The Powerbeats Match are the successors to 2021’s Beats Match Professional. They’re the newest true wi-fi earbuds from the Apple-owned Beats by Dr. Dre model, and a part of the corporate’s Powerbeats lineup, which additionally options the Powerbeats Professional 2 that we checked out earlier this 12 months.
Very similar to the Powerbeats Professional 2, the Powerbeats Match are centered completely on offering optimum match and peace of thoughts when used throughout exercises. Whereas they lack the overt loop design of the Execs, they do have built-in wingtips to maintain them securely tucked in your ears.
The Powerbeats Match are constructed on Apple’s older H1 chip and are suitable with Apple in addition to Android units. They characteristic lively noise cancellation, sweat and waterproof design, and as much as 7 hours of steady playback. And all of it comes with a $200 price ticket.
Let’s see how they carry out.
Design and luxury
The Powerbeats Match have an identical total design to the Beats Match Professional. The earbuds have a chunky design with built-in wingtips that stick out the highest. Nonetheless, the design of the Match is extra rounded than the flat surfaces of the Beats Match Professional.
The wingtips are supposed to sit throughout the concha, or extra particularly, the cymba concha a part of your outer ear. At first, I couldn’t get the wingtip to go in naturally, however then I spotted it’s essential twist the earbuds in your ears, and the wingtips slide into place routinely. Beats claims the wingtips have been made 20% extra versatile than these on the Match Professional.
The wingtips mix into the big Beats button on the surface. Very similar to on the Powerbeats Professional 2, this button is approach larger than it must be, which causes you to by accident press it on a regular basis whereas inserting or eradicating the earbuds out of your ears. On a Mac, this additionally causes the default Music participant to launch if nothing else is taking part in, which is doubly annoying. On the plus aspect, the big button makes utilizing the controls simpler throughout exercises.
Very similar to the earbuds, the charging case has an identical design to its predecessor and can also be smaller, this time by about 17%. Additionally, for the primary time for a Beats product, each the earbuds and the case are sweat and waterproof.
Nonetheless, as good because the case seems and feels, opening and shutting it’s genuinely irritating. The lip on the entrance is nearly non-existent and gives no actual leverage. In the meantime, the case texture can also be extremely easy. This results in conditions the place you might be combating to your life, making an attempt to get contained in the case whereas your fingers are cartoonishly sliding in all places, on the lookout for something to carry on to. I ended up dropping the case on a couple of event due to this completely avoidable ridiculousness.
By way of consolation, the Powerbeats Match fared moderately effectively for my ears. Ditching the painful ear hooks of the Powerbeats Professional 2 is usually a win in my books, and the wingtips on the Powerbeats Match present ample ranges of safety with no actual danger of falling out.
Having mentioned that, the wingtips do put some stress in your outer ear to have the ability to maintain on, and this may finally be felt. I’m speaking upwards of two hours in my case, after which I may really feel some discomfort. It doesn’t assist that the earbuds are moderately chunky and appear to take up an excessive amount of house inside your ears. Nonetheless, in comparison with the 20-odd minutes I can go together with the Powerbeats Professional 2 earlier than having to regulate the ear hooks, that is positively an enchancment for my ears.
Contemplating the design is geared in direction of figuring out, I discover the Powerbeats Match to be comfy sufficient for typical exercise lengths whereas additionally feeling safe.
Software program and options
The Powerbeats Match are suitable with each Apple and non-Apple merchandise, with a devoted app being obtainable for Android units. On Apple units, the software program options are accessible natively inside their respective Settings apps.
The Android app offers you entry to all the fundamental options. This consists of altering the ANC modes, customizing the capabilities for the Beats button, and updating the firmware. It additionally matches the colour of the app to that of the paired earbuds. Nonetheless, if you happen to do pair with an Apple system, you have got entry to extra options, akin to Spatial Audio with head monitoring, one-touch pairing on iOS and iPadOS, Audio Sharing, hands-free Hey Siri, and Discover My.
