extra charges to the Beats' one.
The Beats Powerbeats Pro Truly Wireless and the Beats Solo Pro Wireless have different strengths, and you may prefer either one. The Powerbeats Pro have a more comfortable and stable fit suitable for sports, and their integrated mic offers better overall performance. They also have a better battery performance. However, the Solo Pro are better-built, have an ANC system that can block out more background noise, and their continuous battery life is longer.
The Beats Powerbeats Pro Truly Wireless are somewhat better headphones for sports and fitness than the JBL Endurance Peak II True Wireless. The Beats are more comfortable, their continuous battery life is longer, and they have a more neutral sound profile. However, the JBL have a better noise isolation performance, and they leak less sound. Some listeners may also prefer the JBL's bass-heavy sound profile.
The Sony WF-1000XM3 Truly Wireless are better everyday true wireless headphones, while the Beats Powerbeats Pro Truly Wireless will be the better option for sports. The Sony have decent isolation performance, which is good for commuting, while the Beats are one of the most stable sports headphones we’ve reviewed so far thanks to their ear-hook design. The Beats are also a bit more comfortable and have volume control, which the Sony are lacking. They also have an impressive 11-hour battery life, which is noticeably longer than the Sony.
The Beats Powerbeats Pro Truly Wireless are practically identical to the Beats Powerbeats3 Wireless but in a truly wireless design. Both headphones also have a very similar sound profile and have about the same battery life. However, the Powerbeats Pro have a case that gives you about 15 more hours wherever you are. The fit of the Powerbeats Pro is also a bit more comfortable than the Powerbeats3. If you don’t really need the truly wireless design than the Powerbeats3 might offer better value.
The Beats Powerbeats Pro Truly Wireless are better headphones than the Apple AirPods (2nd generation) Truly Wireless. The Beats are more geared towards sports, thanks to their very stable ear-hook design, and they deliver sound more consistently among users. They also have much better bass accuracy and offer more than twice the battery life of the Apple headphones on a single charge, although the Apple case holds more additional charges. The Beats also have a very bulky case that isn't as portable as the Apple case. However, the Beats have a better and more complete control scheme with volume control.
The Beats Powerbeats Pro Truly Wireless are slightly better sports headphones than the Mpow Flame Pro Truly Wireless. The Powerbeats have a better-balanced and more accurate sound profile that's suited for a wider range of genres. They also have better overall battery performance thanks to their standby mode and ability to use while they're charging. On the other hand, the Mpow have a slightly longer single-charge battery life, and the case holds three additional charges, as opposed to only one with the Beats.
The Beats Powerbeats Pro Truly Wireless are slightly better in-ears for sports than the Jabra Elite Active 75t Truly Wireless. The Beats feel more stable thanks to their ear-hook design and have a much more neutral, less bass-heavy default sound profile. They also have a much better continuous battery performance, lasting nearly 11.5 hours off a single charge, while the Jabra's continuous battery life is about half that. The Beats also charge more quickly in their case. On the other hand, the Jabra have a dedicated companion app that gives you access to a graphic EQ and presets. They block much more background noise to help keep you concentrated at the gym and also feature a HearThrough mode in case you want to stay aware of your surroundings while running outside.
The Beats Powerbeats Pro Truly Wireless are better headphones than the Klipsch T5 II True Wireless Sport. The Beats are better-built and more comfortable and stable. Their sound profile is also more neutral and balanced. However, the Klipsch have a better noise isolation performance, and they leak less sound. Their companion app also offers a graphic EQ and presets if you like to customize their sound.
The Beats Powerbeats Pro Truly Wireless are similar performing headphones to the Anker SoundBuds Curve Upgraded 2019 Headphones. The Beats have a similar ear-hook design and are truly wireless, whereas the Anker have a wire connecting the left and right drivers. The Beats have a slightly more accurate sound profile, while the Anker are a bit more bass-heavy. While the Beats have a total battery life of almost 23 hours, this requires taking a break to charge them in their case once. The Anker, on the other hand, get over 18 hours from a single charge.
The Beats Powerbeats Pro Truly Wireless are better headphones than the Raycon The Fitness Earbuds (2021 Edition) True Wireless. The Beats have a more neutral default sound profile, which some users may prefer, a better overall battery performance, and have an H1 chip so that you can seamlessly pair them with your Apple devices. However, the Raycon come with more accessories like differently-sized stability wings and a lanyard, which some users may prefer.
