Powerbeats Fit: Sports earphones with ANC
The in-ear buds are built to stay put during workouts, and they've got ANC and a long battery life. But they don't have new Apple chips or sensors.
(Image: Beats)
Apple subsidiary Beats unveiled the Powerbeats Fit on Tuesday. The wireless in-ears are the successor to the Beats Fit Pro introduced in 2022. The company had already teased the headphones in a commercial a month ago.
Like their predecessors, the Powerbeats Fit have silicone hooks that hold them in the ear cup. According to the manufacturer, the earbuds should fit just as tightly as their sister models, the Powerbeats Pro 2, which have a clip behind the ear. This should make the headphones particularly suitable for sports. The silicone ear pads are interchangeable, and four sizes (XS, S, M, and L) are included.
Like their predecessors, the headphones are sweat- and water-resistant with IPX4 certification. This means they can also be worn during intensive training sessions or in hot weather. Buttons on the earbuds can be used to control music playback, adjust the volume, switch between listening modes, or activate the voice assistant.
Old H1 chip, iOS and Android integration
The Powerbeats Fit have two dual beamforming microphones. They are designed to reduce ambient noise effectively such as wind for better call quality.
Beats has once again integrated a special Apple chip into the Powerbeats Fit, which takes over comfort functions under iOS but also controls microphones and noise cancellation. The manufacturer relies on the outdated H1, which was already used in the predecessors, the AirPods 3, the AirPods Max, and the first AirPods Pro.
Under iOS, the H1 ensures automatic switching between multiple players, audio sharing with multiple Beats or Apple listeners, hands-free “Hey Siri” or finding via “Where is?” among other things. The more powerful H2, which is also available in the Powerbeats Pro 2, but also the AirPods Pro 2 or the AirPods 4, offers better ANC, adaptive listening modes, and better microphone sound, at least with the Apple headphones. The Powerbeats Fit do not feature heart rate measurement like the Powerbeats Pro 2 or AirPods Pro 3.
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Beats earbuds work better with smartphones from other manufacturers than Apple's own AirPods range. The manufacturer offers a dedicated Beats app for Android users. It offers functions such as one-click pairing, customizable controls, a battery status indicator, a device search, and a fit test for the ear pads.
3D sound and ANC
Beats claims to have adapted the shape of the headphones to the specially developed drivers. These are said to deliver a “powerful, balanced Beats sound across the entire sound spectrum for an exceptional listening experience”.
The earbuds use an adaptive EQ to adjust the sound to the individual fit and seal of each individual in-ear earbud. They use internal microphones to measure what the wearer actually hears and adapt the audio signal to a personalized hearing profile.
The Powerbeats Fit also support personalized 3D audio with head tracking for music, games, or films, provided the material is in Dolby Atmos. The headphones feature active noise cancellation (ANC), which reduces ambient noise, as well as a transparency mode.
Smaller case, battery life, and USB-C charging
According to the manufacturer, the redesigned charging case is 17 percent smaller than its predecessor, the Beats Fit Pro. Like the earphones, it is now also sweat and water resistant in accordance with IPX4 certification.
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The in-ears are said to last up to seven hours on a single charge without ANC or transparency mode. In combination with the charging case, the Powerbeats Fit have a battery life of up to 30 hours. If noise cancellation is activated, the runtime is reduced to six hours per charge.
Five minutes in the charging case should be enough to listen to an hour of music via a quick-charging function. The case itself is charged via USB-C.
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Prices and availability
Beats has lowered the price slightly compared to its Fit Pro predecessors: the Powerbeats Fit can be pre-ordered from Apple from 30 September for 229.95 Euro. They will be available in stores on 2 October. They are available in four colors: Diamond Black, Gravel Grey, Bright Orange, and Power Pink.
(hze)