Whatever the platform, you possibly can change what the Beats button on the aspect can do. By default, the buttons are set to set off the standard set of options, together with playback controls, ANC mode switching, and name controls. Nonetheless, you possibly can swap the press and maintain performance from ANC modes to altering the amount. I want you didn’t have to decide on between them as each look like sensible choices to have, however in the end I made a decision that the ANC/transparency mode toggle was of extra use to me.
iOS settings
Apart from that, there actually aren’t that many options obtainable on the Powerbeats Match. These earbuds additionally lack the center price monitoring discovered on the Powerbeats Professional 2 and the AirPods Professional 3. It’s attainable this is because of the usage of the older Apple H1 chip on the Powerbeats Match, whereas the opposite two use the latest H2 chip.
Nonetheless, by far the most important omission when used with non-Apple units is Computerized Switching. Launched first with the AirPods, this characteristic will let your Powerbeats Match transition seamlessly between all of your Apple units, supplied they’re all on the identical Apple ID. I might be taking part in a video on my Mac after which click on play on a podcast on my iPhone, and the audio will routinely transition to the opposite system. This additionally works if I get a name both on the iPhone or on the Mac. The method is painless and, to cite a cliche, “it simply works”.
Android app
Nonetheless, the second you step out of this ecosystem, the characteristic now not exists. Very similar to the AirPods, not one of the Beats merchandise help conventional Bluetooth multi-device pairing, so when you’ve got an Android and Home windows system, and even one non-Apple and one Apple system, you can not switch between them with out doing the standard pair/unpair dance.
This isn’t a difficulty with AirPods, which actually ought to solely be bought to be used with Apple merchandise. Nonetheless, Beats markets its merchandise to be used with Android, so it actually must be offering multi-device pairing for these units, particularly contemplating this can be a normal Bluetooth characteristic that’s obtainable even on funds wi-fi audio merchandise.
Efficiency
Audio high quality
As is typical for Apple-made audio merchandise, the small print are scant relating to audio-related options and specs. We all know the Powerbeats Match use single dynamic drivers in every earbud and that they use Class 1 Bluetooth (that’s the very best one with a claimed 100m vary), however that’s about it. The earbuds do help AAC, as reported on Android, however that’s about it. For the reason that Powerbeats Match don’t use the newer H2 chip, they don’t get the low-latency lossless audio when paired with the Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional headset just like the Powerbeats Professional 2.
The Powerbeats Match carry out effectively total within the audio high quality division. The sound within reason effectively balanced when it comes to its frequency response, with a slight emphasis on the bass frequencies.
There are two methods to take heed to the Powerbeats Match. With ANC disabled, you get Adaptive EQ. This makes use of the microphones contained in the earbuds to continually monitor the sound and regulate it until it matches its reference frequency response. This helps the earbuds account for ear form and potential leakages by the ear ideas, and ensures you might be all the time getting the supposed sound. When ANC or transparency mode is enabled, the interior microphones are diverted to monitoring the noise, so that you lose the Adaptive EQ performance.
You can make an argument that the ANC off mode is the supposed strategy to hear, and I additionally want how the earbuds sound this manner. The sound is extra balanced, with a extra fleshed-out mid-range and a smoother, extra impartial treble response. The bass is partaking and energetic, however that doesn’t actually change with the ANC mode. The general sound is heat, lush, and tonally fairly pleasing with a really pure timbre and barely thumpy however usually pleasing bass response.
With the ANC enabled, the mid-range loses a few of its footing and sounds hollower. The treble will get a bit sharper, which, mixed with the aforementioned bass power, offers the sound a extra V-shaped tonality. The distinction isn’t very massive and might typically be laborious to note, and it’s attainable you would favor the livelier presentation with ANC enabled.
In any case, I admire Beats utilizing the ANC off mode creatively, as most different manufacturers don’t even trouble tuning this mode correctly. Actually, since it’s handled as nearly a battery-saver mode, many earbuds will even disable some audio processing on this mode to additional inflate the battery life numbers.