The Beats Powerbeats Pro Truly Wireless and the Jabra Elite Active 65t Truly Wireless are both great sports headphones, and each model is better in different categories. The ear-hook design of the Beats is more stable and comfortable. On the other hand, the Jabra have an airtight fit that blocks a good amount of ambient noise, which the Beats don’t do. They also have a more comprehensive suite of sound adjustment features, with in-app EQ presets and a graphic EQ.
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Test Results
The Beats Powerbeats Pro have a similar sleek look to the Beats Powerbeats3 Wireless or Beats Powerbeats 4, with an ear-hook on each bud to keep them in place during sports and fitness. What separates them from their predecessors, though, is their wireless design. They come in different colors: 'Black', 'Navy', and 'Ivory'.
The Beats Powerbeats Pro are comfortable in-ears. They're lightweight, and the ear-hooks are easily malleable to help you get them in a comfortable position. They don't enter the ear canal as deeply as other in-ears, and they also come with a few different tip sizes to help you find the best fit. However, if you have glasses with thick arms, you may have difficulty fitting the ear-hooks around your ears.
The control scheme is very good. The Beats logo on the outside of each bud acts as a physical multi-purpose button that gives good physical feedback when pressed. There's also a volume rocker on each bud as well as call controls and a smart pause feature that automatically starts/stops audio when you take the buds out or put them back in.
On either bud:
- Single press: Plays & pauses audio. Also, it answers and ends calls.
- Double press: Skips to the next track.
- Triple press: Plays the previous track.
- Press and hold: Activates the voice assistant and declines incoming calls.
These earbuds are very breathable. Even if they have a bulkier design than more straightforward in-ears, they don't trap much heat inside your ears or make you sweat more than usual when working out.
These headphones are very portable. While slightly bulkier than most truly wireless in-ears, they're still easy to carry around as they easily fit in your pockets or a gym bag. They also come with a nice hard case, but it's bulky.
The hard case is good. While slightly bulky, it's easy to carry around in a gym bag and can fit in larger pockets. It's made of hard plastic and will hold up against a few accidental drops. There's also a multicolored LED to indicate battery level. However, it doesn't completely close if you've adjusted the ear hooks, so you must readjust them every time you put them back on your ears.
These earbuds are well-built. They're mostly made of plastic, which keeps them lightweight, but this makes their ear hooks feel a bit flimsy when moving them into place. Still, they feel nice and look like premium headphones. They're sturdy enough to survive a few drops, but earbuds are only rated IPX4 for resistance against water splashes, which is fairly disappointing for higher-end sports headphones.
The manufacturer recommends wiping the charging contact pins if you're working up a sweat to avoid damage over time to the charging pins. If you need a pair of earbuds that can withstand more dust and water exposure, you might prefer the Jabra Elite 8 Active True Wireless. Consumers also have reported issues with the battery connection pins of the earbuds not staying perfectly aligned with the charging case's contacts while seated in the case. This inconsistent connection can lead to the earbuds not fully charging or only one earbud receiving a charge. However, we didn't experience this issue during testing.
These headphones are very stable. Thanks to the ear-hook design, losing them during a run or a workout is nearly impossible, even with heavy head movement. They don't move much inside your ears either, so you don't need to reposition them mid-set. If you want even more stable earbuds for working out, check out the Bose Sport Earbuds. If you prefer sports headphones without ear hooks, try the Jabra Elite 4 Active True Wireless.
- Beats Powerbeats Pro wireless earphones
- 4x tip options
- Hard charging case
- USB-to-Lightning charging cable
- Manuals
The Beats Powerbeats Pro wireless have a very neutral sound profile. The bass range is extremely well-balanced, ensuring adequate thump and rumble without overpowering the rest of the mix. Voices and instruments sound clear and present, though an underemphasized treble range makes sibilants, like cymbals, sound dull and lifeless. Like other Beats headphones, their companion app has no sound customization options, so you can't change the mix to suit your preferences.
Like most in-ear headphones, they have excellent frequency response consistency. Assuming you can achieve a proper fit and seal using the included ear tips, you'll get consistent bass and treble delivery every time you use them.
The bass response is remarkable. The response throughout the range follows our target curve accurately, so these earbuds can reproduce an adequate amount of the thump and rumble common to bass-heavy music. If you prefer a more bass-heavy sound from your wireless Beats headphones, consider the Beats Flex Wireless.
The Beats Powerbeats Pro have a great mid-range performance. The low-mid and mid-mid regions follow our target curve accurately. This results in an accurate reproduction of vocals and lead instruments.
