Then there’s the sporty Powerbeats Pro, which we scored 86 and are, in our opinion, the best-sounding Best headphones yet. Prices for these have been up and down in recent times, but they’re now on offer now for $200 shipped — another $50 off the original price tag. The large charging case is a bit of a burden for these headphones, but the payoff is a massive battery life — and the ambidextrous controls are a huge boon to busy multitaskers.

Buy Powerbeats Pro on Amazon – $200

Case

One of the things on Billy’s list of cons was the Powerbeats’ case, and most users agreed with him. Shaman42 called it the only downside, while both Ken and Travan found it hard to transport or carry in a pocket. Parpy was more pragmatic, saying that “I agree the charging case is rather huge and annoying sometimes but it might be a necessary evil considering the amount of power it contains.” Michael encouraged folks to “Get over the size of the charging case … you can’t have everything!” Nancy actually liked the case because of the “insanely smooth material that feels great in one’s hand.”

Battery

One of the advantages of the Powerbeats Pro and its large case is outstanding battery life. In normal usage, Billy was unable to drain the charge on the wireless buds. User reviewers had almost nothing negative to say about the Pro’s battery life, with Ken and Michael both calling it great. Ccordes2 said the superb battery “means I hardly ever have to think about or am forced to recharge.” Jaime was impressed that the “batteries actually last so long,” and Nancy said the “battery life is unreal. During a 10+ hour flight I didn’t even need to charge them in the case.” However, Travan said they found the lack of an on/off capability led to the device discharging in pockets.

Fit

The first true wireless set in the Beats lineup, the Powerbeats Pro feature an over-the-ear hook design, which originally debuted in 2010. The hook was engineered for a secure fit and the main part of the buds is angled instead of sitting outside of the ear. This design worked well for most; Hdfanboy found them to have a comfortable fit, and both he and Parpy felt the buds stayed in place well while working out or wearing a baseball cap. Nancy, who has small and sensitive ears, says the firm fit made the Powerbeats the “best workout pair of headphones I’ve ever owned.”

However, others had a less satisfactory experience: Jaime said the hooks only became comfortable after about a week of wear, and Jeff said that “the ball at the base and angle that they go inside the ear actually hurt after a few minutes of use.” Lo felt the “posts are too short. I can barely get a good seal to experience the best possible sound. Even aftermarket ear tips suffer the same problem.”

Sound

Billy called the Powerbeats Pro “the best-sounding Beats headphones yet,” and users Ken and Michael agreed, saying music sounded incredible. Hdfanboy found the sound quality very good, Lo said they “sound great when I press them into my ear,” and Jaime felt the Powerbeats Pro have “more powerful sound than anything.” The only disappointment appeared to be the lack of noise isolation. Nancy said while cleaning her office “I picked up and moved a poster frame wrapped in bubble wrap. The person I was speaking with said it sounded like I was shaking a bag of M&Ms in his ear.” Ccordes2 disagreed, saying they’ve received great feedback on their use for business phone calls.

Connectivity

One of the universally criticized features of the Powerbeats Pro was its connection. Ken encountered “too many issues with losing connectivity” and Jaime said their “only gripe is how my Samsung Note 8 handles pairing.” Parpy said during their runs there had been “some signal lost but overall they work well.”

Overall

With a $250 price tag, Billy found that despite the tough competition the Powerbeats Pro held its own due to sound quality, range of features and reliability. Several users agreed that there were more positives than drawbacks about the wireless buds, including Michael who said “these headphones are awesome!” Hdfanboy, who uses the Powerbeats Pro on his daily walks also said the same thing. Ccordes2 claimed it was “by far the most well-rounded of the many units I’ve tried,” and said they would “strongly recommend these for on-the-go professionals or workout junkies.” Nancy is “constantly singing their praises,” and “probably spent an average of $100 a year on headphones and earbuds” before she found the right set in the Powerbeats Pro.

When it comes to audio quality, I’m not going to mince words: These are the best-sounding Beats headphones yet. There is one caveat, but overall, the company has done well with the tuning on the Powerbeats Pro. The Studio 3 Wireless has noticeably less bass than most previous models, and the same is true here. There’s still plenty of low end to help keep your energy up at the gym, which is exactly what you should expect from earbuds designed for physical activity. However, it’s never overpowering to the point of drowning out the mids or highs. In fact, I’d argue there’s too much treble — which is something I never thought I’d say about a pair of Beats.

