Beats By Dre Powerbeats3 Review
Beats By Dre recently released their All New Powerbeats3 wireless earphones. Although they look almost exactly the same to the Powerbeats2, this new updated version surly has gone through major refinements. Although the changes here are small, they are still significant. This is GYMCADDY’s Review On The Beats By Dre Powerbeats3 Wireless Earphones. If youre considering picking up a pair of these wireless earphones for the gym, then you’ll really want to pick up a GYMCADDY. The GYMCADDY and Wireless earphones go together peanut butter and jelly!
If you didn’t know already, Apple acquired Beats By Dre a few years back for a few billion dollars. With that acquisition, Apple bought the most popular headphone brand on the market. Thats why they're pushed so hard on their website and stores. When Apple held their iPhone 7 Keynote back in September, they also announced their AirPods Wireless Earphones and raved about how amazing their new W1 chip was. Well, that same W1 chip has been incorporated into the new Powerbeats3. Although the changes here are small from the previous version, they can mean the world to the right costumer.
Alright, so whats so special about the W1 chip? Without getting too technical, it basically uses less energy which helps extend the battery life of the earphones. Its compatible with both the iPhone 6 and iPhone 7. They allow for extremely fast and reliant pairing to your smart phone. The connection is also much stronger, which means much less cutting out and we also found the range was a little better. The Powerbeats3 will also now automatically pair with any other Apple device associated to your icloud account. So if you have an iPad, or Apple watch all you have to do is turn on your earphones near said device and they’ll just connect. Pretty cool if you ask me.
To the naked eye the Powerbeats3 may look exactly the same to the Powerbeats2, but upon closer inspection you will notice the materials used have been improved. You will also notice the earphones themselves are a tad bit bigger than the Powerbeats 2. Both in length and thickness (hight remains unchanged). We’re assuming the increased housing is being used for a larger battery and better drivers. The Powerbeats3 sound much better over all than the Powerbeats2 in both bass, and higher pitches. We also noticed the Powerbeats3 were louder than the Powerbeats2. The Powerbeats3 claims a 12 hour battery life, but after testing we were able to squeeze out 14 hours. You can also now quick charge these earphones and get one hour of playback with just five minutes on the charger. Not bad at all! The volume rocker has also been redesigned so its easy to tell which button is which by just touching it. Theres also now a much more satisfying click to the buttons. Also thanks to the over ear hooks, these headphones never fall out while youre working out.
Although we are truly impressed by the seamlessness the new W1 chip introduces, quick charging, longer battery life, and improved sound…not everything on the new Powerbeats3 is perfect. Just like other wireless headphones in its class, the Powerbeats3 come included with a carrying case. The carrying case thats included with the Powerbeats3 is basically a silicon coin purse with no zipper. The silicon case offers little to no real protection compared to the previous case that was included with the Powerbeats2. Whether this was a cost cutting measure used to improve upon the earphones themselves or a stylistic choice we cant help but feel Apple and Beats By Dre dropped the ball here.
So should you upgrade from the Powerbeats2 to Powerbeats3? Great question Tim! If you want better battery life, quick charging, and better sounding earphones then sure why not. If your current Powerbeats2 are doing just fine you really don't need to upgrade. If youre in the market for headphones but don't want to shell out $200 dollars for the Powerbeats3 then you can pick up the Powerbeats2 for $100 at Best Buy or Amazon (Links Posted Below). But if you want the latest and greatest from Apple, battery life is a priority, and you want better sound quality then you should pick up the Powerbeats3.