It’s been two years since Beats released its popular Powerbeats Pro workout earbuds and, so far, there’s no sign of a new version. But if a pair of Icelandic CrossFit world champs have anything to say about it, you can stop waiting right now. That’s because their new audio company, Dóttir Audio, has just released its first product, the $150 Dóttir Freedom On-Grid, a set of Powerbeats Pro alternatives that look a lot like Beats’ buds, but go way beyond what those earbuds can do.
Dóttir, a common Icelandic surname suffix that means “daughter,” is the brainchild of Katrin Davidsdottir and Annie Thorisdottir, who met and became best friends through their mutual love of CrossFit. Both of them have won the top honors at the CrossFit Games twice, with Thorisdottir being the first woman to do so. The pair decided to launch Dóttir as a brand that develops headphones for athletes, but also supports female empowerment and equality.
The Freedom On-Grid have definitely brought the women’s competitive spirit to the true wireless earbuds market. They use the same basic earhook and physical buttons design as the Powerbeats Pro, but then go further by adding active noise cancellation (ANC) and wireless charging (two features the Beats buds don’t have). They also boast IPX7 water resistance (Powerbeats Pro are rated IPX4).
The Powerbeats Pro have long been a battery life leader, but the Freedom On-Grid upstage the Beats buds here, too, with 12 hours of playing time on a single charge and a total of 72 hours when you include their charging case. By comparison, the Powerbeats Pro get nine and 24 hours respectively.
Sound quality had always been another reason to pick the Powerbeats Pro. It’s too early to say if the Freedom On-Grid sound better, but Dóttir has included Qualcomm’s aptX and aptX HD Bluetooth codecs, which should help them sound their best when connected to compatible smartphones.
The Freedom On-Grid don’t offer hands-free access to Siri, but you can still speak to your phone’s voice assistant via one of the physical controls. You can pre-order them today in either white or black from www.dottiraudio.com.
