‘Under the radar’: Apple’s secret new product to rival AirPods Pro

They’re colourful, reasonably priced and fit like a glove – and now they’ve been acquired by Apple they are even more tempting.

Beats Fit Pro might be a fitness fanatic’s best earbuds yet. Picture: Elly Awesome

REVIEW

Beats Fit Pro earbuds often go under the radar, but they’re a genuine alternative to Apple AirPods Pro. In fact, since the brand was acquired by Apple, I’d now describe them as the AirPods’ colourful cousin.

The product has been out for a few years but were recently revived with three new colourways – coral pink, volt yellow and tidal blue. Sporting a unique form factor with flexible wingtips for a more secure fit, while sharing numerous features with the AirPods line-up, Beats Fit Pro might be a fitness fanatic’s best earbuds yet.

Beats Fit Pro has been acquired by Apple. Picture: Elly Awesome

Unboxing and design

In the box of the Beats Fit Pro you’ll find start-up documents, a USB-C charging cable, additional sizes of silicone eartips, a Beats sticker and the buds in their case.

I have to admit the case is rather large, and its size surprised me compared to the AirPods range. However, looking beyond this, the buds themselves are something special. The fit of the buds are very secure and although I found the wingtips strange looking, they were comfortable. I tried shaking like a dog after a bath with the buds in my ears and they would not fall out. This was incredible, especially in comparison to my AirPods, which fall out when I do sit-ups.

@ellyawesometech

AirPods Pro alternative? 🤔 Here’s my review of the Beats Fit Pro which are really similar but more secure for workouts! #earbuds#tech#techtok#apple#airpods

♬ original sound - Elly Awesome

Features

As they’re powered by Apple’s H1 chip, also found in the first generation AirPods Pro, they share a lot of the features. They have one-touch pairing (they’re instantly recognised by your iPhone), the audio can follow you to the next device (cleverly switches from your iPhone to your Mac), Siri is available to assist you and they can even be located using FindMy.

They can be located using the FindMy app. Picture: Elly Awesome

Although they lack the volume controls found on (only) the new second generation AirPods Pro, they have the usual play/pause and skip track touch controls.

However, the Beats don’t have a touch-sensitive surface but instead a clickable hidden button, located under the beats logo of each earbud.

It’s a bit funny at first to press into the earbud until you get an audible, mechanical click when changing tracks, but it works just fine. You can also hold down the button to turn on Active Noise Cancellation or toggle back to transparency mode.

Noise cancellation and audio quality

If you already own AirPods Pro (2nd Generation), then your standards for noise cancellation will be high. They are my favourite earbuds for their noise cancellation abilities and clear transparency mode. The Active Noise cancellation on the Beats are reasonable, but nowhere near as mind-blowing as the AirPods Pro 2. However, for $100 less, they do a fairly good job and the standard is similar to that of the first generation AirPods Pro.

The in-built mics on these are quite good, and the audio quality is even better. These offer impressive and nuanced music playback. I love the sound quality, which sounds premium, and they also support spatial audio with dynamic head tracking that adjusts the sound as you move your head.

The buds are very comfortable and won’t fall out. Picture: Elly Awesome

Battery life

Conveniently, the Beats Fit Pro have an up-to-date USB-C port for charging, although they lack wireless charging, which you’ll find on the more expensive AirPods Pro 2. They do, however, sport a solid six-hour battery life, even with Active Noise Cancellation switched on, which is the same as the AirPods Pro (2nd Generation). In total they have up to 24 hours of battery life and at a pinch they can get up to one hour of battery life after just a five-minute charge.

Are they worth it?

The main downside to this product is the larger case, which is slippery and slightly difficult to open, and the noise cancellation just isn’t as impressive as second generation AirPods Pro. Aside from that, these earbuds sit perfectly between the first and second generations of the AirPods Pro.

If the most important features to you are quick and easy pairing, excellent audio quality and secure earbuds for your workouts, the obvious choice would be to try the Beats Fit Pro. They retail at $299 – which is $100 cheaper than the AirPods Pro (2nd Generation).

Elly Awesome is an Aussie tech and lifestyle vlogger | @ellyawesometech | YouTube