Beats Powerbeats Fit review: Compact earbuds ideal for workouts
The Beats Powerbeats Fit give fitness enthusiasts another alternative to AirPods Pro that won't fly out of their ears during an intensive workout.
Beats Powerbeats Fit review
Back in February 2025, Apple subsidiary Beats by Dre modernized the Beats Powerbeats Pro. The effort made the personal audio accessories better in terms of design, battery life, and functionality, thanks to the heart-rate sensors.
For September in the same year, Beats introduced a similar modernization project in the form of the Beats Powerbeats Fit.
The Powerbeats Fit are the spiritual successor to the Beats Fit Pro, which launched in 2021. Just like the original, they aim to provide the same sort of core functionality as the Powerbeats Pro 2, except in a much smaller package.
One that takes up far less space and is less present when worn compared to the Powerbeats Pro 2.
Beats Powerbeats Fit review: Physical design
At face value, the Powerbeats Fit takes a lot of its design cues from the Beats Fit Pro. The core design is an earbud that sits inside the ear canal, held in with a silicone cushion.
On the top is a flexible wing, which is used to wedge the body of the earbud inside the folds of the ear. That tension is intended to keep the earbud in place, supporting the existing friction of the silicone tip.
Beats Powerbeats Fit review: The tip sticks out, but holds it in your ear
However, like the Powerbeats Pro 2, the Powerbeats Fit has undergone a modernization in terms of appearance. The separate panel that bent into the wingtip in the Beats Fit Pro has been replaced by a more curved exterior.
It's a nice molded-to-the-ear appearance this time around.
When it comes to specific dimensions, the 1.08-inch length, 0.8-inch height, and 0.84-inch width is fairly small for an earbud. It is a little bit bigger than the Beats Solo Buds, but some of that extra size is taken up by a flexible hook that the Solo Buds do not use.
The weight of each bud at 5.78 grams (0.2 ounces) is also light, but you would expect that anyway from earbuds in general.
Included in the package is a quartet of ear-tip sizes, ranging from extra small to large. Three sizes are in the box, while a fourth is preinstalled.
Based on what is in the box, it should cover a wide spectrum of ear shapes and sizes. That also includes this reviewer's oversized proportions.
However, this is an area where the Powerbeats Pro 2 excelled, as Beats included five sizes in there. It may have been nice to see the extra option included here, but it's not the end of the world.
The Powerbeats Fit are also fitted with IPX4 sweat and water resistance, so they should be able to handle the occasional downpour or a very intense game of tennis.
While you're doing the workout, you're not going to get the same heart rate monitoring as its larger stablemate, the Powerbeats Pro 2. There are no health sensors at play here, but there are some that are used to detect if you're wearing them for auto-pause functionality.
Beats Powerbeats Fit review: Hook vs Wing
The key thing about the Powerbeats Fit is its small size, while still managing to stay secure in the ear. Its wingtip is key to the whole operation.
The redesigned tapered shape is said by Beats to be quite bouncy and sponge-like in its malleability. The company says it's 20% more flexible than the previous iteration.
In reality, this is a prong that is extremely soft and bendy, and a little bit squishy. It's easy to insert into the ear, with the hook bending more than enough to anchor itself into position in the fold without too much trouble.
Beats Powerbeats Fit review: It's much smaller than the Powerbeats Pro 2 [right] earhook
The counterpart to this is the earhook, as employed by the Powerbeats Pro 2. It manages to secure itself by wrapping part of itself around the ear, with the silicone tip being the main anchoring point.
The two techniques are very effective, practically on a par with each other when it comes to security. The "Bohemian Rhapsody" test resulted in no flying earbuds in either case, even for this user's large lugholes.
Of course, there are reasons for one over the other, aside from personal comfort. The hook design enables the Powerbeats Pro 2 to be much larger overall, so it can have the volume rocker and heart-rate sensors included.
Beats Powerbeats Fit review: Hooked into the ear for security
The Powerbeats Fit is more designed for a smaller size, when the wearer wants personal audio that can stay in the ear just as well as its larger counterpart, but as a more discreet option.
At least, as discreet as you can be with bright orange earbuds.
Beats Powerbeats Fit review: Audio and configuration
The audio experience of the Powerbeats Fit starts with custom 9.5mm drivers, which Beats has worked to make as balanced as possible. This was evident in the Powerbeats Pro 2, and it's strong and clear in the Powerbeats Fit, too.
The audio processing is handled by the H1 chip, not the H2 that the Powerbeats Pro 2 employs. Indeed, this is the same chip as used in the Beats Fit Pro, but now with a few more years of software development to get more performance out of it.
It's not entirely clear why Beats has stuck with the H1 chip in this revision. It's a spec point that hasn't moved on from its predecessor, yet the Powerbeats Pro 2 uses the follow-up without question.
Beats Powerbeats Fit review: Accompanied by Beats Solo Buds [left] and Powerbeats Pro 2 [right]
To be fair to Beats, it's less a case of how much processing power you can squeeze out of the chip, more whether it is enough to do the tasks Beats wants it to do. Evidently, this is the case here, but spec-watchers will be complaining about a lack of movement here.
Active Noise Cancellation is present along with Transparency Mode, as staples of Apple's premium personal audio lineup. There's also Adaptive EQ to tailor the audio to the fit and seal of each earbud, besides the capabilities of ANC and Transparency.
