Beats Fit Pro review: Apple's best-kept secret in 2022 | British GQ

In terms of Beats’ product lineup, the Fit Pro are here to knock 2019’s more chunky Powerbeats Pro off their flagship perch. Instead of using a looped design that wraps around your ear for maximum security, these buds opt for a more subtle winged tip that still does a perfectly accomplished job alongside an IPX4 rating for water and sweat resistance. Whereas the Powerbeats Pro were a bit too obnoxious for everyday usage, the Fit Pro are sleek enough to travel with you on a schlep from the gym to the office. 

The trade-off some folks will find with this intentionally firm fit? These buds can feel uncomfortable to wear after prolonged usage, and with enough battery life for five hours of continuous noise-cancelling playback you’ll soon find out whether that’s the case or not. For our part, we only noticed some irritation after a while with a woolly hat over our ears. You know, one of those ridiculous and fuzzy NFL-branded efforts. For the most part, we could wear the Fit Pro without a hint of irritation and continued to do so over our AirPods Pros because their sound is so good.

Although you’ll still get your bass-fuelled kicks out of any lolloping groove a la Caroline Polachek’s “Bunny Is A Rider”, the days when the sonic balance of any pair of Beats was way out whack are long since over. Tom Wait’s booze-addled “Tom Traubert’s Blues” proves to be exactly the raucous piano-lead anthem we remember, while the hardcore rush of Turnstile’s “Don’t Play” is a joyous thrill. As for noise cancellation, it’s decent without being spectacular. Enough to dim the traffic or any household hubbub around you, without eliminating it completely. As much as we might want to totally luxuriate in the new soul balladry of Silk Sonic’s “Leave The Door Open”, that kind of status quo is probably for the best for any outdoor enthusiast’s personal safety.

There’s no grand sense of mystery to the Beats Fit Pro; they are almost exactly what you’d expect them to be and that’s what makes them so worthwhile. Anyone who has ever desperately fiddled with their AirPods mid-run or from the sweaty confines of a Peloton seat will instantly understand their appeal, and that’s a promise they emphatically deliver on. With impressive sound, near-instantaneous connectivity and all the exercise-related smarts you need, these buds are not to be slept on.

£199. At apple.com

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