So far, the excellent Beats Powerbeats Pro true wireless earbuds have only been available in black, but the other colors announced several months ago — ivory (off-white), moss (green), and navy — are arriving by the end of this month. They’ll also cost $249.95.
Apple tells me you’ll be able to order them online beginning on August 22nd at 12:01AM PT / 3:01AM ET. All three new Powerbeats Pro colors will start shipping on August 30th and should be in Apple’s retail stores on that day as well.
The Powerbeats Pro offer up to nine hours of continuous battery life, adjustable ear hooks for a secure fit, sweat / water-resistance, and physical buttons for volume and music controls on each earbud. Their sound quality is also significantly better than AirPods, though the charging case is bulkier, and they lack wireless charging.
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Comments
Meh.
Feel free to lower the price at the same time
By timvanbeveren on 08.19.19 1:31pm
Have Beats gotten any better? I’ve avoided them like the plague because of how vastly overpriced they were.
Some breakdowns i’ve read where they looked at the quality of components and estimated cost said the $300 Beats Studios cost around $20 to make and that the most expensive part is the box it comes in.
By GNTsquid on 08.19.19 1:50pm
That honestly just sounds like terrible hyperbole you shouldn’t give a second thought…
Beats are fine value if you like the way they look and that they focus on pumping up the base.
By apapez on 08.19.19 2:03pm
Read the reviews for these. Almost unanimous praise. Great sound. Great build quality. Pretty clear that things have improved drastically over the years.
By HBDC on 08.19.19 2:05pm
That kind of analysis is usually bullshit anyway. People like to compile costs for parts, while studiously ignoring design, engineering, testing, production, shipping, retail overhead etc. Sure the brand costs a certain amount, but that is the case pretty much everywhere, and it’s usually less of a markup than people claim.
By ench on 08.19.19 2:10pm
I dont think its as much bullshit as people claim. I’d rather not pay a mark up because of celebrity endorsements and being seen as a status symbol. If the headphones sound like $150, I want to pay $150 not $300 because of superfluous things. But maybe thats just me.
By GNTsquid on 08.19.19 3:00pm
Has anyone ever made one of those "breakdowns" that actually accounted for design, engineering, shipping and testing? All I’ve ever seen are parts lists and self satisfied comments.
By ench on 08.19.19 3:27pm
I think the engineering part is not superfluous, someone has to design the product and engineer it in the first place. That’s something that can’t be computed easily in parts cost.
By eat_lead_slackers on 08.19.19 3:37pm
Sure, but celebrity endorsements and fancy boxes aren’t part of the engineering of the headphones. Marketing takes up a gigantic portion of the cost.
By GNTsquid on 08.20.19 10:27am
What does $150 sound like? Does that sound factor in materials like leather and wood? How about packaging and distribution? Anything can be a status symbol, Bose is one for sure.
At the end of the day, value is an individually set proposition. Maybe some people cannot hear some of the nuance that other "trained" ears can, but features that have a real day-to-day functional impact on the user experience (like being wireless or quick-charging) is something a user can justify a higher value in. The perceived markup for celebrity endorsements mean nothing on items that always go on sale anyway. I got a new set of the Studio Wireless ones for 40% off, from a value proposition —to me — is extremely high. They sound amazing, the battery lasts forever, and have a W1 chip for easy connectivity within the Apple ecosystem as well as increased range. To me, those last three things introduce value worth paying for above and beyond the sound quality. Not more important, but a serious factor.
By websnap on 08.19.19 3:59pm
I have Beats Studio 3 Wireless headphones and I absolutely love them. I have yet to have a single person try them and not love them as well. The sound quality is great, yes it’s can be heavy on bass but not to the point that it degrades anything. The built quality is great and the charge lasts so long.
By TDHawk00 on 08.19.19 2:28pm
I think your perception is outdated. Beats have become a fine product under Apple, not the overpriced cheap bass-pumping product they used to be (though they still have a strong bass profile.) I still think these headphones are overpriced but the are very good.
By RF9 on 08.19.19 3:08pm
You should really try these before buying them (don’t just order them online like me). I found the sound tinny and harsh and went back to my Airpods.
By ujwalsoni on 08.19.19 2:53pm
Your point is valid but that most likely has more to do with the seal as with most IEM style earphones and doesn’t reflect on the actual performance you can possibly get with a good seal.
By Cal-EL on 08.19.19 7:14pm
weirdly my Beats Pro True wireless phons doen’t create a great seal but the sound is still amazingly full with a hefty low end thump. I have no idea why that is. They sound significantly better than my Beats X or my B&W C5’s that I had before and both of these were quite good. I could not be happier with these earbuds.
The Airpods I auditioned at he apple store sounded tinny and not loud enough by comparison. I could not be happier with these Beats. And this is coming from someonewho never loved the sound of earlier Beats models. The sound has changed since Apple purchased them. And the H1 chip makes them a delight to use with Apple devices.
By minimalist on 08.19.19 10:45pm
I was surprised at how good these were. I didn’t buy them for sound quality – I wanted truly wireless earbuds with a good connection and nice iPhone integration. They fulfilled that criteria perfectly.
The sound I was initially disappointed with. They were a little tinny for the price, although not significantly worse than any other in-ear buds. I changed out the rubber buds for the thinner ones (the big ones kept forcing them out of my ear) and the sound changed dramatically. The sound quality seems highly linked to a good seal with the buds.
You’re not going to be doing any professional audio work with them, but for workout earbuds these are brilliant. They’re stable. The battery life is brilliant (I get 10 hours – advertised is 9 hours). They sync perfectly between iPhone and Apple Watch. The buttons are secure, but not sore to press. Can wear one at a time, and the controls are the same on both.
By dsellis on 08.19.19 3:32pm
USB-C still MIA, no thanks.
By itsmecaysie on 08.19.19 4:10pm
I’m shocked that these use lightning to charge! Ugh.
By zbot on 08.19.19 7:06pm
And yet they charge completely in a little under and hour via a cable that most Apple users already have several of lying around. USBB C is great for fast charging devices with big batteries but its still uncommon and unnecessary for a device with a battery as small as these.
By minimalist on 08.19.19 10:50pm
I bought a pair of these primarily for the convenience factor. The pairing is dead simple, the battery lasts forever with the case. I bough these vs airpods due to the fit and water-resistance. These are great "active" earbuds for gym use or yardwork or whatever gets you sweaty. They get really loud and the bass is the best I’ve experienced short of wired buds, but I don’t have much to compare to other than a couple of pairs of $25 amazon BT buds. Something that I appreciate the most is that as someone who sweats a lot, having no cord around the back of my neck is so nice. These are for sure overpriced, and so are airpods, but the user experience is amazing.
By bmacklin on 08.19.19 9:32pm
How the heck did a red&black SKU not get launched at all?
By storyninja on 08.20.19 10:43am
Still can’t get myself to buy $250 earbuds
By SC310 on 08.20.19 11:14am
Even though those green and blue pairs look amazing
By SC310 on 08.20.19 11:15am