This Thing Rules

Apple's Powerbeats Pro wireless headphones are $50 off

These headphones sound great and can stand up to a heavy workout.

Up until a couple of years ago, I never understood the point of earbuds. They can easily fall out of your ears, they often don’t sound as good as over-the-ear headphones, and sometimes they look outright goofy. But, as I got into running and exercising more, I realized that my Beats Studio 3 weren’t going to cut it — the audio quality is great, but they’re just too bulky to wear during workouts. I could use my Louis Vuitton Horizon 2.0 Earphones, but that would be a weird flex. I also have the Powerbeats 4 I reviewed recently, but I rather have a truly wireless pair. So, with all those buts in mind, I present you the earbuds I have fallen in love with: the Powerbeats Pro.

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First off, let me just tell you that if I’m at home on my computer, I still switch between my Beats Studio 3 and Louis Vuitton Horizon 2.0. When I go on runs, there’s no better pair I would rather wear than the Powerbeats Pro. With adjustable ear hooks, they’re super comfortable and I don’t worry about them slipping out of my ears. Additionally, the Powerbeats Pro are sweat and water-resistant and, most importantly, they sound really good. Apple did a solid job making sure the audio is nicely balanced and not too bass-heavy, though they do have some oomph to them when I blast my rap tunes.

At $250, my main gripe with the Powerbeats Pro is that they don’t have active noise-cancellation (ANC), a feature that I fully expect for that heavy price tag. That said, the in-ear design is sealed enough that there isn’t a noticeable amount of audio leakage, and they’re loud enough that most of the time I can’t hear what’s happening around me when I’m wearing them. Still, I hope the next version will come with ANC and other features like transparency mode, which are found on models like the AirPods Pro. For now, the Powerbeats Pro are hard to, well, beat.

As I mentioned earlier, one of the things I like most about these earbuds is that they’re truly wireless. But, if you don’t care about having a wire hanging around your neck, the Powerbeats 4 are another great option. Those only cost $150 and they come with the same audio quality as the Powerbeats Pro, plus up to 15 hours of listening time; the Powerbeats Pro, in comparison, top at 9 hours with a single charge. Powerbeats Pro do come with a charging case (it’s enormous), which can get you up to 24 hours of playback. All of this is worth keeping in mind.

I, for one, am going to stick with the Powerbeats Pro for my workouts… at least until something better comes along (whether that’s from Apple or another brand).