There’s no reason to buy the Powerbeats 3 Wireless, which are currently selling for $200 on Apple’s website, because Beats and Apple just announced a new version of those wireless earbuds — called the Powerbeats — that are better in every way. At $150, they’re also significantly cheaper.
The Powerbeats are almost exactly the same as the Powerbeats Pro, which are one of the best wireless earbuds for running and working out, but they aren’t true wireless. Instead, the Powerbeats are technically “neck buds” and have a wire connecting the two earbuds.
The good news here is that the Powerbeats Pro have been plagued with a charging issue — sometimes one of the earbuds just wouldn’t charge while in the charging case — and the new Powerbeats won’t have that issue because there’s no charging case. Instead, there’s a Lightning charging port located right on on the Powerbeats’s wire.
The Powerbeats have a 15-hour battery life, which is up from the 12 hours you’d get on the Powerbeats 3 Wireless and the 9 hours you’d get on the Powerbeats Pro (before you’d have to stick the earbuds back in the charging case). They’re sweat resistant (IPX4) and have Apple’s H1 chip, so you can fast pair them with your iPhone. As for as audio quality, you can expect the same signature sound as on the Powerbeats Pro.
The Powerbeats will be available on March 18. You’ll be able to order them in three colors: black, white or red.
