Well, this certainly is a spin on what was a disappointing announcement on the AirPods 2, which are now available. Apparently, Apple’s new groundbreaking earbuds are going to be the PowerBeats Pro. (Remember, Beats is currently owned by Apple.)
According to 9to5Mac, the “true wireless” version of Beats’ PowerBeats earphones arrive in April. They look just like the popular PowerBeats2 headphones, except they don’t have a wire holding them together. They look like fins with round speakers that fit into your ears. That’s a good thing. But even though one may look slightly ridiculous at first, the public could become used to it. Remember when the AirPods first came out and people looked strange with those white things hanging from their ears? Well, now everybody wears them.
There is still some negativity surrounding Beats, a company that once showed far more style than substance. However, things have been much different since Apple took ownership. For example, the Beats Studio3 Wireless headphones are well-built, have excellent sound, and excellent noise cancellation. In some ways, they are more comfortable than competing headphones by Bose and Sony. Beats is the real deal.
The PowerBeats Pro will have the same H1 chip that the AirPods 2 has. It will also respond to the “Hey, Siri” voice prompt. But how will these work with Android devices? It’s unlikely they’ll have the aptX codec that Samsung smartphones have. And nobody knows if the PowerBeats Pro buds will work with Google Assistant, though it’s very likely. The battery life of the buds also is a mystery, but they should offer at least five hours on a single charge.
The PowerBeats Pro will likely run $199, but nobody knows for sure. From an expert perspective, I would still recommend the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless earbuds. In a previous review, I said they are great but not for everybody. However, with some updates, they have become great….for everybody. $299 is a high price tag, but the Momentum True Wireless have audio codecs for just about every kind of device.
I’m still hoping Apple will come up with the “ultimate” earbuds someday. If any company can create hassle-free wireless earbuds with all-day battery life, Apple could. But for now, the PowerBeats Pro buds look like Apple is at least moving things into the right direction.