Apple’s revamped compact workout Beats earbuds stick to the winning formula, slimming down and improving comfort.
The new Powerbeats Fit is the direct successor to the popular Beats Fit Pro for 2022 and is priced at £200 (€230/$200/A$330). It’s paired with the recently redesigned Powerbeats Pro 2, Apple’s fitness alternative to AirPods.
The Fit takes Beats’ standard earbud design and adds flexible silicone stabilizer wings that curve around the inside of the outer ear rather than the outside like the Pro 2. The result is a much smaller, more discreet earbud, especially if you choose a more subtle color than spark orange, and one that’s more comfortable even when wearing glasses.
Once twisted into place, the earbuds stayed securely in my ears no matter how hard I shook my head or how wet I got from the rain. The new wings were a bit more comfortable over long periods of time than the old ones, but I found that they still put uncomfortable pressure on the inside of my left ear after an hour or so.
A single button on each earbud can be set to perform playback and noise-canceling controls, or a long press to adjust volume. Call quality is very good. Especially for stemless earbuds, they sound relatively natural and clear even when speaking softly in a quiet environment, with only a bit of background noise acceptable on a busy street.
The earbuds’ battery lasts for 6 hours of playback, including noise-canceling, and can be recharged in the case three times before connecting to a power source via USB-C for a total of 24 hours of use.
The earbuds include Apple’s older H1 chip for connection management. This means you can seamlessly connect to your iPhone and other Apple devices with spatial audio, music sharing, and Siri. However, the Beats app on Android offers many of the same advanced features, including instant pairing, customization, updates, and battery widgets, making it cross-compatible and ideal for people who use both platforms.
specification
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Connectivity: Bluetooth 5, SBC, AAC, H1 chip
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Battery life: 6 hours ANC playback (24 hours with case)
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Waterproof: Bud and case IPX4 (splash resistant)
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Earbud Size: 27.4×21.5×20.4mm
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Earbud Weight: 5.8g each
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Charging Case Size: 62.5×55.4×27.5mm
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Charging case weight: 49.8g
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Case charging: USB-C
Sound and noise cancellation
The Beats sound much better than typical exercise earphones and are good enough for casual listening. It produces a balanced sound with plenty of power in the low end when needed, good separation of tones, and decent midrange and treble detail. They’re very similar to the Powerbeats Pro 2 and handle punchier rock, pop, hip-hop or electronic tracks nicely, but fall short of the AirPods Pro 3.
Unlike most exercise earphones, Beats feature active noise cancellation, which makes them very effective at reducing road noise and noise from your commute. They can’t handle demanding high-pitched sounds like clicks, taps, and background chat as well as the Powerbeats Pro or the best-in-class AirPods Pro 3, but they get the job done in most cases.
The earbuds also have a nice, natural transparency mode, which helps with recognition while running. However, like the Powerbeats Pro 2, they’re not as good as nothing in your ears, so they’re still best used in a safe environment like a park.
sustainability
Apple doesn’t provide an estimated lifespan for the battery, but it should last more than 500 full charge cycles to at least 80% of its original capacity.
The earbuds cannot be repaired, but Apple offers individual replacement services for missing or damaged parts, including a £69 battery service. We do not publish environmental impact reports for accessories such as headphones. The company offers trade-in and free recycling schemes even for non-Apple products.
price
The Beats Powerbeats Fit costs £199.95 (€229.95/$199.99/A$329.95).
For comparison, the Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 costs £250, the Beats Studio Buds+ cost £180, the Beats Solo Buds cost £80 and the AirPods Pro 3 cost £219.
verdict
The Beats Powerbeats Fit is a slight overhaul of the already great Beats Fit Pro to bring it in line with the rest of Apple’s earbuds.
They’re not as comfortable or accomplished on the audio or noise-cancelling front as the AirPods Pro 3. It’s also not as nice to run as the Powerbeats Pro 2, which has a volume rocker button. However, the Fit does not have large over-ear hooks, making it easier to wear on your commute, and it is more comfortable to wear with glasses while maintaining a stable fit.
This makes them great workout buds that can pull double duty as regular earbuds with plenty of noise cancellation and great sound. Plus, they have most of the advanced features of Apple devices and AirPods, and are also fully compatible with Android thanks to the Beats app. There aren’t many earbuds that can claim this privilege.
merit: Secure fit, good sound, solid noise cancellation and transparency modes, decent battery life, good case, good call quality, spatial audio, cross-platform compatibility with enhancements for iPhone and Android.
disadvantage: They’re expensive for exercise earphones, they don’t have multi-point connections, the ear hooks can become uncomfortable over time, and the batteries aren’t replaceable, so they’re ultimately disposable.