Is Beats dead? The new Powerbeats Fit are a major letdown

Following a teaser video and leaks from earlier this month, we finally have some official details about the new Beats earbuds. This product launch has left me feeling like I have déjà vu, as these new Powerbeats Fit look identical to the previous Beats Fit Pro. Aside from a name change, I’m left wondering what’s really new here.

At first glance, the Powerbeats Fit share a very similar design to the Beats Fit Pro, with the wing tips to ensure a secure fit in the ears. While the earbuds are said to have an improved fit, they still only have IPX4 water-resistance. There’s also no heart-rate sensor, leaving these trailing behind the Powerbeats Pro 2 and AirPods Pro 3 as a choice for those who are serious about their workouts. Unlike those more premium options, the Powerbeats Fit also do not have an H2 chip, and instead retain the older H1 chip that was found in the Beats Fit Pro.

So what is actually improved with these new earbuds? Well, total battery life has taken a step up from 24 hours to 30 hours. The charging case is also 17% smaller than before. That’s about it.

Of course, we’ll have to wait until we run the Powerbeats Fit through our full suite of testing here in the SoundGuys lab to make an official judgment, but so far, this product looks more like a rebrand than a refresh. Considering the Beats Fit Pro came out back in 2021, that’s disappointing to say the least. At the time, the Beats Fit Pro were among my favorite wireless earbuds on the market, but they’ve fallen behind when it comes to features, and it looks like Powerbeats Fit do not have the upgrades needed to make a significant splash in the competitive wireless earbud market.

To learn more, you can head over to the Beats website, with full product details and a pre-order link.