Beats Powerbeats Fit review

The Beats Powerbeats Fit follows the same general approach as the Beats Fit Pro true wireless earphones, with small fixed wings and a generally compact size to keep the earphones in place during workouts. The tips of the wings are flexible, and expectedly keep the earpieces firmly secured even if you move around a lot, and there’s a proper in-canal fit which delivers proper noise isolation. The earphones can feel a bit too snug, but it’s the most efficient way to keep them in place.

If you aren’t a fan of the AirPods classic white colour, Beats options offer a bit more in terms of colour options. The Powerbeats Fit comes in four colours; black and grey are a bit more muted, while the orange and pink options tend to stand out. A nice touch is how the colour you pick is on every bit of the headset, including the charging case, wings, and ear tips in their entirety.

 

 

 

 

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The charging case isn’t too large, and has a nice size and shape that makes it convenient for quickly slipping into your pocket or backpack. The subtle Beats logo stands out in contrast against the orange of the case, and the USB Type-C port for charging is at the back. The major drawback here is the lack of wireless charging.

The key specifications of the Beats Powerbeats Fit are as you’d expect from a headset priced this much; you get active noise cancellation, fast wired charging, and support for Dolby Atmos and Apple’s native Spatial Audio system. There’s also IPX4 water resistance and the Apple H1 chip in the Powerbeats Fit, which enables Apple’s specific connectivity features.

It’s not the H2 that’s on products such as the AirPods Pro 3 and Powerbeats Pro 2, but it’s still a competent chip that gets the job done. You’ll get fast pairing and connectivity with iPhones, easy use of Siri for voice commands, and general performance improvements when using the earphones with a compatible Apple device. 

You’ll also see specific controls and settings for the headset in the settings on iOS, including toggles for ANC and hear-through, controls customisation and guides, settings for Spatial Audio and automatic ear detection, and a few other details. Usefully, there’s standard Bluetooth connectivity and app support for Android devices as well, so it’s a bit more versatile than Apple-branded earphones.

Beats headphones and earphones aren’t quite as ‘Apple’ as Apple’s own audio products, but they are still fairly well geared for the Apple ecosystem. While your usage experience won’t vary too much depending on which source device you use, you’ll find things just a bit more seamless and easy if you use it with an iPhone. 

After a couple of days of testing it with both an iPhone and an Android device, I found myself choosing to use it with the iPhone Air out of habit. Quick connectivity was the main benefit, while the popup and widget integration for battery levels was useful as well. Sound quality was fairly standard across devices, since the Powerbeats Fit supports the SBC and AAC codecs (the latter is the default pick on modern devices).

ALSO SEE: Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 review

While the Beats headsets of the past were known for their bass-heavy sound, the Powerbeats Fit is considerably more refined and closer to what you’d expect to see on the AirPods range. There’s a definite sense of balance here; you’ll still get a fair bit of attack from the low end, but you’ll also feel the treble and some element of detail in the mid range. 

Listening to Kyoto by Skrillex, the sound didn’t feel like an all out nightclub-style attack on the senses, instead capturing the overall feel of the track. You can tweak the equaliser to your preference by picking one of the many presets in Apple Music (or other apps), but it’s better to keep to the standard adaptive EQ of the headset, especially if you have a varied set of music that switches genre with every track.

It’s worth pointing out that the adaptive EQ (part of Apple’s tech suite) needs you to switch off active noise cancellation to work on the Powerbeats Fit. On a regular basis, this is ideal since it’ll give you slightly better and more adaptable sound, apart from helping to stretch the battery a bit further. You’ll see a small drop in performance with ANC on, but it isn’t a lot so by all means use the ANC as needed.

ALSO SEE: OnePlus Buds Pro 3 review

Speaking of active noise cancellation, it’s fairly well set up on the Beats Powerbeats Fit. You’ll hear a noticeable reduction in the kind of noise ANC is meant to filter out, so it should come in handy in noisy places such as on trains and airplanes. At home or in the office, you’ll find the snug fit and passive noise isolation to be more than enough, so prioritise sound quality by turning ANC off.

Battery life on the Beats Powerbeats Fit is decent enough, giving you about 6-7 hours of run time on the earpieces depending on how much you use ANC. The charging case will give you three additional charges, charges itself quickly with a decent USB Type-C cable and adapter, and can charge the earphones up rapidly too. The only drawback here is the lack of wireless charging for the case, is a big miss at this price level.

The Beats Powerbeats Fit is a rather likeable pair of true wireless earphones, for a number of reasons. It’s good for Apple users but works just fine with Android too, it’s colourful, the snug fit and passive noise isolation is excellent for its stated fitness push, and it sounds decent enough with good ANC to go with it. 

The only thing is that it’s a bit expensive, and doesn’t quite have the hardware chops to justify it. The Apple H1 chip is a good addition, but the H2 would have made this so much better especially in enabling some of the features that the Powerbeats Pro 2 has. Additionally, the lack of wireless charging is a big miss. Still, the styling, fitness focus, and vibrant colour choices make this a tempting alternative to the AirPods range, especially if you also have an Android device to use it with.