Apple Just Revamped One of Its Best Workout Earbuds (No, They’re Not AirPods)

It’s been a great year for iPhone owners looking for workout earbuds. Why? There are more excellent options than ever.

Earlier in the year, Beats — which Apple has owned for over a decade — released the Powerbeats Pro 2, their next-gen earhook-style wireless earbuds that are powered by Apple’s H2 chip (allowing to work just like AirPods) and feature a built-in heart-rate sensor.

And just this month, Apple released the AirPods Pro 3, its most rugged and workout-focused wireless earbuds to date.

But if neither the Powerbeats Pro 2 and AirPods Pro 3 are to your liking — or, at $249 each, are just a bit too expensive — Beats is introducing a new option with a different fit and a (slightly) more affordable price tag.

Beats Powerbeats Fit

Beats

New name, next evolution

The Powerbeats Fit are the next evolution of the 2021-released Powerbeats Fit Pro. They have a nearly identical earwing design, which grips the inside of your ears, but Beats has updated them to provide a more secure and comfortable fit. Plus, new tech to bring them up to modern standards.

Beats

Compared to their predecessors, the Powerbeats Fit feature a redesigned silicone ear wing that, according to the brand, is 20 percent more flexible, promising improved in-ear comfort.

They also come with four options of silicone eartips (extra small, small, medium and large) to accommodate different ear sizes.

And the charging case is a little bit smaller — by 17 percent, Beats claims — and therefore more pocket-friendly.

Beats

AirPods-esque features

On the inside, the Powerbeats Fit share a surprising amount in common with the older Powerbeats Fit Pro. They are integrated with Apple’s H1 chip, which gives them support for active noise cancellation and transparency modes, as well as features like Personalized Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking and Adaptive EQ.

The H1 chip also ensures that the Powerbeats Fit have many AirPods-esque features, including support for Automatic Switching between devices, Audio Sharing, hands-free Hey Siri and Find My.

Notably, this is not Apple’s newest H2 chip, which is integrated in both the AirPods Pro 2 and Powerbeats Pro 2, meaning the Powerbeats Fit won’t have access to the most advanced computational audio features (or, likely, as good of ANC).

Beats

And the Powerbeats Fit have the same IPX4 rating as the Powerbeats Fit Pro (and the Powerbeats Pro 2), which makes them sweat and splash-resistant.

This is not nearly as high as the IP57 rating of the AirPods Pro 3, which are the most rugged AirPods to date, and can be temporarily submerged in water and survive.

Beats

Maybe the biggest “tech upgrade” with the Powerbeats Fit is with their battery life. Each earbud can get up to seven hours of playtime, with the charging case providing up to 30 hours.

And they support fast charging. If an earbud is dead, a quick 5-minute charge in the case promises to get you an extra hour of playback time.

Beats

Price and availability

Beats hasn’t increased the price. The Powerbeats Fit cost $200, which is the exact same price as the Powerbeats Fit Pro.

Beats and Apple are offering the Powerbeats Fit in four color options: jet black, gravel grey, spark orange and power pink.

The wireless earbuds are now available for preorder, with shipping scheduled to begin on October 2nd. You can order from either Apple or Beats.

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