The treble accuracy is okay. It's uneven and mostly underemphasized, making higher-range vocals and sibilants, like cymbals, dull and lifeless.
The peaks and dips performance is great. There's a wide peak from the mid-bass to the high-bass, which makes the audio sound slightly boomy, but not by much. A small dip in the low and mid-mid is much more noticeable in the right driver than the left, meaning that instruments and vocals sound disproportionately cluttered and nudged back on one side. A wide peak in the high-mid continues into the treble range, making higher-frequency vocals overly harsh. An uneven treble range makes sibilants alternatingly dull and piercing.
The Beats Powerbeats Pro's stereo imaging is very good. The weighted group delay stays below the audible threshold, ensuring tight bass and transparent treble reproduction. Additionally, the L/R drivers of our test unit were well-matched in amplitude, frequency, and phase response, which is important for the accurate placement and localization of objects (voices, instruments, video game effects) in the stereo image. Imaging varies between units, though.
The soundstage is poor. Since earbuds don't interact with the outer ear, you'll perceive their soundstage as small and located inside your head. Their closed-back design also means that their soundstage won't feel as open as open-back earbuds like the Apple AirPods (2nd generation) Truly Wireless and the Bose SoundSport Free Truly Wireless.
They have great weighter harmonic distortion performance. Audio falls within good levels, producing clean audio.
These are the settings used to test the Beats Powerbeats Pro Truly Wireless. Our results are only valid when using them in this configuration.
The Beats Powerbeats Pro's noise isolation performance is poor. These in-ears don't have active noise cancelling and only passively isolate. They practically don't block any lower-end and mid-range frequencies, like the deep rumble of bus engines and ambient speech. On the upside, they do a decent job against noises in the treble range, like a squeaky treadmill. For a better isolation performance, check out the noise cancelling Apple AirPods Pro Truly Wireless or the Klipsch T5 II True Wireless Sport instead.
The Beats Powerbeats Pro's leakage performance is decent. Escaping audio is concentrated in the treble range, resulting in thin-sounding leakage, mostly composed of sharp sounds from the treble range. Even in a busy gym, though, people nearby will likely hear your audio at high volumes.
The integrated microphone's recording quality is mediocre. Your voice sounds quite thin, lacking detail, and is noticeably muffled.
The integrated microphone has a sub-par noise handling performance. It performs decently well in quiet and moderately loud environments but may struggle to fully separate speech from background noise in loud situations like a subway station.
The Beats Powerbeats Pro's battery life is great. We've measured over 11 hours of continuous playback on a single charge, which will get you through a few consecutive workouts without needing recharging. These headphones also took less than an hour to charge fully, which is amazing. Thanks to their case, you can get up to 24 hours of total playtime according to the specs sheet. They also automatically enter a standby mode when idle for a while, but we couldn't accurately measure the timer's duration. Additionally, like the Apple AirPods (2nd generation) Truly Wireless, you can use one bud while charging the other. If you want similarly designed headphones that offer much better overall battery life, check out the Mpow Flame Pro.
While our unit did not exhibit this issue, there are reports of inconsistent battery charging, resulting in unexpectedly low battery life or one bud receiving a charge while the other doesn't.
These headphones don't have an app per se, but iOS has a built-in interface for the Beats Powerbeats Pro, just like with the Apple AirPods (2nd generation) Truly Wireless. It displays the battery status of the buds and the case, but this isn't available on Android. This interface will pop up when syncing the Beats to an Apple device. However, you can't remap controls like you can with the AirPods 2. On MacOS, you can also see the battery life information and connect via Bluetooth, but that's about it.
These Bluetooth-only headphones support version 5.0 and, unlike the Beats Studio Buds True Wireless, have an H1 chip for seamless pairing with Apple devices. Unfortunately, you can't pair them with multiple devices simultaneously.
Their latency is average for Bluetooth headphones. They're not great for watching video content, but our testing rig doesn't take advantage of the H1 chip, so your experience may be better on an iOS device. That said, if you're an Android user looking for a pair of sports-oriented truly wireless headphones, the Skullcandy Push Ultra Truly Wireless experience far less latency on such systems.
You can't use these headphones wired, which is normal for truly wireless headphones. You use their cable for charging the carrying case.
The Beats Powerbeats Pro come with a charging case that yields one extra charge. The case has no inputs, and you must charge it with a Lightning cable, which is disappointing as a USB-C would have been better for most.