Beats Powerbeats2 Wireless vs Beats Powerbeats3 Wireless Side-by-Side Headphones Comparison

Tested using Methodology v1.3.1

Updated Jan 15, 2024 03:11 PM

TypeIn-ear

EnclosureClosed-Back

Noise CancellingNo

WirelessYes

TransducerDynamic

MicYes

TypeIn-ear

EnclosureClosed-Back

Noise CancellingNo

WirelessYes

TransducerDynamic

MicYes

Variants

Powerbeats 2 Wireless (Black)
Powerbeats 2 Wireless (Blue)
Powerbeats 2 Wireless (Flash Blue)
Powerbeats 2 Wireless (Pink)
Powerbeats 2 Wireless (Red)
Powerbeats 2 Wireless (Siren Red)
Powerbeats 2 Wireless (White)
Powerbeats 2 Wireless (Yellow)

Powerbeats3 Wireless (Asphalt Grey)
Powerbeats3 Wireless (Break Blue)
Powerbeats3 Wireless (Brick Red)
Powerbeats3 Wireless (Defiant Black-Red)
Powerbeats3 Wireless (White)

Review

See Beats Powerbeats2 Wireless review

See Beats Powerbeats3 Wireless review

Our Verdict

Beats Powerbeats2 Wireless

Beats Powerbeats3 Wireless

The Beats Powerbeats3 Wireless are a good upgrade over the previous Beats Powerbeats2 Wireless model. While the design is fairly the same, a few performance adjustments were done. The in-line remote now offers decent feedback and buttons are now easy to push. They also have a more neutral-sounding sound with a small bass overemphasis, instead of having a really boomy and cluttered sound profile. The Powerbeats3 also have more than double the Powerbeats 2’s battery life, and take less time to charge fully.

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White

Powerbeats 2 Wireless

White

Powerbeats3 Wireless

Black

Powerbeats 2 Wireless

Asphalt Grey

Powerbeats3 Wireless

Blue

Powerbeats 2 Wireless

Break Blue

Powerbeats3 Wireless

Flash Blue

Powerbeats 2 Wireless

Brick Red

Powerbeats3 Wireless

Pink

Powerbeats 2 Wireless

Defiant Black-Red

Powerbeats3 Wireless

Red

Powerbeats 2 Wireless

Siren Red

Powerbeats 2 Wireless

Yellow

Powerbeats 2 Wireless

Notice: Two or more of the products selected have been tested with different test methodologies, so some of the results below aren't directly comparable. Learn how our test benches and scoring system work, and read more about the latest changes to our headphones test methodology.

Main Differences for

Threshold

0.10

Mixed Usage

6.6

7.0

Mid

5.8

8.6

Soundstage

4.4

1.4

Bass

6.0

8.4

Treble

5.9

8.1

Noise Isolation

3.8

5.1

Imaging

5.1

9.3

Full Comparison

Mixed Usage

6.6

7.0

Neutral Sound

6.1

7.3

Commute/Travel

6.2

7.1

Sports/Fitness

7.5

8.2

Office

6.5

Home Theater

4.8

Wireless Gaming

5.5

Wired Gaming

5.4

Phone Call

5.9

Design

Style

Design Picture 2

Type

In-ear

Enclosure

Closed-Back

Wireless

Yes

Transducer

Dynamic

Mic

Yes

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Comfort

7.0

Comfort Picture

Weight

0.06 lbs

Clamping Force

0 lbs

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Controls

7.5

7.4

Controls Picture

OS Compatibility

N/A

Ease Of Use

Average

Good

Feedback

Subpar

Decent

Call/Music Control

Yes

Volume Control

Yes

Microphone Control

Channel Mixing

N/A

Noise Cancelling Control

N/A

Talk-Through

N/A

Additional Buttons

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Breathability

8.7

9.2

Breathability Before Picture

Breathability After Picture

Avg.Temp.Difference

1.3 °C

0.8 °C

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Portability

8.4

9.0

Portability Picture

L

3.15"

W

2.17"

H

1.18"

Volume

8.06 in³

4 in³

Transmitter Required

N/A

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Case

7.0

6.5

Case Picture

Type

Soft case

Pouch

L

4.53"

N/A

W

3.15"

N/A

H

0.79"

N/A

Volume

11.16 in³

N/A

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Build Quality

7.5

Build Quality Picture

Show text

Stability

8.5

8.0

Stability Picture

Show text

Cable

Cable Picture

Detachable

N/A

Length

N/A

Connection

N/A

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Headshots 1

Angled Picture

Side Picture

Headshots 2

Front Picture

Side Picture

Rear Picture

Top

Front Picture

Top Picture

Rear

Rear Picture

Top

Top Picture

In The Box

In the box Picture

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Sound

Sound Profile

Frequency Response

Bass Amount

1.75 dB

Treble Amount

-3.41 dB

Frequency Response Consistency

9.0

Consistency L

Consistency R

Avg. Std. Deviation

0 dB

0.21 dB

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Raw Frequency Response

Raw FR L

Raw FR R

Bass Accuracy

6.0

8.4

Bass

Std. Err.

5.87 dB

2.27 dB

Low-Frequency Extension

12.97 Hz

10.15 Hz

Low-Bass

1.78 dB

3.41 dB

Mid-Bass

5.14 dB

2.2 dB

High-Bass

9.41 dB

1.89 dB

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Mid Accuracy

5.8

8.6

Mid

Std. Err.

