Powerbeats Fit Review: Running A Half Marathon With These Earbuds Impressed Me

Last week, Beats officially released the Powerbeats Fit, a rebrand of the popular Beats Fit Pro. While these earbuds continue to share many similarities with the previous version, the Los Angeles-based company decided to rebrand it and make it part of the Powerbeats family, as these headphones are aimed at athletes and people who like to be active.

If you're an owner of the current Beats Fit Pro, this is a fairly obvious upgrade, because the Powerbeats Fit sound just as good as the headphones you already own, but with added comfort, a smaller case, and improved sweat-resistance. While it might seem I've spoiled the review already, keep reading for a deep dive into the latest release from Beats to get a better idea of whether or not these are the headphones for you. To write this review, I ran a half marathon and also used these earbuds as my daily driver for strength training workouts. Here's how it went as I determined whether the Powerbeats Fit have what it takes to become my main earbuds.

Unlike other Apple earbuds, Powerbeats Fit feature innovative secure-fit wingtips which gently tuck into your upper ear to lock into place. While the previous Beats Fit Pro had the same technology, they were impossible to wear for extended periods of time (for me), as the wingtip would start to press against my ears.

With the new Powerbeats Fit, Beats said it was able to make the wingtip 20% more flexible, which seems to have fixed my issue with the previous generation. The best way for me to try it out was to exhaustively run a half marathon with them, which went surprisingly well. After two hours, I wasn't feeling any discomfort, and the earbuds stayed secure the entire time.

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I also had these earbuds in for prolonged periods during my flight back from the Beats event in Los Angeles, as well as during strength training sessions. Beats says these are earbuds are designed to stay in your ears no matter what you're doing, and that has been the case. The company also added more ear tips in the box, ranging from XS to L, to fit a wider variety of ears more comfortably. Finally, these earbuds come in Jet Black, Gravel Gray, Spark Orange, and Power Pink.

Powerbeats Fit sound just as good as the first-generation AirPods Pro, but with Beats' signature bass. As I mentioned in my comparison with the Powerbeats Pro 2, you'll get superb audio quality from both earbuds, but all of Apple's earbuds with the H2 chip will have a few advantages over these, including sound quality. That said, consider this before you pick your earbuds: You're already getting an amazing sound experience, but with AirPods Pro 2 (or newer) and Powerbeats Pro 2, you can go a step further.

The bass in these earbuds is present, but it doesn't drown out the mids and the highs. The H1 chip combined with a proprietary layered-diaphragm driver and a dual-chamber housing brings all your songs to life, especially when you start streaming music in Spatial Audio on Apple Music. Beats says an advanced digital processor optimizes audio performance for loudness and clarity, while simultaneously ensuring clean noise cancellation, which we're going to talk more about in the next section.

The H1 chip includes several features for iPhone users, such as fast-pairing, automatic switching between Apple devices, and hands-free Hey Siri. In the earbuds' settings, users can perform a fit test to find the right ear tips for their ears, and the audio processor also handles the ANC and Transparency modes. ANC combined with the shape of Powerbeats Fit is a perfect match, offering effective isolation when listening to music or even watching TV. The Transparency mode is also clear and doesn't make your voice sound robotic. However, I felt I was speaking too loudly when using this mode. Unfortunately, the H1 chip doesn't allow for Adaptive mode, which is a mix of both technologies.

The biggest miss for me (and I understand how Beats positioned these earbuds) is the lack of a heart rate sensor. Since this is a Powerbeats product, I thought the company go all out with health features, but the Powerbeats line is more about exercise than health. While I'd argue that's exactly why it should have a heart rate monitor, it was frustrating to look at my Apple Watch and realize it was trying to sense my heart rate without much success. This isn't the case when I'm wearing AirPods Pro 3 or Powerbeats Pro 2, as they give two extra heart rate channels.

The Powerbeats Fit offer up to seven hours of continuous music playback on a single charge. That number jumps all the way up to 30 hours with the charging case. When the battery does deplete, Beats says a quick five-minute charge via the USB-C port provides up to one hour of audio playback. During my testing, I didn't run into any issues with the battery, as I'd finish listening to music before the battery would hit 30%. Still, it's important to note that another compromise Beats made with these earbuds is the lack of wireless charging capabilities.

While Powerbeats Pro 2 can charge wirelessly, this charging case is 17% smaller and also has an IPX4 rating. With that, both earbuds and charging case are splash and sweat resistant. That said, not having wireless charging capabilities isn't a huge downside, but I'd like to have the option to charge my Powerbeats Fit alongside my Apple Watch and iPhone on a dock.

The Powerbeats Fit are available now for $199.99 — the same price as the Beats Fit Pro, which are $50 less than the Powerbeats Pro 2. While you can expect better deals in the future, Beats is positioning these earbuds as a premium offering at a more affordable price.

I'm a bigger fan of the wingtips than earhooks, since they're more minimal and comfortable. I think that these earbuds are a good option for those wanting to step up their audio game while working out. I'm definitely going to continue using them from time to time, even though I feel AirPods Pro 3 will be my go-to choice for most situations due to the heart rate sensor. While Powerbeats Fit earbuds sit more comfortably in my ears, getting extra data from my workouts is a must, and I hope Beats puts that on the roadmap for the next generation of this product.