Second Chance Beats Powerbeats Pro Blue

The Powerbeats Pro is the successor of the Powerbeats 3. The first thing that strikes me is that this successor is completely wireless. As a result, I enjoy more freedom of movement and I never get stuck with a cable again. Furthermore, the earplugs look good in terms of design, but they are less suitable for glasses wearers.

Earplugs stay put
The earplugs have an ear hook that I adjust myself to the position I want. So I sometimes put it tight and sometimes less tight around my ears. Especially during sports I tighten it up so that they don't fall out of my ears. The earplugs are a lot better during exercise than normal earplugs because of this earhook. Because the ear hook goes over your ears, the earplugs are less suitable for wearers of glasses.

Connected quickly to my iPhone
The Powerbeats Pro have the H1 chip from Apple, so I can quickly connect the earbuds to my iPhone. I just open the charging case and my iPhone detects the earbuds right away. This way I don't have to connect them manually every time via the bluetooth settings of my phone. This is necessary when I want to connect the earbuds to an Android device.

Deep bass motivates during exercise
With earplugs, I think it's important that the bass is powerful. This works for me while exercising. The Powerbeats Pro don't really have a powerful, but more of a deep bass. I don't mind this, as a deep bass also motivates me. In addition, the sound is well balanced. I did notice that the sound leaks, which means that the people around me hear more of my music than I want.

Every sports session in my bag
I'm not afraid that the battery of the earbuds will run out quickly during exercise. After exercise, I put them in the charging case. In this I fully charge them and I can listen to music again for 9 hours. When the battery of the earbuds is empty, I charge them within 15 minutes to use for 4.5 hours.

Ever since the announcement I was waiting for the sale of Powerbeats Pro in the Netherlands. Ever since Apple left out the jack plug on its devices, I've had a set of "wireless" BeatsX earplugs. The wearing comfort of those earplugs has actually become increasingly difficult for me all this time, mainly because of the cord between the left and right sides. Airpods don't sit well with me anyway, so this product could be the next step. After I received a stock notification email from Coolblue, I ordered the Powerbeats Pro and received it yesterday.

The earplugs and case are neatly packed in a sturdy small box. Packaging as you might be used to from Apple (and now also Beats). In the box you will find the earplugs, the charging case, a black lightning-to-USB-A cable, 3 other sizes/shapes silicone tips and some stickers and papers.

After unpacking, immediately grabbed the iPhone and opened the charging case of the Powerbeats. The familiar animation quickly appeared on the iPhone's screen and after pressing the pairing button, the set was ready to use. And then suddenly ready for use on iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch because of synchronization via iCloud. After unpacking and connecting the caps, I only used the caps for a short time and mainly tested how they stay in place with strong head movements. There was nothing to complain about at that point. They stay in place very well. When put back in the case, the caps are, as it were, automatically "sucked" into the right place by the built-in magnets. They also stay in place well.

A day later at the office, it is time to put them to the test for a longer period of time. Plug in the ears, switch on Spotify on the iPhone and listen to music in the midst of all your colleagues. Putting it in requires some dexterity, but after a few practice times this is simple and good. The trick is to twist the hook from front to back around the ear and then push the cap into the ear. The connection with the iPhone is made quickly and within a few seconds I am listening to music between typing and talking colleagues. With the Powerbeats at half volume, I can just hear my own keystrokes, but I hear almost nothing from my colleagues. No keys, no talking. Not bad for caps that don't have NC and purely because of the seal with the silicone tip, they keep out ambient noise.

At the time of writing, I've had the Powerbeats in my ears for several hours now, with no irritation or discomfort at all. That was certainly different with the aforementioned BeatsX. Operating the earplugs is also easy with the aid of the physical buttons that are present on both ears. Play, pause, skip track, adjust volume, everything is simple and good. The wearing detection also does its job well: remove 1 of the earplugs from your ear and the music will stop playing. If you put the earplugs back, the music will immediately resume. If you don't want this, you can simply turn it off in the Bluetooth settings of the Powerbeats Pro.

I really enjoyed the first hours with the Powerbeats Pro. After at least 3.5 hours of music playback (again: at 50% volume), 74% of the battery charge remains in the earplugs. What I haven't done with them yet and plan to wear them for running. Based on last night's head movement test, I don't expect any unpleasant surprises in terms of wearing comfort and staying put.

Good earphones in the beginning (2 months), after that very often problems with charging. Received a new one as a replacement, but same problem there. In the case, the right earpiece often does not charge and even drains. Very annoying if you want to start exercising and the earphones don't work. Sound, ease of use is fine, and in the beginning I was also very enthusiastic. "Charging issues" appears to be a frequently mentioned problem with these earphones. So don't buy.