Powerbeats Fit review: The no-nonsense fitness earphones

In the iOS settings, you can customise what the button on the earphones does — I set up the right one to wake up Siri. You can also run a test to see how the Powerbeats Fit Pro tips fit in your ears. And, of course, you can switch to transparency mode or just switch off the noise cancellation. You can also find the app to locate the Powerbeats Fit.

The battery lasts about 30 hours on a full charge. (Image: Nandagopal Rajan/The Indian Express)

The past two weeks have seen a flurry of audio devices that have come for review before the festive season, and this has given me a good sense of where noise cancellation stands now. We have the latest AirPods Pro right at the top and open devices like Shokz at the other end of the spectrum. I would place the Powerbeats Fit a notch below the AirPods Pro, as I discovered on a recent trip to Mumbai. On the flight, I could completely mute the noise around me with the AirPods Pro, but the Powerbeats Fit Pro leaked in a bit of the mid-air chatter, especially when I was not playing something.

The Powerbeats Fit, taking on the legacy of the Powerbeats Fit Pro 2, have a good design with silicone fins that keep them in place during your fitness exertions, as well as when you doze off on a flight. Also, these are very comfortable to wear over a long period of time, and you don’t even feel them there after a few minutes. The IPX4 rating means they can take a lot of sweat and even some rain. The call quality is good, and the battery lasts about 30 hours on a full charge.

As I was writing this review, the Powerbeats Fit connected to my MacBook Air and started playing Job Kurian’s Parudeesa, his vocals, the strings, and the cymbals all finding their unique spot in the soundscape. The Powerbeats Fit offers the kind of roominess usually synonymous with over-the-ear headphones. The audio is always rich and punchy without being overwhelming in any way.

On a Gym Workout playlist, I could feel the bass help me up my pace during a quick run, and again I loved how the bass was balanced and not intimidating so as to give a workout to my eardrums. The spatial audio really makes a difference, as I experienced with Acrylick by Workout Mafia. It is like you are in an Aerobics Studio working out and not jogging in Noida, which is waiting for its next pollution season. And this is where you feel the noise cancelling is good enough to create your own bubble to think and exercise your brain as well.

At Rs 24,900, the Powerbeats Fit is a no-nonsense, truly wireless earphone for those who need to work out as well as work in a home or office environment. You will find the transition seamless if you are in the Apple ecosystem. The only question to ask is if at this price, would you rather get the new AirPods Pro?