Here is an overview of Apple AirPods Pro vs Powerbeats Pro: The Ultimate Showdown.
In 2019, Apple introduced the Apple AirPods Pro and the Beats Powerbeats Pro. The AirPods Pro features a new design, Active Noise Cancellation, and better sound quality. It can be a challenge to decide whether to buy either the Apple AirPods Pro or the Beats Powerbeats Pro since they are both high-quality devices. The objective of this article is to help you decide which one would be a better fit for you.
Design Comparison And Charging Case
The AirPods Pro can be considered as headphones to be used in casual situations whereas the Beats Powerbeats Pro seems to be better designed for workouts such as jogging and biking. And the AirPods Pro look just like the standard AirPods, but the headphones have a shorter stem and a slightly different design that features flexible silicone ear tips. The silicone ear tips are able to snap onto the base of the AirPods Pro. These ear tips also facilitate the Active Noise Cancellation technology feature.
The silicone tip options of the AirPods Pro should fit most ear shapes and the design was made in a way to fit comfortably. Plus the AirPods Pro was designed with an “innovative vent system” to equalize the pressure within the ears.
The Powerbeats Pro also features silicone ear tips just like the AirPods Pro, but it features ear hooks that fit around the ears comfortably to make sure that you do not drop them while working out. And the Powerbeats Pro’s silicone ear tips come in four sizes instead of the three that come with the AirPods Pro.
The AirPods Pro and Powerbeats Pro both have a charging case. And the AirPods Pro charging case is larger than the charging case of the flagship AirPods.
But the charging case for the Powerbeats Pro is the largest out of all of these headphones. Beats had to account for the size of the headphones with the ear hooks connected for the size of the case. The case of the AirPods Pro is able to fit in your pocket.
Active Noise Cancellation/Noise Isolation
The AirPods Pro features Active Noise Cancellation (ANC). This is the first time that Apple integrated an ANC feature in its headphones.
Beats offers ANC in its over-ear headphones, but not on the Powerbeats Pro. Instead, the Powerbeats Pro has a noise isolation feature. ANC does a better job in preventing background noise.
The way Apple set up ANC in the AirPods Pro is through the two built-in microphones and personalized sound software. One of the microphones is outward-facing to detect external noise in order for the AirPods Pro to cancel out the environmental noise. And the inward-facing microphone listens to sounds toward the ear in order to tune the noise cancellation.
Sound Specifications
The AirPods Pro also has a Transparency mode, which can be used for tweaking the ANC software so that you can still hear the sounds around you. This feature is highly recommended while you are commuting and walking around the street.
And the AirPods Pro also has an Adaptive EQ feature. With Adaptive EQ, the AirPods Pro can tune low- and mid-frequencies personalized on the shape of your ear. Plus the AirPods Pro has a custom high dynamic range amplifier to produce clear sound along with a low-distortion speaker driver to improve audio quality and reduce background noise.
The Powerbeats Pro headphones do not have a feature to filter in ambient noises. What are the selling points of the Powerbeats Pro sound? The Powerbeats Pro has balanced audio with pure sound reproduction and improved dynamic range. And the Powerbeats Pro also features the powerful bass that is synonymous with the Beats brand.
Buttons
The AirPods Pro has a built-in Force Sensor in the stems. This means it supports gestures based on the number of presses. For example, you can press once to play/pause and press twice to skip forward. Pressing and holding the sensor switches between Active Noise Cancellation and Transparency mode.
And the Powerbeats Pro has actual physical buttons. These buttons can be used to control the tracks, adjust the volume, and accepting/declining calls. This gives the Powerbeats Pro an advantage over the AirPods Pro.
Processor
The AirPods Pro and Powerbeats Pro both have an Apple H1 chip built-in. This chip facilitates fast switching between devices, lower latency, and hands-free “Hey Siri” support. Plus the H1 chip also supports ear detection that plays/pauses sound based on the position.
Durability
The AirPods Pro and Powerbeats Pro both have an IPX4 water resistance rating. This means that they can handle getting hit by sweat or rain. However, you cannot immerse any of these headphones in the water.
Speech Detection
The AirPods Pro and the Powerbeats Pro headphones both have speech-detecting accelerometers to filter out noises while making phone calls or activating Siri. The earbuds of both headphones also have dual beamforming microphones.
Live Listen
The Powerbeats Pro and AirPods Pro headphones have a Live Listen feature to use the earbuds as a directional microphone.
Battery Life/Charging
The Powerbeats Pro wins in battery life over the AirPods Pro. Each of the Powerbeats Pro earbuds has nine hours of listening time. This is a 4.5-hour advantage over each AirPods Pro earbuds.
The AirPods Pro earbuds have 4.5 hours of battery life while Active Noise Cancellation is switched on or five hours of battery life while it is turned off.
And the charging cases of both sets of headphones extend the battery life to more than 24 hours.
The AirPods Pro and its Wireless Charging Case can be charged with the USB-C to Lightning cable or a Qi-based wireless charger. But the Powerbeats Pro case does not support Qi-based wireless charging and it must be charged with a Lightning cable.
The Powerbeats Pro and AirPods Pro both have fast charging features. The Powerbeats Pro’s Fast Fuel feature adds 1.5 hours of music playback in 5 minutes of charging and 4.5 hours of playback with 15 minutes of charging. And the AirPods Pro have a fast charging feature to provide an hour of listening or talk time in 5 minutes.
Color Options
The AirPods Pro is available in just white. But you can get the Powerbeats Pro in Black, Ivory, Navy, and Moss.
And the AirPods pro features a white charging case. The Powerbeats Pro charging case is black.
Price
The price of the Powerbeats Pro and the AirPods Pro are both set at $249.99. It is challenging to find AirPods deals, but you can often find deals on Beats products.
Want to buy the Apple AirPods Pro or the Beats Powerbeats Pro? You can find them here:
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