It's official! Beats has revealed the Powerbeats Fit, the long awaited sequel to some of our favourite running headphones ever, the Beats Fit Pro.
The Powerbeats Fit were teased in a new YouTube ad a few weeks back, and while their name is a little different, to keep everything in line with the company's Powerbeats sub-brand, the new edition is, in appearance and performance, taking up the mantle laid down by the established Beats Fit Pro.
The new buds employ a true wireless design equipped with an in-ear stability hook that tucks under the ear and provides “all-day comfort” and “exceptional stability”.
They are IPX4-rated, meaning sweat and water shouldn't be an issue. That, though is the same rating as for the outgoing Fit Pro, so we would have liked an improvement on the new buds’ overall durability.
The sound, at least, should be up to scratch. According to Beats, the Powerbeats Fit’s ergonomic earbud shape is built around a custom acoustic platform and proprietary drivers, delivering “powerful, balanced sound across the full audio spectrum”.
Personalised Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking, a feature also present with the established Fit Pro, is supported.
As before, active noise-cancelling blocks out the outside world, while transparency mode keeps you more connected to your surroundings if you're hitting the road and don't want to be taken unaware by passing traffic.
The refreshed buds offer around 30 total hours of battery life with the charging case in play, a small advance on the 27 hours offered by the Beats Fit. Once again,you'll get roughly seven hours of listening time from the earbuds themselves, and thanks to Beats' ‘Fast Fuel’ tech, a five-minute boost will provide up to an hour of extra playback.
The Powerbeats Fit offer easy integration to the iOS ecosystem without the need for a separate app. Powered by Apple’s H1 chip, they are essentially made for Apple users, offering iOS-friendly features such as automatic device switching, hands-free Siri access and the handy ‘Find My’ buds feature.
For Android users, meanwhile, one-touch pairing, Locate My Beats and an ear-tip fit test are all on the menu.
Speaking of ear tips, the refreshed sporting newbies offer extra-small, small, medium and large sizes. We might have hoped for an extra-large tip, but given how well those in-ear hooks work in providing stability and support, we doubt it will be a dealbreaker for most potential buyers.
What we find slightly disappointing is the return of the H1 chip. The exclusion of premium features found with the Powerbeats Pro 2 and Apple AirPods Pro 3, such as heart-rate monitoring, is a bit of a let down.
The Beats Powerbeats Fit are available in black, grey, pink or orange finishes, priced at £200 / $200. That's a little less than their Powerbeats Pro 2 counterparts which launched at £250 / $250 earlier this year.
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