A couple of months ago, I wrote a review on the Powerbeats3 Wireless sport headphones. I decided then to pass on the headphones after numerous failing units and instead went for the Bose Soundsport Wireless as my go-to gym headphones.
After weeks of use, how do they stack up against the Beats? Let's find out.
Battery Life: Beats
In my review of the Beats I gave them a 5/5. Their advertised 12 hours of use and quick charging left little to be desired. The Bose aren't terrible, but they certainly can't beat the Beats in this regard.
Bose advertises roughly 6 hours per full charge of the battery, and this seems to be right on the money. A far cry from the Beats 12, but manageable if you have a charger in your car for those times when you need to juice up your headphones on your way to the gym.
The Beats also give you that 30min of use after a 5min charge which is extremely handy.
Sound Quality: Bose
This didn't surprise me. Beats are well known for their bias towards bass-heavy genres, and while that's fine for people who primarily listen to those styles, other listeners may be left disappointed.
The Bose feature a much nicer sound profile, fitting a wider range of musical tastes. EDM tracks have nice, thumping bass, drums come through clean without sounding tinny, and there's overall more balance to the sound.
In terms of noise isolation, the Bose seem to block out more ambient noise than the Beats, so if that's important to you - I'd go with the Bose again.
Fit/Comfort: Bose
Where the Beats would leave my ears a little sore after about an hour of use, the Bose do not. This may be due to the fact that their included ear tips (3 different sizes) fit my specific ears more comfortably, or simply the design of the headphones.
Regardless, they feel more comfortable in my ears than the Beats did. The cable connecting the left and right buds is a bit heavier than the Beats cable, but it stays out of the way and doesn't get caught when exercising.
I was also worried that a lack of ear hook would lead to them falling out during a jump-rope session. That proved to be false, as they stayed snug in my ears.
Reliability: Bose
This one is easy. Where I went through multiple pairs of Beats in a matter of weeks, my first pair of Bose are still going strong. They advertise weather and sweat resistance, just like the Beats, but actually seem to follow through with that.
One odd thing I've found is that they will occasionally cut out for a moment or two, but this could be contributed to poor signal strength or a random disconnect. Not great, but not a deal breaker either.
I will say that due to Apple's W1 chip in the Beats, pairing and using them with an iPhone is faster and more convenient than the Bose. I'm also not a fan of the Bose Connect app needed to work the headphones, but it's really only necessary for software updates.
All in all I'd say the Bose are a better value for the money. They're more reliable, have better sound quality, and fit really well. I've been very satisfied with them so far, and don't anticipate that changing any time soon.
The Bose Soundsport Wireless sells on Amazon for $150.
The Powerbeats3 Wireless sport headphones sells on Amazon for $100.
