Powerbeats Pro vs. AirPods 2 Buyer's Guide

 In April 2019, Apple's Beats brand announced upgraded wireless Powerbeats Pro earbuds that are quite similar to the second-generation AirPods recently released by Apple, but with a focus on fitness and exercise rather than every day use.

There is a lot in common between the two sets of earbuds, but there are some notable variations that are worth pointing out. For a full comparison of the AirPods 2 and the Powerbeats Pro, read on.

Powerbeats Pro Design vs. AirPods 2 Design

AirPods are made for casual use and have a single size with a rounded bulb-like earpiece and a microphone-equipped tail that extends out of the ears to fit all designs. There's no extra hook or other mechanism in the ears to hold them.

Powerbeats Pro are intended for fitness and have a design similar to previous Powerbeats models with earhooks that fit over the ears to keep them in place for a personalised fit along with four ear tips in different sizes.

During physical exercise, Powerbeats Pro is intended to remain in the ears and Apple tested more than 20 settings before settling at a configuration that fits most individuals.

In charging circumstances, both the Powerbeats Pro and the AirPods come, but while the charging case of the AirPods is thin, lightweight and the size of a dental floss bag, the charging case of the Powerbeats Pro is much bigger, clamshell-like and not as pocketable.

Sound Differences and Noise Isolation

Rubber ear tips are used by Powerbeats Pro in four sizes identical to standard earbuds, which means that they are built to create a close ear fit to isolate ambient noises. If you intend to use these in circumstances where you need to hear what's going on around you, there is no feature to add ambient noise, which is something to be aware of.

‌AirPods‌ have no similar ambient noise filtering because they are not designed to fit tightly in the ear canal.

When developing the Powerbeats Pro, Apple says sound was a priority, with the new earbuds providing strong, balanced audio with pure sound reproduction, improved clarity, and improved dynamic range.

Apple makes no similar statements about the AirPods and only describes them as having rich, high-quality sound." For more precise information about the sound discrepancies between Powerbeats Pro and AirPods, we'll have to wait for hands-on feedback.

Physical Buttons

To do things like trigger Siri or adjust the song track, you can tap on the 'AirPods' but there are no real physical buttons.

With more available surface area, the Powerbeats Pro is bigger, and it features physical buttons to alter the volume, change the song track, and accept or decline a call.

On the 'AirPods' there is no off button and on the 'Powerbeats Pro' there is no off button. When taken out of the charging case, the Powerbeats Pro will come on and shut off when put back in, and will also go into a sleep mode to retain battery life after a time of inactivity. The' AirPods' act the same way.

Water Resistance

According to Apple, with an IPX4 water resistance rating, the Powerbeats Pro are sweat and water resistant, meaning they are certified to hold up to water splashing from any direction against the enclosure, but have the potential to fail when submerged or exposed to water jets.

The 'Powerbeats Pro' should be able to withstand sweat exposure with an IPX4 ranking, but should not be exposed to rain, swimming pools, or other excessive humidity. There is no official water resistance rating for the AirPods and they should not be exposed to water or sweat, although anecdotal reports have indicated that they can hold up to some moisture.

On the Powerbeats Pro, we did a series of water resistance tests and they held up well with both water splashes and 20 minutes of submersion.

Powerbeats Pro Colors vs. AirPods 2 Colors

AirPods only come in white, but there are Black, Ivory (an off white shade), Navy, and Moss (an olive green) Powerbeats Pro. A white charging case is also available for AirPods, while all PowerBeats Pro models ship with a black charging case.

Price Difference

For the version with a Wireless Charging Case, Apple's AirPods are priced at $199 or $159 for the version without one, while Powerbeats Pro costs $250. That's almost a complete $100 over the [AirPods] base model.

Processor, Sensors, and Siri Support

For faster connections to your computers, faster switching between devices, lower latency, and support for hands-free activation, the Powerbeats Pro uses the same H1 chip that is in the AirPods 2.

As with the "AirPods," "Hey "Siri" requires the "Powerbeats Pro" to be paired with a compatible device such as an iPhone, iPad, or Apple Watch."

Powerbeats Pro has all the same sensors and features that are in the AirPods, including ear recognition that plays/pauses music properly based on location.

As with the AirPods, you can use just one earbud of the Powerbeats Pro or use both at the same time.

Phone Calls

AirPods have a speech-detecting accelerometer and beamforming microphones that when you make a phone call or a Siri request, block out external noise, and the Powerbeats Pro has the same characteristics.

There are actually two beamforming microphones on either side of the Powerbeats Pro to compensate for the lack of a stem like the AirPods have. On both the AirPods and the Powerbeats Pro, phone calls are built to sound crisp and simple. The 'Powerbeats Pro' performed well for calls in our testing. People had no trouble hearing what we said, nor were there any problems with disconnections.

We have also experienced problems with poor sound quality on the AirPods, with individuals having a hard time with people having a difficult time hearing us, but this is not a problem we've had with the ‌Powerbeats Pro‌.

Battery Life

Nine hours of listening time are provided by each Powerbeats Pro earbud, which is a full four hours longer than the pledge of AirPods. The AirPods deliver five hours of battery life, but with their respective charging cases, the battery life of both the AirPods and the Powerbeats Pro is extended to over 24 hours.

Live Listen

The Powerbeats Pro and the AirPods also endorse the Live Listen function as a directional microphone for the use of the earbuds.

Charging

Using either Lightning or Qi-based wireless charging, both the AirPods and the AirPods Wireless Charging Case can be charged. The case of 'Powerbeats Pro' does not have support for wireless charging based on Qi and must be charged with a Lightning cable.

The Fast Fuel feature of the Powerbeats Pro adds 1.5 hours of music reproduction after five minutes of charging and 4.5 hours of reproduction after 15 minutes of charging.

Apple's ‌AirPods‌ have a similar fast charging feature but it's not quite as good due to the smaller battery, offering three hours of listening time with a 15 minute charge.

Comparison Chart

Here's an at-a-glance comparison chart that gives a quick overview of the differences between the ‌AirPods‌ 2 and the ‌Powerbeats Pro‌.

Bottom Line

The AirPods 2 and new Powerbeats Pro earbuds from Apple are specifically targeted at various target markets. The more expensive Powerbeats Pro was built for physical activity, including sports, workouts, and more, while the AirPods 2 are for casual listening on a day-to-day basis.

The AirPods are smaller and simpler to hold and provide more efficient wireless charging strategies, while the Powerbeats Pro has longer battery life, superior sweat resistance, more colour choices, sound isolation, and probably a different sound profile.

Choosing between AirPods 2 and Powerbeats Pro depends on how the AirPods fit into your ears-some individuals will not get a good fit with the one size fits all design—and your budget. The earhooks and ear tips of the Powerbeats Pro in different sizes will theoretically provide a better fit and will definitely be the better choice for individuals who need earbuds for physical activity.