So apple is just on a rampage releasing new earbuds right now. First they released their Beats Studio Buds which are basically a trojan horse to sell earbuds to android users, then they released their AirPods 3 which which have a much sleeker design to them and they sound much better as well. And now there are the Beats which are an amped up version of the Beats Studio Buds… and they are also great for working out cause they have those built in wing tips.
Now regarding pricing, the Beats Fit Pro retail for $200. Not bad if you ask me. And in this video we’re going to be comparing the Beats Fit Pro to the Studio Buds which retail for $150, the AirPods Pro which retail for $250, the AirPods 3 which retail for $180 and the entry level AirPods which retail for $130. Nonetheless, if you want to pick any of these earbuds up, they’ll be linked down below. But simply put, if you’re looking for a pair of workout earbuds, the Beats Fit Pro are a very solid pick up.
Now first lets talk about this case. The Beats Fit Pro’s case is larger than your AirPods Pro case, AirPods 3 case and it is significantly larger than your entry level AirPods Case. The Beats Fit Pro’s case has a significantly larger foot print and its noticeably thicker as well. And when compared to the Studio Buds case… I am going to have to say the Beats Fit Pro’s case is a little larger as well. Its got a slightly larger foot print and its still slightly thicker. However, the Fit Pro’s are mainly supposed to be used as a pair of workout earbuds. And for workout earbuds, this case is very compact. And when compared to its predecessors, the Beats Pro… this case is tiny. So overall, the Beats Fit Pro have a very compact case for a pair of workout earbuds that I will assume most people will throw into their gym bag or chest pack like I do. Now even though you could daily drive this case… its still going to be noticeably larger than any pair of AirPods, Studio Buds, and a lot of other earbuds out there like either the Galaxy Buds 2, Galaxy Buds Pro, Jabra Elite 7 Pro, Jabra Elite 85T, or Sony WF-1000XM4.
Now when it comes to battery life, the Beats Fit Pro have your typical battery life for a pair of Apple earbuds. With their active noise cancelation turned on the Beats Fit Pro have an advertised combined battery life of 24 hours. The earbuds can go for up to 6 hours, and the case can supply an additional 3 charges. And if you were to use these earbuds with their Active noise cancelation turned off you’ll be able to get a combined battery life of around 28 hours. Not bad at all.
But for comparison sake, the AirPods 3 have a combined battery life of 30 hours… which is very impressive given their small case… but keep in mind they don’t have active noise cancelation. The AirPods Pro have a combined battery life of 24 hours with their Active noise cancelation turned on, the entry level AirPods also have a combined battery life of 24 hours
But then there are the Beats Studio Buds which are struggling a little bit here cause they only have combined battery life of 15 hours with their Active noise cancelation turned on. And a combined battery life of 24 hours with their Active Noise cancelation turned off. So if you are trying to choose between the Beats Studio Buds and Beats Fit Pro… you are going to get a noticeable battery upgrade with the Fit Pro.
However when it comes to charging these earbuds… thats where things get a little tricky. Unlike its predecessor… the Powerbeats Pro and unlike all of these AirPods which charge via a lighting port which is great if you’re an iPhone user… the Beats Fit Pro charge via a USB C port just like the Studio Buds. And depending on who you ask… this is either a good thing or a bad thing. But the really disappointing thing here is that this case still doesn’t have wireless charging. Now once we get to this price range wireless charging is a pretty standard feature… and both the AirPods Pro and AirPods 3 have wireless charging.
So personally I am rather shocked that this case doesn’t have wireless charging. Just given this case’s size you would think that they would be able to cram it in. Also you would think that this case would have wireless charging given that they have “Pro” in their name… And I think wireless charging would have helped iPhone user’s that decided to pick these earbuds up. But instead they’re now going to have to use one cable to charge their phone and another cable to charge their earbuds.
But now lets talk about the earbuds themselves. The beats fit pro have a rather unique fit to them when compared to all of apple’s other earbuds. Specifically they have wing tips. Now there are a lot of other workout earbuds out there that have built in wing tips… but these are a first for Apple. And overall, these wing tips really do help with lock down. Just keep in mind that you can customize your wing tips like you can with other earbuds that also wing tips. But if you are looking for a pair of workout earbuds, the Fit Pro’s are a solid pick up because they don’t wiggle out nearly as much as either the Studio buds or AirPods Pro when you’re at the gym lifting weights or out running. However… I do have to point out that the Powerbeats Pro’s ear hooks are still the most secure option out there. But these huge ear hooks do have their draw backs. Specifically, you’re going to be stuck with a larger case. Where as the wing tips on the Beats Fit Pro allow for a much smaller case. Which is super convenient.
