Beats Fit Pro vs. AirPods Pro | Which Is the Best Choice for You?
Credit: Beats
Although there was a time when the future of Apple's Beats brand was uncertain, it’s clear that the standalone brand is too important for Apple to ignore. Now, with almost the entire lineup of Beats headphones completely revamped and refreshed, Apple effectively has a whole other family of headphones in direct competition with its premium AirPods brand.
With almost all current Beats earphones including the same capabilities that Apple’s AirPods have become known for — including the same H1 chip — it’s muddied the waters somewhat. Put simply, AirPods are no longer the best choice for iPhone users by default, and there are some pretty compelling reasons why you might want to consider a Beats product instead.
This has become even more pronounced with last week’s introduction of the new Beats Fit Pro, a new set of true wireless earbuds that deliver almost all the features of the AirPods Pro — for $50 less.
So, which should you pick? Well, with the products offering such similar capabilities now, the answer is “it depends.” Read on for 11 things to know about the new Beats Fit Pro vs. the AirPods Pro.
Both: Active Noise Cancellation
Apple appears to have put the same Active Noise Cancellation and Transparency feature into the Beats Fit Pro that the AirPods Pro originally became famous for.
To be clear, Apple hasn’t placed the Beats Fit Pro at a disadvantage. There’s every indication that the ANC and Transparency features are identical to the AirPods Pro, and every reviewer has basically confirmed this in their own listening tests.
Both: Spatial Audio
Last year, Apple introduced new Spatial Audio features exclusively for the AirPods Pro. Since then, it’s expanded that across the entire current AirPods lineup, filling in the last gap in September with the AirPods 3.
With that out of the way, Apple has seen fit to bring Spatial Audio to the Beats lineup, with the Beats Fit Pro being the first in line. As with ANC and Transparency, the Spatial Audio support on Beats Fit Pro is identical to what’s found on Apple’s AirPods.
This includes Dynamic Head Tracking, so the audio will always magically sound like it’s coming from the direction of your iPhone, iPad, or Apple TV, as well as a full Dolby Atmos soundstage for supported music, movies, and TV shows.
Both: iPhone Integration
The Beats Fit Pro feature the same H1 chip as the AirPods Pro, so it’s not surprising that they also offer all the same features that made the AirPods such a great companion to your iPhone and other Apple devices.
This means that you’ll get automatic pairing offered up as soon as you open the case, which will also sync up with all of your other Apple devices via iCloud. Once that’s done, you’ll also get seamless switching between iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV.
There’s also hands-free “Hey Siri” voice command support, Audio Sharing, and even integration with Apple’s Find My network. Basically, when it comes to fitting in with the Apple ecosystem, there’s nothing here that the AirPods Pro can do that the Beats Fit Pro cannot.
Beats Fit Pro: More Secure Fit
Although Apple’s original AirPods probably score the lowest in fit — many users (myself included) found the fit to be less than satisfying — the AirPods Pro still fall shy of having a fit that we’d consider reliable enough for high-intensity workouts. This is where Beats Fit Pro particularly shine.
As the name pretty much suggests, these are designed to fit comfortably within your ear, and stay there, thanks to a flexible wing tip that holds each earbud in place. They’re also stemless, which means there’s nothing to protrude outside the ear that could potentially knock an earbud out.
Basically, if your primary purpose for true wireless earbuds is to work out, the Beats Fit Pro are the clear winner.
Beats Fit Pro: (Slightly) Better Sound Quality
While this is largely subjective, most of the reviews of Beats Fit Pro have identified the sound quality as being slightly better than that of the AirPods Pro.
While Beats headphones are generally known for being most bass-heavy, the Beats Fit Pro aren’t quite up to that same level. They still provide more bass than the AirPods Pro, but they’re more balanced and refined than the Powerbeats Pro.
Beats Fit Pro: Better Battery Life
The new Beats Fit Pro are clear winners on battery life, promising up to seven hours of continuous playback on a single charge, although this drops to six hours when Active Noise Cancellation features are enabled. Recharging in the case provides up to 23 hours of additional listening time.
By comparison, the AirPods Pro come in at only 4.5 hours of listening time, with up to 24 hours provided by the AirPods Pro case. In either case (no pun intended) you can get another hour of ANC-powered listening time after only five minutes of recharging them in their respective cases.
Beats Fit Pro: More Flexible Controls
Much like other Beats headphones, the Beats Fit Pro still offer better and more flexible button-based controls. While AirPods Pro will let you squeeze the stems to do the usual things like play/pause/skip and toggle ANC and Transparency on and off, Beats Fit Pro has one other trick up its sleeve: You can remap one of its buttons to adjust your volume.
This is done right in the iOS Settings menu, and right now it’s exclusive to the Beats Fit Pro, although it would likely be easy for Apple to add this to its other earbuds via a software update.
Although it’s a matter of personal choice, the "b" button on each Beats Fit Pro earbud offers some nice clicky tactile feedback. It does seem like a more natural way to access the controls than squeezing the stems on the AirPods Pro.
Beats Fit Pro: More Colours
As with pretty much every other Beats product, the Beats Fit Pro are available in a range of attractive designs and colours. Specifically, four in this case: Black, White, Stone Purple, and Sage Grey. The standard black and white versions also have a prominent red “b” on the side of each, while the Beats logo is black on the Stone Purple version, and a lighter grey that contrasts nicely against the Sage Grey.
As for the AirPods Pro? Well, to borrow the famous saying from Henry Ford, you can have the AirPods Pro in any colour you like, as long as it’s white.
AirPods Pro: Wireless Charging (now with MagSafe)
One of the most significant omissions on the new Beats Fit Pro is wireless charging, making this one of the few areas in which the AirPods Pro is a clear winner. Plus, Apple has also quietly replaced the charging case on new AirPods Pro stock to include MagSafe. While this doesn’t improve charging speeds, it does allow you to charge your AirPods Pro on vertical MagSafe stands, since the case will remain held magnetically in place.
Lightning vs. USB-C
Beats Fit Pro still charge the old-fashioned way, with a wire, and to make matters more complicated for iPhone users, they use a USB-C connection to do so.
By contrast, AirPods Pro use a Lightning cable, which you’re much more likely to have handy since that’s what your iPhone uses to charge as well. The said, all of Apple’s MacBooks and most of its newest iPads also use USB-C, so it’s not like many Apple fans will have a hard time finding one of those.
The Verdict
If you think it looks like the AirPods Pro are outmatched by the Beats Fit Pro, you’re right. However, it’s also important to keep in mind that the AirPods Pro were released over two years ago, and apart from the addition of MagSafe to the charging case, they’ve remained unchanged.
The Beats Fit Pro, on the other hand, are brand new. In fact, they include some of the same features on Apple’s newest AirPods 3, including Apple’s latest improved skin detection sensor. From a technical perspective, it's understandable that they have an edge. Apple has put its best foot forward into giving them every bit of the most sophisticated earphone technology it can muster.
We’ll eventually see second-generation AirPods Pro coming along as well, but the latest inside info suggests that won't be until the later part of next year. The Beats Fit Pro are here now.
Of course, at the end of the day, there are still many more subjective reasons to choose one set of earbuds over the other, but don’t be thrown off by the lower price tag on the Beats Fit Pro, as you’re really getting almost everything that the AirPods Pro offer at an even better price.