It has been rumored that the next version of Apple’s popular AirPods Pro true wireless earbuds will have fitness tracking features built-in. But why wait for an unknown amount of time (and money) when you can now order Amazfit’s PowerBuds Pro for just $150? They’re the first true wireless earbuds we’ve come across since Jabra’s 2017 Elite Sport that can track your heart rate and monitor your workouts. They come in white and will be available to pre-order starting July 15.
Amazfit is best known for its series of ultra-affordable fitness-oriented smartwatches, but the company clearly has its sights set on appealing to a much wider audience. The PowerBuds Pro possess a seemingly endless list of features, including active noise cancellation (ANC), transparency mode, customizable EQ and touch controls, IP55 dust and water protection, up to 30 hours of battery life when you include the charging case, Google FastPair compatibility, volume level monitoring, and in-ear detection.
Oh, and just for something a little different: They’ll keep tabs on your posture and nag you when you’ve been in a fixed position too long (if you want). The only feature that’s missing is wireless charging, but considering the PowerBuds Pro’s price, this seems like a reasonable omission given everything else on offer.
The in-ear heart rate sensor monitors heart rate during exercise. A tap on an earbud provides current heart rate status, and the Amazfit says the earbuds will play an alert when your exercise heart rate is too high (we assume you enter your personal data like age, sex, and weight in the free Zepp app).
For runners, the PowerBuds Pro can recognize when running starts and automatically start tracking relevant activity data.
It’s impossible to say how the PowerBuds Pro compare to the AirPods Pro in terms of ANC — it would be miraculous if they were as good. Amazfit claims they can cancel up to 40 decibels of sound, and you can choose from four noise cancellation modes — Indoor, Travel, Sports, and Adaptive. This doesn’t tell us whether it’s better for low or high frequencies or how well it can adapt to these different environments.
We’re also curious about their sound quality. Their drivers use an LCP liquid crystal diaphragm — the same kind of driver that Sony used in its superb WH-1000XM3 headphones.
We’ll be checking them out as soon as we receive a review model and we’ll let you know if the PowerBuds Pro deserve a spot on your shopping list.
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