But wing tips aside… the Beats Fit Pro are a pair of in ear earbuds. But they don’t fit like your standard pair of in ear buds which go in deep into your ear canal like lets say the Galaxy Buds 2, Jabra Elite 7 Pro, or Sennheiser CX Plus. The Beats Fit Pro are a pair of shallow fitting in ear earbud like the AirPods Pro or Studio Buds. Which is great for comfort because they don’t feel as intrusive. However, the Beats Fit Pro have the same round ear tips as the Studio Buds. Now this is a bad thing… because these earbuds still feel very comfortable… But the AirPods Pro do feel more natural specifically because they have more oval ear tips. But overall the Beats Fit Pro are a pair of very comfortable in ear earbuds. They create a really good seal with your ear canal so they are going to passively block out a ton of ambient noise… which is something that cant be said about the entry level AirPods or AirPods 3… And thanks to their wing tips… these earbuds do a phenomenal job of staying in place even when you’re out jogging. So if you’re looking for a pair of workout earbuds, these are hands down a much better fitting option than any of these AirPods and Studio Buds.
But now lets talk about connectivity… Now with all of these earbuds, each earbud establishes a connection with your phone. So if you just want to use on earbud at a time you can use either one. It doesn’t matter. And this is the connection set up that we expect to see from our earbuds nowadays. And in general, apple has gotten this right since day one.
However, the very important thing to keep in mind here is that the Beats Fit Pro have apple’s H1 chip, just like the Powerbeats Pro and all of apple’s current AirPods. Where as the Studio Buds don’t have the H1 chip.
Basically what this means is that with the Beats Fit Pro you’re going to be able to easily hot swap between all of your apple devices associated to your iCloud account just like how you can with AirPods. And if you’re an apple power user… this is great. Where as with the Studio buds, they can only be connected to one device at a time. So they aren’t as convenient.
The H1 chip also allows for audio sharing which is a very convenient a feature to use with friends. The H1 chip also allows for spacial audio… which admittedly is a feature that I just don’t use… And the H1 chip also also for always listening Siri. Which can come in handy either when your hands are full or if youre in the middle of a run. However, even though the Studio Buds don’t have the H1 chip… they still have Hey Siri support, which is a little surprising.
But when it comes to overall performance, just as you’d expect these earbuds have zero latency across the board when watching movies or videos on your phone whether you’re using an iPhone or an android device… and when it comes to audio codecs these earbuds have your standard apple stack of SBC and AAC.
But now lets talk about actually listening to music with these earbuds. And the short of it is these earbuds sound and preform the same as the Beats Studio Buds and thats a really good thing. These earbuds have really good instrument separation, they have strong mids so vocals are well pronounced and they have very punchy bass that hits hard… but doesn’t muddle the rest of your music like lets say that bass found on the Powerbeats pro. Overall, the Studio Buds have a very fun and dynamic sound to them. I personally really enjoy listening to music with these earbuds. Which is something that I can’t say about the AirPods Pro. Personally I never use my AirPods Pro to listen to music because they have a brighter sound signature to them and their bass is basically nonexistent. I also don’t like listening to music with the entry level AirPods because that have a very bass heavy sound signature… but then there are the AirPods 3 which are a different story. Just like the Studio Buds and Beats Fit Pro… the Airpods 3 have good instrument separation, strong resonating bass, and well defined mids. In a quiet room, the AirPods 3 sound great. But due to their fit… these earbuds let in a lot of noise pollution. Which can make it hard to listen to your music. Where as since both of the beats earbuds are in ear earbuds they don’t have this issue. So overall, for the time being, if you’re thinking about getting a pair of earbuds from apple and you want the best sound… then you do want to go with either the Beats Studio Buds or Beats Fit Pro. But like I mentioned in the past… I can’t wait to hear the AirPods Pro 2 with their in ear fit… but with the AirPods 3 drivers.
Now when it comes to controlling your media, the Beats Fit Pro have the same buttons as the studio buds. And personally, I really do prefer these buttons over the stems that you gotta squeeze on both the AirPods Pro and AirPods 3. I just feel that these stems feel very unnatural… but overall I still feel that all of these earbuds should have haptic touchpads like the ones found on the entry level AirPods. But with all of that being said, with the Beats Fit Pro, you can skip through your music, cycle between your ANC settings and activate Siri all from the earbuds themselves. However, you cant directly adjust your volume. If you want to adjust your volume you’re either going to have to take your phone out or ask Siri to do it.
But one major difference that I do want to point out about the Beats Fit Pro over the Beats Studio Buds… is that the Beats Fit Pro do have proximity sensors. Just like all of these other AirPods. So unlike the Studio Buds, the Fit Pro’s will automatically play or pause your music when you take them out or put them in your ears. And this is one of those features that you really miss when you don’t have it any more… and personally I do think that its crazy that the Studio Buds don’t have proximity sensors… cause this is a very standard feature.
