Review: Beats Fit Pro

The latest AirPods might be garbage, but that doesn’t mean Apple isn’t still making some of the best headphones on earth.

Apple-owned Beats, in particular, has made a wide array of fantastic models in the past several years. From the affordable Powerbeats (8/10, WIRED Recommends) to the flagship Studio3 (8/10, WIRED Recommends), the improved fit, sound, and build quality in the Apple-owned era has impressed me and my colleagues.

For years we've been telling people that Beats are great Apple alternatives. But it wasn't until now that I thought you'd be crazy for buying the Apple-branded buds. These new noise-canceling in-ears sound and feel better than the AirPods Pro and have significantly better battery life—plus the same perfect iOS compatibility—for $50 less.

As far as I'm concerned, the Fit Pro are the best earbuds for iOS by a country mile. You can use them for Netflix in Dolby Atmos, sweaty workout sessions, and boring Zoom calls. They even come in purple!

Photograph: Beats

When Apple dropped $3 billion on Dr. Dre and associates for the Beats brand in 2014, I thought the folks in Cupertino had lost their minds (unlike my esteemed colleague at the time). The plastic, bassy headphones I’d heard from Beats in the past looked flashy but mostly sounded and functioned like they had a trip to the landfill in the near future.

A lot has changed in the Apple era. Beats are now made of robust materials and have less bass-heavy tuning. They feel like the brand’s original products went to college, got a degree in mechanical engineering, and ditched track sweats for chinos and a job inside Apple's mothership.

In particular, the Fits Pro are among the most elegantly designed of any modern Apple product. The in-ears have soft silicone tips and squishy fins to improve stability and make them fit better in a wide array of ears. The outside of each earbud hides a simple, clicky button below the Beats logo—no annoying touch controls here. Underneath the headphones, you find sensors that tell the buds when you’ve taken them out.

In addition to all of this, you get all of the benefits of Apple's H1 chip, which also powers the latest AirPods and AirPods Pro. That means instant pairing with iPhones, iPads, and MacBooks, and the same spatial audio head tracking that those buds boast. Spatial audio isn't great for music, but I use this tech a lot when watching Netflix on my phone, where it brings a more immersive surround-sound experience on the go.

This is where Beats steps away from its parent company: It opens up the ecosystem a bit for people who use different hardware or who like a bit more customizability to their style. Beats has a great Android app for one-touch pairing and customized controls, and it includes a fit test. Unlike other Apple buds, you're not stuck with a stark white finish. You can get the Beats Fit Pro in four colors: black, white, gray, and purple.

Photograph: Beats

After quickly pairing with Android or iOS, the first thing you'll notice when you pop the buds in your ears is how well they silence the world. They aren't as ported as the noise-canceling AirPods Pro, so they seal out the sounds of the world noticeably better overall. 

A long press on the outside of the buds enables hear-through technology, in which the microphones do a remarkable job of making the outside world transparently reach you. It's also nice when you want to pause your music and check out at the supermarket without removing an earbud, or if you need to pause to talk to someone during outdoor exercise.

The perfection of the noise-canceling leaves an empty room inside your head for the Beats' dynamic drivers to fill with music. From top to bottom, the sound signature is detailed and punchy, with the energy of a (happy!) large dog that's constantly tugging on its musical leash. You get a fairly wide soundstage for noise-canceling earbuds, and they have a very enjoyable hi-fi-like sound. The sound signature has been sculpted meticulously for a boost down low, clarity in the midrange, and strategic dips up high so that nothing sounds too harsh. 

That makes them very fun headphones to listen to in all genres. They're not clinical and precise when listening to classical or jazz, but they don't overpower the already bass-heavy mixes of modern hip hop or electronic music. They sound shockingly good playing pop music. Plop on a Taylor Swift record, and you'll be in hog heaven.

Many of us don't live inside sealed, branded walled gardens. We use an iPad, an Apple Watch, and an Android phone; we own an iPhone and an Android tablet, and on and on. What I like most about the Fit Pro is that they're designed to work well on all ecosystems. 

No matter which phone, tablet, or laptop you pair them with, you get the same 6 hours of battery life with noise canceling on, plus 18 more in the case. You also get the same fast USB-C charging (a lack of wireless charging is among the small oversights), near-immediate pairing on Android and iOS, great noise cancellation, and fantastic sound. 

As someone who likes things that are simple and work well, they're a dream. The microphones work great for phone and Zoom calls, and the sensors that auto-pause music never accidentally think I've taken out a bud when I'm just adjusting it or pressing a button. 

After the two weeks they've been in my life, they've already earned a permanent spot on my entry table. As someone who tests hundreds of pairs of earbuds a year, I've got to hand it to these new Beats. For now, they've made themselves nearly as essential as my wallet.