5.61 dB

1.86 dB

Low-Mid

7.22 dB

-0.66 dB

Mid-Mid

-3.3 dB

-0.82 dB

High-Mid

-4.14 dB

2.71 dB

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Treble Accuracy

5.9

8.1

Treble

Std. Err.

5.15 dB

3.32 dB

Low-Treble

-3.77 dB

-0.87 dB

Mid-Treble

-1.38 dB

-2.31 dB

High-Treble

-11.17 dB

-7.4 dB

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Peaks/Dips

7.6

Peaks/Dips Graph

Peaks

1.58 dB

Dips

1.16 dB

Imaging

5.1

9.3

Group Delay

Phase Response

Phase Error

307.6°

Weighted Group Delay

0.16

Weighted Amplitude Mismatch

0.73 dB

0.42

Weighted Frequency Mismatch

1.9 dB

0.96

Driver Mismatch (Phase)

133.16°

Weighted Phase Mismatch

1.17

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Soundstage

4.4

1.4

PRTF

PRTF Accuracy (Std. Dev.)

N/A

PRTF Error

12 dB

PRTF Size (Avg.)

N/A

PRTF Distance

N/A

Openness

9.1

4.7

Acoustic Space Excitation

2.7

2.2

Correlated Crosstalk

-0.36 dB

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Weighted Harmonic Distortion

7.8

Weighted Harmonic Distortion

WHD @ 90

0.319

WHD @ 100

0.106

Total Harmonic Distortion

7.8

Distortion

Weighted THD @ 90

1.162

Weighted THD @ 100

1.427

Isolation

Noise Isolation

3.8

5.1

Noise Isolation

Isolation Audio

Overall Attenuation

-9.1 dB

-11.9 dB

Noise Cancelling

Bass

-0.39 dB

-0.63 dB

Mid

-8.89 dB

-11.61 dB

Treble

-19.92 dB

-24.52 dB

Self-Noise

26.43 dB

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Leakage

7.3

8.2

Leakage

Leakage Audio

Overall Leakage @ 1ft

37.97 dB

32.11 dB

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Microphone

Microphone Style

Integrated

In-line

Yes

Boom

Detachable Boom

N/A

Mic

Yes

Show text

Recording Quality

6.5

Microphone Frequency Response

Recorded Speech

LFE

276.97 Hz

FR Std. Dev.

3.31 dB

HFE

3,368.2 Hz

Weighted THD

12.189

Gain

36.29 dB

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Noise Handling

4.8

SpNR

Speech + Pink Noise

Speech + Subway Noise

SpNR

5.68 dB

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Active Features

Wireless

7.1

Type

Bluetooth 4.0

Obstructed Range

38 ft

Line of Sight Range

73 ft

226 ft

NFC

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Latency

0.0

Base Latency

250 ms

182 ms

aptX Latency

N/A

aptX(LL) Latency

N/A

Battery

5.6

6.3

Battery Type

Rechargable

Battery Life

5.2 hrs

Continuous Battery Life

11.7 hrs

Additional Charges

Total Battery Life

11.7 hrs

Charge Time

1.45 hrs

1.2 hrs

Power Saving Feature

Audio While Charging

Passive Playback

Charging Port

micro-USB

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App Support

0.0

5.0

App Picture

App Name

N/A

iOS

Yes

Android

N/A

macOS

N/A

Windows

N/A

Equalizer

N/A

ANC Control

N/A

Mic Control

N/A

Room effects

N/A

Playback Control

N/A

Button Mapping

N/A

Surround Sound

N/A

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Connectivity

Bluetooth

7.3

Bluetooth Version

4.2 + W1 chip

Multi-Device Pairing

NFC Pairing

Line of Sight Range

73 ft

226 ft

Default Latency

250 ms

182 ms

aptX Latency

N/A

aptX(LL) Latency

N/A

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Non-Bluetooth Wireless

0.0

Non-BT Line of Sight Range

N/A

Non-BT Latency

N/A

Wired

0.0

Cable Picture

Analog Audio

N/A

USB Audio

N/A

Detachable

N/A

Length

N/A

Connection

N/A

Wired Latency

N/A

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PC / PS4 Compatibility

PC / PS4 Analog

PC / PS4 Wired USB

PC / PS4 Non-BT Wireless

Xbox One Compatibility

Xbox One Analog

Xbox One Wired USB

Xbox One Wireless

Base/Dock

0.0

Type

N/A

USB Input

N/A

Line In

N/A

Line Out

N/A

Optical Input

N/A

RCA Input

N/A

Dock Charging

N/A

Power Supply

N/A

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Check Price

White

Powerbeats 2 Wireless

White

Powerbeats3 Wireless

Black

Powerbeats 2 Wireless

Asphalt Grey

Powerbeats3 Wireless

Blue

Powerbeats 2 Wireless

Break Blue

Powerbeats3 Wireless

Flash Blue

Powerbeats 2 Wireless

Brick Red

Powerbeats3 Wireless

Pink

Powerbeats 2 Wireless

Defiant Black-Red

Powerbeats3 Wireless

Red

Powerbeats 2 Wireless

Siren Red

Powerbeats 2 Wireless

Yellow

Powerbeats 2 Wireless