But now lets talk about the active noise cancelation on these earbuds. Now Apple does active noise cancelation on their earbuds very well. It doesn’t affect how your music sounds, there’s zero hissing in the background and there isn’t a whole lot of cabin pressure. However, the ANC on these earbuds mostly focuses on constant low frequency sounds. And they aren’t going to block out as much noise as a proper pair of over ear ANC headphones like either the Bose NC 700, Sony 1000XM4’s and especially the AirPods Max.
Now over all the ANC on the Beats Fit Pro is pretty good. But just as you’d expect, the AirPods Pro still block out more noise than the Beats Fit Pro… and the Beats Fit Pro block out more noise than the Beats Studio Buds. And this makes perfect sense… apple isn’t going to let a beats product dethrone their AirPods Pro when it comes to active noise cancelation.
Now when it comes to overall ANC ranking… the Sony WF-1000XM4’s still block out the most amount of noise here albeit they do have an advantage because of their itchy foam ear tips. Right below them are the Jabra Elite 85T’s which also block out a ton of noise… and personally I do prefer them because they're more comfortable. Below them are the AirPods Pro and Sennheiser Momentum 2’s which I feel are neck and neck… below them are the Beats Fit Pro. And below them are the Galaxy Buds Pro.
Now below the Galaxy Buds Pro are the Beats Studio Buds. Below them are the Galaxy Buds 2. And below them are the Sennheiser CX Plus. So overall, the Beats Fit Pro place very well here… and personally this does have me excited for the AirPods Pro 2 as well.
And just like the AirPods Pro and Studio Buds, the Beats Fit Pro also have an ambient mode. And the ambient mode on these earbuds is very good. It sounds very natural with zero hissing in the back ground… and it sounds a little better than the ambient mode on the Studio Buds as well. But again when compared to the AirPods Pro, the ambient mode on the AirPods Pro sounds more natural specifically its a little louder, and the AirPods Pro do a better job of rejecting wind noise when walking outdoors.
However, just like the ambient mode on the AirPods Pro, the Ambient Mode on the Beats Fit Pro is the active kind. Meaning that they will automatically turn off their ambient if there’s a sudden loud sound. Saving your ears from just getting blasted. And I think this is great especially for the Beats Fit Pro… cause lets say you’re out on a run and a siren rolls by, the Beats Fit Pro will turn off their ambient mode. Where as with the Studio buds, they just let in everything.
But finally here’s the microphone test, now overall the Beats Fit Pro has a decent sounding microphone for phone calls.
And just as you’d expect, the microphone on the Beats Fit Pro sounds better than the microphone on the Beats Studio Buds.
Now even though the Beats Fit Pro have a decent sounding microphone… the microphone on the AirPods Pro does sound better. And in the interest of time, the microphone on the entry level AirPods performs the same as the AirPods Pro.
But then there are the AirPods 3 which have an even better sounding and performing microphone. In a quite room, the AirPods 3 have the best clarity.
And when it comes to blocking out ambient noise, the AirPods 3 also do the best job here. Because when it comes to blocking out this road noise… my voice still sounds very good.
The AirPods Pro also do a good job of blocking out road noise… but my voice doesn’t sound as good.
Now once we get to the Beats Fit Pro… this microphone is still usable, but you can definitely hear some road noise in the background.
But then there are the Studio Buds that not only let in a lot of road noise… there’s also a lot of static when I am talking.
And the same thing can be said about blocking out chatter. The Studio Buds let in the most amount of ambient noise here and there is some static in the background when I am talking.
Then there are the Beats Fit Pro which also let in a noticeable amount of chatter…. And my voice isn’t super prominent.
Then there are the AirPods Pro which do a better job of blocking out chatter… and they also do a better job of elevating my voice.
And finally there are the AirPods 3 which do the best job here of blocking out chatter… and they also do the best job here of keeping my voice very clear. Overall, the Beats Fit Pro have a decent sounding microphone… But it doesn’t sound as good as AirPods… and right now the AirPods 3 are the best sounding here.
So with all the being said, the Beats Fit Pro are the best workout earbuds that apple has to offer. And quite frankly these earbuds have all of the features that the Powerbeats Pro should have had from the beginning. Although the Beats Fit pro don’t block out more noise than the the AirPods Pro… they still rank very well. But more importantly the Beats Fit Pro have a really good sounding ambient mode thats also the active kind. And I think this is a big deal for a pair of earbuds that you’ll might be planning on running with. And thanks to their built in wing tips, the Beats Fit Pro do a great job of staying in place. But somewhere the Beats Fit Pro really do outshine the AirPods Pro… and its not even close… is when it comes to sound. The Beats Fit Pro much more dynamic and with much punchier bass than the AirPods Pro. So overall, the Fit Pro’s are great for working out. Now thanks to the Fit Pro’s built in wing tips, these earbuds are able to provide great lock down, but still manage to have a relatively small case. Now you could daily drive these earbuds as well… but if you’re strictly looking for a pair of everyday earbuds… you’re still much better off going with a pair of AirPods.