Beats Powerbeats review

Quick verdict: Apple's updated Powerbeats headphones bring that signature bass-heavy Beats style to market at an appealingly low price, although that does come with some small compromises.

Quick pairing to iOS devices
Good battery life
Button interface is easy to use

Lacks noise cancellation
Audio is bass heavy
Not as comfortable for longer periods as the Powerbeats Pro

Alex Kidman

Last Updated May 6, 2021

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Apple moved its Beats brand significantly away from its signature, bass-heavy style with its more recent headphones including the Powerbeats Pro and the Beats Solo headphones. With the lower-cost Powerbeats, it's returned to that classic audio style. What's newer here in the redesigned Powerbeats is a focus on low cost without sacrificing battery quality, which does give the headphones some solid appeal.

Design

A range of colour options
Corded cable
Not always comfortable
Button controls are handy

In an era where so many companies are offering true wireless headphones, returning to a cabled neckband design can't help but feel like something of a throwback. The redesigned Beats Powerbeats do look rather like the existing Powerbeats Pro headphones with cables attached to each earpiece end. The same design idea is in place here with a solid hook to rest over the top of your ear, making them potentially a good choice for exercise fans worried about true wireless buds popping out of their ears during a particularly vigorous workout.
However, if you are looking to them as your next pair of workout headphones, it's worth noting that while they're sweat-resistant, they're only rated as IPX4, so they can't stand much more than a very low level of moisture. If your workouts leave you drenched in sweat, your Powerbeats might not take that nicely over time.
The combination of cable and earphone hook does make the Powerbeats very secure on your head, but I often found that after very long listening sessions, they became just a little bit uncomfortable around my ears and the back of my neck.
I've probably been spoilt by the pricier Powerbeats Pro in this regard, and it doesn't help either that I'm a glasses wearer. Balancing the hooks and cable over and behind my ears with glasses in play as well was trickier than I'd like. You do at least get a couple of different bud tips to fit your ears, as well as a simple drawstring bag to keep your Powerbeats in.
Where many Bluetooth headphones rely on touch controls for a simpler design, the Powerbeats instead opt for old-school buttons. The left ear houses the power button, while the right has standard volume controls, as well as a multi-purpose button built into the Beats logo on the side.
I've long had issues with touch controls that interpreted double-taps as single ones, so simply being able to adjust the volume or power down the Powerbeats was quite refreshing. There's also an open Lightning port for recharging your Powerbeats, because one way that Beats/Apple has kept the price down is by not offering any kind of in-case charging.
The Beats Powerbeats are sold in black, white or red, with relatively deep colour tones. I tested with the red pair, which are definitely the extrovert's choice, although they also felt a lot like the PRODUCT(RED) charity-focused iOS devices that Apple has produced over the years.

Performance

Quick pairing
Minimal feature set
Bass-heavy equalisation

One of the big advantages that Beats can lean on, thanks to its ownership by Apple, is the integration of Apple's own iOS-centric technology. The Powerbeats incorporate Apple's H1 chip for very fast pairing to iOS devices. You really don't have to do much more than power the Powerbeats up in the nearby presence of an iOS device and you'll get a pairing graphic popping up on your iPhone or iPad. Do that once and it'll even sort out quick pairing to any other devices on your account, so it's fairly simple to then use these headphones for your iPad Pro or your MacBook Pro too. There's inbuilt Siri support as well, so you can go (mostly) hands-free if that suits your needs.
Which isn't to say that the Powerbeats won't work on Android phones or other devices. They're just less convenient that way because you'll have to step through the standard Bluetooth pairing in order to get them up and working.
While Apple does make it easier to pair with an iPhone than an Android phone, there's really not much more to the experience between both platforms. The Beats app for Android lets you rename your headphones and update the firmware – both of which are handled within the iOS settings app natively – but there are no equalisation choices or noise-cancelling at play here. So you can totally rename your Powerbeats to "Wiggly Joe" – as I have done – but there's not much more to your choices than that.
Actual noise isolation is reasonable but not remarkable while wearing the Powerbeats. One area where I was impressed was with call quality, with callers indicating that my own voice came through very clearly while wearing the Powerbeats. That's far from a given for headphones with no obvious microphone stalks for pickup.
I was very impressed with the rich soundscape that the more expensive Powerbeats Pro headphones created. For the regular Powerbeats, it feels like Beats has taken a slight backwards step into its bass-heavy history. It's not that the audio that the Powerbeats presents is bad, but it's noticeably pushed more towards low tones, even for songs that don't really work that way.
For example, the Beatles' Helter Skelter picks up a distinctly grimy tone but loses just a little in Paul McCartney's desperate screeching lyrics along the way. Bananarama's Cruel Summer loses some of its deliberately 80s pop charm, something that isn't the case with the Powerbeats Pro. The slow mournful nature of David Bowie's Where Are We Now feels just a little too subdued, although that's far from a bright track to begin with.
It does depend – as it always does – on your music genres of choice. Ice Cube's Late Night Hour sounds quite good and impactful through the Powerbeats, as you'd expect within the genre that Beats built its reputation on.
It's very much an old school audio play for Beats. If you've long been a fan of the way it balances its larger and more expensive headphones, then you'll find the Powerbeats quite enticing. If you favour a more neutral soundscape with as much focus on the highs as the lows, you may find them less interesting.

Battery

15 hours of battery life
Lightning recharging is less useful

Most smaller Bluetooth headphones are seriously compromised when it comes to battery life because there's only so much space to pack in actual power. The Powerbeats are rated for up to 15 hours of battery life, which is quite impressive for such a light pair of headphones.
Actual battery life will vary depending on your usage and volume, but in my own tests, I've come close enough to say that Beats isn't exaggerating here, and that's very good for a set at this price. One slight caveat here is that the Powerbeats do not in any way power off or pause playback when you take them out of your ears. Forget to power them down (and yes, I've done this accidentally) and they'll stay paired, slowly draining their power away.
The Powerbeats recharge via Lightning connector only, with one of the shortest official Lightning cables I've ever seen. There's no included charger in the box, however, so you'll need a charger with a USB A type socket in it to power them up. That does mean that easily hooking them up to a newer MacBook Pro or MacBook Air isn't a simple process.

Verdict

How we score our reviews

Good audio for the price
But they're clearly Beats' cheap option

Should you buy it?

With the Beats Powerbeats Pro and Beats Solo, I figured that Beats had left behind its signature sound in favour of a more balanced tone. I'm not going to lie – I favoured that approach.

The Powerbeats represent a return to that more classic sound, and while I don't prefer that myself, clearly plenty of folks do. Combine that with some very good battery performance and a price point that's lower than previous Powerbeats generations, and you've got a decent, if not spectacular, option.

Pricing and availability

Price: RRP $219.95

Where to buy: Beats | Apple

Specs

Where to buy

Build

Category

In-ear

Colours

White, black, red

Connectivity

Wired/Wireless

Wireless

Bluetooth

Yes

Bluetooth Version

Class 1

Features

Detachable Cable

Rechargeable Battery

Yes

Foldable

Water Resistant

Yes

Battery Life

Up to 15 hours

Battery Type

Rechargeable lithium-ion

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Alex Kidman

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A multi-award winning journalist, Alex has written about consumer technology for over 20 years. He has written and edited for virtually every Australian tech publication including Gizmodo, CNET, PC Magazine, Kotaku and more. He has also been the Editor of Gizmodo Australia, PC Mag Australia, CNET.com.au and the Tech and Telco section at Finder. Alex has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of New England and a serious passion for retro gaming.

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Beats Powerbeats review