Apple AirPods (2nd generation) vs Beats Powerbeats Pro

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AirPods (2nd generation) compared with Powerbeats Pro

	AppleAirPods (2nd generation)	BeatsPowerbeats Pro
Overview
Released
Released	March 2019	May 2019
Sound
Type
Type	Open-ear	In-ear
Noise cancelling
Noise cancelling	No	No
Transparency mode
Transparency mode	No	–
Spatial audio with head tracking
Spatial audio with head tracking	No	–
Bluetooth codecs
Bluetooth codecs	SBC and AAC	SBC and AAC
Lossless over USB-C
Lossless over USB-C	No	–
Chip
Chip	H1	Apple H1
Drivers
Drivers	–	Linear piston drivers with a pressurised airflow design
Noise cancelling detail
Noise cancelling detail	–	Passive noise isolation only; no active noise cancelling (SoundGuys)
Audio features
Audio features	Automatic ear detection with dual optical sensors and a motion accelerometer; AAC Bluetooth audio; SBC support listed by What Hi-Fi?	Class 1 Bluetooth; Bluetooth 5.0 and SBC/AAC codecs (SoundGuys)
Battery
Listening time (maker's claim)
Listening time (maker's claim)	Up to 5 hours	Up to 9 hours
Wireless charging
Wireless charging	Yes	No
Battery life detail
Battery life detail	More than 24 hours of listening including case recharges, according to Apple; launch announcement claims up to 50% more talk time than first-generation AirPods	More than 24 hours of combined playback with the case; the maker does not give an upper bound
Charging case
Charging case	Lightning Charging Case charges by cable; Wireless Charging Case supports Qi-certified chargers and Lightning, with a front status LED; both measure 53.5 x 44.3 x 21.3 mm	Lightning; no wireless charging (Macworld)
Fast charging
Fast charging	15 minutes in the case provides up to 3 hours of listening	A 5-minute Fast Fuel charge gives up to 1.5 hours of playback; 15 minutes gives up to 4.5 hours
Design
Weight (each earbud)
Weight (each earbud)	4 g (better)	11 g
Water and sweat resistance
Water and sweat resistance	–	IPX4
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	5.0	5.0
Headphone cable
Headphone cable	No	–
Controls
Controls	Double-tap to play, skip forwards or answer a call; hands-free Hey Siri; double-tap actions can be assigned separately to each earbud	Volume rocker and multi-function button on each earbud; optical sensors for automatic play/pause; motion sensors for idle sleep
Microphones
Microphones	Dual beamforming microphones and speech-detecting accelerometer	Two beamforming microphones and a speech-detecting accelerometer per earbud
Fit and ear tips
Fit and ear tips	Fixed open-ear shape without interchangeable tips; each earbud measures 40.5 x 16.5 x 18.0 mm	Adjustable ear hooks and four ear tip sizes
Case weight
Case weight	38.2 g for either case, according to Apple's specifications	80 g
Dimensions
Dimensions	–	Earbud height 2.3 cm, length 5.9 cm, width 3.8 cm; case height 4.3 cm, length and width 7.7 cm
Works with
Works with	Full Apple features with compatible iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Apple Watch, Mac and Apple TV software; standard Bluetooth audio with fewer features on non-Apple devices; Live Listen, headphone levels and Headphone Accommodations	Apple H1 with hands-free Siri and pairing across devices on the same iCloud account; manual Android Bluetooth pairing; Find My
Colours
Colours	White	Originally announced in Black, Ivory, Moss and Navy; Black shipped first
In the box
In the box	AirPods, chosen charging case, Lightning to USB-A cable and documentation	Earbuds, charging case, four ear tip sizes, Lightning to USB-A cable, Quick Start Guide and warranty card