After leaks pointed to Powerbeats 4 coming soon, Apple just announced the new, and simply titled, Powerbeats wireless earphones — and they're pretty intriguing. Not only did Apple upgrade its fitness-focused AirPods alternative's battery life and look, but the company sliced the price down at the same time, making for a compelling entry that will fight for a slot on our best sport headphones list.
Yes, the new Powerbeats start at $149, which is $50 less than the $199 Powerbeats3 Wireless. On top of that, they look a lot more modern, as if the elegant and completely wireless Powerbeats Pro got a cord. And the company didn't even announce the headphones on its own website, instead publishing the news quietly at BeatsByDre.com.
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The Powerbeats launch on Wednesday, March 18, and they've also got upgraded battery life, rated for 15 hours on a charge compared to the 12 hour estimated life from the Powerbeats3 Wireless. Apple and Beats will sell them in three colors: red, white and black.
And to make the Powerbeats fit more into Apple's headphones line, these headphones now feature the same H1 chip seen in AirPods Pro, the second generation AirPods and Powerbeats Pro. There's also support for ‘Hey Siri’ commands and Apple’s iOS Audio Sharing.
Oh, and they differ from the Powerbeats Pro in another way: no charging case. You just plug a Lightning cable into one of the earbuds. 9to5Mac claims that these buds are designed to sound just like the Powerbeats Pro, which is good news, as our Powerbeats Pro review noted that those headphones have "excellent sound.
Price-wise, the Powerbeats sit $100 below the $250 Powerbeats Pro, and they're $10 cheaper than the normal AirPods ($159), positioned as a good fitness-focused alternative.
