The second coming of Beats’ Powerbeats Pro (9/10, WIRED Recommends) is truly a best of both worlds option. You’ll get all the best Apple features like Find My support, iCloud device switching, and one-touch iOS pairing, in a workout-ready design. Unlike the AirPods Pro, the Powerbeats have a dedicated Android app for features like one-touch pairing and customization. The controls, they’re touchy when inserting the buds, but otherwise convenient thanks to both a multi-key and volume rocker.
In true Beats fashion, the sound is brash treble and bassy, but with plenty of nuance, while advanced noise canceling and natural-sounding transparency mode help them adapt to your environment. Some have bemoaned the heartbeat monitor as not accurate enough, but it worked well enough for me, and it’s especially useful for Android devices. Their new hook design is another upgrade, offering supreme comfort and stability to make these among the best workout buds you can buy.
