Beats Fit Pro are Apple’s best Wireless Earbuds Yet

It’s a little stunning just how great the new Beats Fit Pro earbuds are compared to the third-generation AirPods. At $200, they’re a mere $20 bump up from their better-known cousin and offer excellent active noise cancellation, magnificent audio output, elite comfort, and a long-lasting battery. Simply put, they’re the best earbuds in Apple’s portfolio, period.

They look similar to last summer’s Beats Studio Buds, with a pill-shaped touch panel on the lowercase “b” logo giving way to an earbud with silicone ear tips on each side – pretty typical and understated. There are three ear tip sizes in the box so you can mix and match for maximum comfort. And you can get them in black, white, grey, or light purple.

But while we’re on the subject of comfort, the one incredibly significant change here is a small, flexible wingtip that extends out of the top of the aforementioned “pill” into a natural curve. You might be leery of wingtips if you like to quickly insert and remove earbuds with minimal adjustment, but that’s not an issue here whatsoever. Simply place the Beats Fit Pro into your ears, twist them backwards slightly, and they intuitively snap into place with the wingtip fitting comfortably into the folds of the ear.  The end result is a pair of earbuds that never feel like they’re going to fall out and, more importantly, never intrude on your comfort. Wow.

As has become standard for wireless earbuds, there are some basic touch controls you activate by pressing down on the lowercase “b” on either earbud: One tap to pause and play, two to skip ahead, and three to skip backward. Holding down on either bud’s end switches between noise canceling modes by default. That last command can be changed in the settings menu if you’d rather use it to activate Siri or change volume. If you’re a “touchy feely” person, you’ll appreciate that these controls rely on an actual button with real tactile feedback as opposed to a finicky touch panel.

If you have an iPhone, setup is as easy as it is with AirPods. Turn on Bluetooth, open the Beats’ square charging case (with the earbuds inside) next to the phone, and tap the onscreen prompt to instantly connect them. All settings, including a quick ear fit test, can be found in the iPhone’s Bluetooth menu.

Android users will have to jump through the extra hoop of downloading a Beats Android app for setup and customization, but will otherwise have access to most of the Beats Fit Pro’s features. “Most” is the key word there because, naturally, Apple withheld some bonuses from Android owners. These include audio sharing, automatic device switching, spatial audio with head tracking, hands-free Siri access, and Find My support. One of the worst problems plaguing the wireless earbud game right now is device exclusivity like this, but perhaps you can learn to live without all of those features. And even Android owners will still probably have a great time with Beats Fit Pro thanks to an app that provides all the necessary features while leaving out some nice bonuses.

One last major advantage these Beats have over AirPods is that the square-shaped charging case has a USB-C port instead of relying on Lightning. However, that’s met with a disadvantage in a total lack of wireless charging support. It’d be a nice thing to have, especially since there are plenty of sub-$200 earbuds like the AirPods that can charge wirelessly, but you might not mind its absence.

But enough about looks and feel. What happens once you actually put Beats Fit Pro into your ears is what is making reviewers hear choirs of angels. Beats Fit Pro are rated for six hours of battery life on a full charge that’s a big bump up from the four and a half hours you get on the $250 AirPods Pro. Simply put, that’s as good as you’ll find out of earbuds in this price range.

The ANC itself is fantastic. Thanks to a combo of silicone seals and ANC, you’ll never have a problem of outside distractions filtering into your music with Beats Fit Pro. And boy, does music sound fantastic in these earbuds. Every song is allowed to be its authentic self, with a wide range between high and low elements making sure no instrument is flushed out of the mix. On top of that, you get some truly bumping bass that blows the new AirPods out of the water. It’s the closest a pair of earbuds can come to making you feel like you’re surrounded by subwoofers. The way all of these qualities mesh together manifests in a way that produces some incredible vibes under the right circumstances.

If you have $200 to spend, right now nothing out there is better than Beats Fit Pro. The argument becomes even more ironclad if you’re an iPhone owner because these earbuds work just as seamlessly with Apple’s smartphone line as AirPods do, while providing a better listening experience. Not only are they superior to the new entry-level AirPods, but experts say they’re definitively superior to the AirPods Pro, as well. A $50 discount compared to the Pro paired with better battery life is a tough combo to beat.

The new Beat Fit Pro earbuds fit really nicely into a space where they’re both reasonably affordable (though on the high end of that spectrum) and fully worth the price. The combination of top notch audio, beefy batteries, and all-day comfort make these ideal as both work and workout companions.

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