The heavy-handed, high-end tone is most noticeable when they are cranked near full blast. If you’re like me and have no regard for your hearing (I ruined it years ago anyway), this is how you like to listen to music. Especially when you’re at the gym, either trying to get in the zone or trying to drown out the Maroon 5 or Ariana Grande blasting over the speakers. Some genres suffer from this treble issue more than others, and I found it more noticeable when I listened to the likes of Maren Morris, Thrice and Anderson Paak. Hi-hats, snare drums and some guitar licks quickly become uncomfortable noise instead of contributing to the song. It’s an odd thing, because there’s still plenty of bass underneath — it’s just that the treble is turned up way high too. The clarity is nice here, but it’s not quite as crisp as what Sennheiser offers on the Momentum True Wireless.

Not all genres suffer from this though. The Powerbeats Pro (like every other pair of Beats) handles most hip-hop, pounding electronic tunes and chugging metal with ease. Gojira’s Magma sounds great on these, for example, but it’s booming and bass heavy — even the grinding guitars. Ditto for Every Time I Die’s Low Teens. It’s when you’re listening to styles that rely on treble to complete the sound that you run into issues. But again, it’s the worst at or near full volume. Turn the level down a couple clicks and it’s not nearly as bad.

Beats claims nine hours of battery life on a charge for the Powerbeats Pro, which is much longer than most of the competition. Other models typically offer around five hours of listening at a time. I never found myself getting close to a low battery in one go, and I’d imagine you won’t either. Even if you wear them all day at work, you’re likely going to put them in the case during a lunch break or meeting or some other interaction with humans. And with 24 total hours of playtime, according to Beats, that handy (albeit bulky AF) charging case almost entirely eliminates any battery anxiety. Especially when you factor in the Fast Fuel feature that gives you 1.5 hours of use with a five-minute charge or 4.5 hours of listening with a 15-minute charge. The earbuds will fully charge in 90 minutes while the whole shebang (charging case and all) is topped off after 2.5 hours. Despite my best efforts, I couldn’t drain the Powerbeats Pro entirely during normal use, and that’s a good thing.

At $250, there are more-affordable true wireless options out there. Jabra’s Elite 65t is still my favorite overall, and the pricey Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless and Master & Dynamic MW07 offer better overall audio quality. However, the Powerbeats Pro’s reliability, features and great overall audio make it a solid choice for anyone looking for workout headphones that can double as your everyday set. They work well even on Android devices, despite some features being iOS-specific.

The Powerbeats Pro isn’t without its flaws, but overall, this is the best set of headphones or earbuds Beats has put out thus far, especially in terms of audio quality. The company took awhile to enter the true wireless space, and thanks to Apple’s tech, it got almost everything right. If you’re looking for headphones you can put through the ringer at the gym, you’ll have a tough time finding an alternative that checks as many boxes at the Powerbeats Pro, especially if you’re an iOS user.

In some ways, these are more advanced, workout-ready versions of the second-generation AirPods. You get the same H1 chip with hands-free “Hey Siri” for Apple devices as well as a battery case to top up your earbuds when not in use. However, the form factor is everything. These are sweat- and water-resistant designs built to stay in your ears when you’re at the gym, and they promise better audio quality both compared to the AirPods and to earlier Beats models. The larger size also affords more battery life — you can expect up to nine hours per charge from the buds themselves, and an extra 15 hours from the case. There’s no wireless charging case, but these may be a smarter choice than the AirPods if you live in the Apple ecosystem and value your exercise.

There aren’t many technical details available, although they will support “Hey Siri” like the new AirPods. That corroborates a CNET report that the new Powerbeats would include the AirPods’ H1 chip, which could also deliver stronger battery life.

Although there’s no confirmation of the rumored April release, the presence of the imagery certainly supports that time frame. The real unknown may be the cost. Apple officially sells the Powerbeats 3 for $199, but that’s a more conventional design. The charging case and other changes might lead to the company charging a premium. Not that the target audience might object. AirPods may be convenient, but they’re not really meant for fast-paced, sweaty workouts like Beats’ expected offering.