That audio support also extends to including Personal Spatial Audio with head tracking, complete with Dolby Atmos support.
Control of the earbuds is handled by buttons under the B logo of each earbud. Quick presses can start and stop music or change tracks, while longer presses switch between ANC and Transparency Mode by default. You do have some options to reconfigure the functions, but this initial setup works pretty well for most people.
You don't have the volume rockers of the larger Powerbeats Pro 2 simply because these are too small to have them. But then again, unless you're not able to access the volume control on your iPhone or you refuse to pause the current track to hear someone else at a minimum, this is more a missing luxury rather than an actual problem.
There are three microphones included in each earbud, handling ANC and voice. Dual beam-forming microphones are used for voice pickup, with onboard processing used to reduce external background noise, which should help make calls clearer.
Beats Powerbeats Fit review: Quick pairing with iPhone gets you up and running fast.
Users with an iPhone will also benefit from the typical deep integration into the Apple ecosystem, including automatic switching between Apple devices. Audio sharing is also available, in case you want to let someone else listen in to your current Apple Music jam.
Then there are elements such as hands-free Hey Siri support, along with Find My, so you'll have more of a chance of finding them if they do somehow fly out of your ears.
Beats provides more obvious Android support in its products, and there's no difference here. The Beats app assists with one-touch pairing, control customization, viewing the battery status, the Fit Test, and Locate My Beats.
It may not be the same as the Apple-integrated experience, but it's still a good continuation of Android support. It also continues the argument that Beats' earphones are effectively what Android users should be getting as their analog to AirPods.
Beats Powerbeats Fit review: Power and case
Just like the Powerbeats Pro 2, Beats has gone with a clamshell-style charging case. It's fairly sizable, but it's still approximately 17% smaller than the Beats Fit Pro version.
Compared to the Beats Solo Buds, the case for the Powerbeats Fit is almost twice the size at 1.08 inches high, 2.46 inches long, and 2.18 inches wide. It's also heavier at 49.75 grams (1.75 ounces), but remember that this has a built-in battery while the Solo Buds case doesn't have one.
Put against the Powerbeats Pro 2 case, you can see they share the same core design, but the Powerbeats Fit version is much smaller.
The case also happens to be sweat and water-resistant to IPX4, too.
When it comes to usage, the Powerbeats Fit are claimed to last for a sizable seven hours from a single charge with ANC off, but still a respectable six hours with ANC turned on. The case extends the total battery life to 30 hours, again with ANC off, but 24 hours total with ANC in use.
To be frank, it's somewhat impressive that Beats managed to hide a battery in a charging case this small.
Beats Powerbeats Fit review: On top of the Powerbeats Pro 2 case
It could've gone down the road of leaving out the battery completely for a Beats Solo Buds approach. However, that would've been a bad move for consumers used to recharging their earbuds in their pocket or bag.
Fast charging is available, branded as "Fast Fuel." Five minutes in the case equates to an hour of playback for the earbuds, which is quite a healthy usage time for that short a charge.
They certainly will be able to last throughout an active weekend away from home, and will probably do better than AirPods at staying by your side.
Charging the case itself is handled purely through USB-C around the back. Beats doesn't supply a charger or cable, so you'll have to supply your own, but that shouldn't be a problem for most modern smartphone users.
Unfortunately, there is no wireless charging capability like you get with the Powerbeats Pro 2 case. It's a luxury you would expect at this price point, but the case is probably a little too small to add that functionality.
Beats Powerbeats Fit review: Sounds snugly good
A lot of the commentary about the Powerbeats Fit is going to be the same as the Powerbeats Pro 2, and for good reasons.
They both offer a similar high level of audio quality and features. At the same time, they are fitness-focused items that are promoted as being able to stay in your ears while you do an energetic activity.
Just like the Powerbeats Pro 2, the Powerbeats Fit does just as good a job on all fronts. Decent audio quality, a great battery life, and literal sticking power.
The differences here are important, but consequential to users. The obvious one is size, as not everyone wants the massive Powerbeats Pro 2 sticking out of the side of their head.
Color choice aside, there's a bit more discretion at play with the Powerbeats Fit.
The lack of heart rate monitoring versus what its larger stablemate provides could be considered a misstep by consumers. But at the same time, the Powerbeats Fit are simply too small overall to consider adding that functionality, while the Powerbeats Pro 2 has more than enough space to house the extra electronics.
It's probably better to think of the heart sensors as a benefit of the Powerbeats Pro 2 rather than a deficiency in the Powerbeats Fit. If you're serious enough about fitness, you're probably going to have an Apple Watch on your wrist anyway.
The Beats Powerbeats Fit is a modernization of the Beats Fit Pro format that works extremely well. To consumers, it's another option for AirPods Pro-like features, while still feeling secure about not losing yet another earbud during an evening jog.
If you don't care about heart rate monitoring in the Powerbeats Pro 2, the Powerbeats Fit will do just as well.
Beats Powerbeats Fit review Pros
- Compact size
- ANC, Transparency, and audio quality
- Secure and snug fit
Beats Powerbeats Fit review Cons
- Sizable (but smaller) case
- Doesn't have heart-rate sensing like the Powerbeats Pro 2
Rating: 4 out of 5
Where to buy the Beats Powerbeats Fit
The Beats Powerbeats Fit are available from Apple's online store for $199.99. They are also available from Amazon, priced at $199.99.
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