- Powerbeats Fit launch 2nd October for $199 / £199 (about AU$400)
- Improved wingtip design and smaller than Beats Fit Pro
- Same processor and features as Beats Fit Pro
The Powerbeats Fit are official. The replacement for the Beats Fit Pro earbuds have a similar kind of wingtip design for the predecessor for a secure fit, but they’ve been given a redesign that promises better fit and staying power, in a smaller charging case, and still with IPX4 water and sweat resistance.
The earbuds come in a choice of four colors – jet black, gravel gray, spark orange and power pink – and they’re $199 / £199.
Two things from our wishlist for this refreshed version didn’t make the list: the Powerbeats Fit don’t get an upgrade to Apple‘s H2 chip and its extra features (the new model retains the same H1 chip from the Beats Fit Pro); and they didn’t get the heart rate sensor from the Powerbeats Pro 2 (and similar to the AirPods Pro 3) either.
So what’s new?
Powerbeats Fit: key features
The new wingtips are accompanied by four ear tip sizes from extra-small to large, and Apple says that the wingtips “deliver the exceptional stability that Powerbeats is known for.”
The audio here includes Adaptive EQ, which uses microphones to listen to what’s in your ears and adjust it to match your personal profile; there’s active noise cancellation with a Transparency mode; and Personalized Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking and Dolby Atmos support.
For call clarity there are dual beam-forming microphones and digital signal processing to remove wind noise.
As you’d expect, the Powerbeats Fit support all the key Apple features on iPhone including automatic switching, Find My, hands-free Siri and so on. But as these are Beats they’re also made for Android, with Locate My Beats in place of Find My.
Battery life is a promised 30 hours via the charging case and six hours per bud with ANC turned off (six hours with it on).
If you have Beats Fit Pro, you might be thinking: Doesn’t my current pair have basically all of these? And while we’ll need to review them in full to see if there are any subtle upgrades here, it appears you’re right.
These seem to be a very minor upgrade over the Beats Fit Pro; it’s more about a streamlining of the product range into what Apple’s Oliver Schusser says is “a clearer choice between two distinct, fitness-first form factors”.
They look nice but I can’t help thinking that when we review them, we’re going to say the same thing we said in our Beats Fit Pro review: they’ll deliver “an AirPods Pro-like experience at a lower price” but “Android owners won’t get the full experience.”
The Powerbeats Fit are available to order from Apple and will reach retailers from October 2nd.
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