Microphone
The Powerbeats Match have mediocre microphone high quality. The audio isn’t dangerous per se, however it is vitally typical of what you often discover in Bluetooth earbuds, particularly a number of the extra funds fashions. We additionally know that Apple can achieve this a lot better, because the fashions with H2, such because the Powerbeats Professional 2, have glorious microphone high quality that hardly sounds prefer it’s coming from a wi-fi set. In comparison with that, the Powerbeats Match get a passing grade and nothing extra.
Noise cancellation
The Powerbeats Match have good noise cancellation efficiency. There’s good protection within the low and mid frequencies, however a number of the higher mid and excessive frequencies do seep in a bit, possible as a result of considerably shallow insertion depth of the ear ideas. The general efficiency right here isn’t fairly up there with the very best, with Apple’s personal AirPods Professional fashions doing higher, however it nonetheless does fairly effectively total.
What’s extra spectacular is the transparency mode efficiency. That is one thing Apple and Apple-made merchandise are actually good at, and the Powerbeats Match aren’t any completely different. The transparency mode sounds very pure, to the purpose the place you possibly can typically overlook you might be sporting earbuds and simply hear usually. It doesn’t do a number of the tips that AirPods can do, akin to suppressing background noise whereas prioritizing voices, however if you happen to simply need a general-purpose transparency mode, this works rather well and is sweet sufficient for use for outside exercises with out having to spend money on separate open-ear or bone conduction merchandise.
Latency
The Powerbeats Match have good latency efficiency. Despite the fact that these will not be touted to be gaming earbuds, they do moderately effectively with Apple merchandise, which might allow a low-latency mode when a sport is launched. For typical music playback and even exercise movies, latency shouldn’t be a priority in any respect.
Connectivity
The Powerbeats Match had good connectivity efficiency throughout testing. There have been no connection dropouts in typical utilization, and solely when shifting round strong brick partitions did the sign often falter. If you’re simply shifting across the health club when the telephone is close by, then you shouldn’t have any issues.
Battery life
The Powerbeats Match have a claimed battery life of seven hours with ANC disabled and 6 hours with ANC enabled. In my testing, I bought 8 hours and 11 minutes with ANC disabled and 6 hours and 45 minutes with ANC enabled. That’s a good bit larger, however in each circumstances the numbers had been run twice and ended up being in the identical ballpark.
Beats additionally claims 1 hour of playback after a 5-minute cost with ANC disabled. I bought about 1 hour and 19 minutes, which is respectable. Beats makes no point out of how a lot you will get with ANC enabled, and after a couple of 45-minute end in my testing, I can in all probability see why.
The Powerbeats Match case can solely cost over a USB cable. The dearth of wi-fi charging is moderately obvious for a $200 product.
Conclusion
The Powerbeats Match are priced at $200. That’s not fairly flagship however nonetheless premium earbud territory. The corporate’s personal Powerbeats Professional 2 are priced at $250, as are Apple’s new AirPods Professional 3.
As a fitness-focused product, the Powerbeats Match do fairly effectively. They keep put in your ears, have a water and sweat-resistant design for the earbuds and the case, and are decently comfy for typical classes. Outdoors of workout-specific use-cases, the earbuds even have good audio high quality, nice battery life, and completely respectable lively noise cancellation with a wonderful transparency mode in tow. The mixing with Apple merchandise can also be excellent, and whereas Android is supported, you actually do get much more out of those when used with an Apple system.
For $50 much less, the Powerbeats Match lose out on just a few options, akin to coronary heart price monitoring, in comparison with the Powerbeats Professional 2. Nonetheless, this isn’t a serious omission, as you might be very more likely to have one thing like an Apple Watch or a health band already monitoring that for you. What you’ll miss out on is the microphone high quality, which is kind of common in comparison with its dearer sibling, and in addition wi-fi charging. Additionally, if you happen to’re on Android, you then additionally do not get multi-device pairing or any of the opposite Apple-exclusive niceties.
Total, the Powerbeats Match are an excellent possibility for these in search of a workout-centric pair of earbuds for his or her iPhone that gives the safety that AirPods merely can not, whereas nonetheless getting a lot of the options and conveniences that you’ve come to count on from Apple-made earbuds. Nonetheless, Android customers may wish to look elsewhere for one thing extra feature-compatible or cheaper.
