The Powerbeats Pro is Apple’s foray into premium sports audio accessories. The successor to the PowerBeats 3, these truly wireless earphones pack a rugged design with ear hooks and are splash-resistant. Most importantly, they sport the proprietary Apple H1 Chip for better sound quality, better connectivity, and of course, improved battery life.
Another new pair of earphones is the Outlier Air from none other than Creative. The crux of this audio accessory is its battery life of 30 hours. Plus, they are the company’s first truly wireless earphones and needless to say, these are also water-resistant sporting an IPX5 rating of IPX5.
All the common features aside, one of the remarkable things about the Creative Outlier Air is the sweet price of $79. That is almost $170 less than the premium pricing of the Powerbeats Pro.
But is it the only difference between both these premium wireless earphones? Or is there something more than meets the eye?
In this post, we compare both the Powerbeats Pro and the Creative Outlier Air with each other and see which one is the better deal for you.
Let’s begin!
Design & Controls
There’s a lot to like about the new design of the Creative Outlier Air. They are small and are designed to fit well into your ears. Each earpiece has a nozzle-like design that easily slips into the ear canal. Though the outer body is a tad bigger, it fits easily into the cavity of your ear and doesn’t stick out like some piece of alien machinery.
The Outlier Air has a slightly slippery design, due to which you may find some issues in gripping them initially. Hopefully, you’ll get used to it in the long run.
When it comes to controls, the Outlier Air’s buttons are at the top. These are physical buttons which are surrounded by a neat ring of light, which ends up giving the buds a premium look. These buttons let you do all the basic work such as track navigation, answering and rejecting calls.
Overall these buds are compact and look great. At the same time, they are lightweight.
The Powerbeats Pro sports a look completely different from the Outlier Air. Similar to its predecessor, they feature ear hooks that sitqw—- over the ear for a better fit. The two earbuds are linked to the hook by a stylish band.
Yeah, these earphones have a sporty look to them, but they are stylish enough to wear outside your jogging time.
These earphones come with four sets of ear tips for a better fit. Plus, the hook is also adjustable. When it comes to the control, the PowerBeats Pro packs a control button and a volume rocker. All you have to do is press the circular button (with the Beats Logo) to change the music.
The Powerbeats Pro earphones are comfortable to wear, and several users on Amazon have echoed the same. Apple claims that these earbuds are 23 percent smaller and 17 percent lighter compared to the Powerbeats 3.
The only thing of concern is the carrying case. Compared to its peers, the case is enormous due to which it feels a tad uncomfortable to carry in pockets.
Bluetooth: Connectivity & Codec
Imagine spending $200 on earphones only to find that there’s severe lag. Thankfully, that’s not the case with either the Creative Outlier Air or the Powerbeats Pro.
The Outlier Air comes with Bluetooth 5.0, which means better range and audio bandwidth. Plus, these buds also support Bluetooth audio codecs like aptX and AAC.
If you must know, these codes are known for their lossy digital audio compression techniques. In a nutshell, the Outlier Air should be able to deliver quality music with minimum lags and delays.
When it comes to user experiences, it seems that the Outlier Air earphones can deliver the promise. The connection is stable, and there are no widely-known issues about the earbuds refusing to connect.
Interestingly, the Powerbeats Pro pack Apple’s premier H1 wireless chip. Yes, the second-generation AirPods made a debut with the same chip.
This chip packs plenty of features such as faster pairing times, good battery life and supports “Hey Siri” voice commands. Cool, right?
Battery Life & Charging
The crux of both the earbuds is the long (and impressive) battery life. The Creative Outlier Air delivers a whopping 30 hours of battery life. While the buds carry a 10-hour long charge, the charging case provides the rest of 20 hours, and many users have verified the claim.
When it comes to reviews by some authoritative sites, the folks at SoundGuys believe that the Outlier Air could live up to 7.78 hours. Do note that the battery life can vary as per the volume levels.
On the other hand, the PowerBeats Pro earphones have a battery life of 24-hours, all thanks to the battery efficient H1 chip. While the buds will deliver a total of nine hours in a single charge, the case can carry two charges.
The excellent battery life in both the earphones means that they’ll easily last a few days in between charges. Plus, you needn’t worry about charging them up frequently.
Sound Quality & Performance
What matters most in a set of earphones (or headphones) is the sound quality despite a better fit or a longer battery life. When it comes to the Outlier Air, the makers have incorporated 5.6mm graphene driver diaphragm into the earbuds for improved audio output.
The Outlier Air delivers good bass. Moreover, the audio output is rich, and you’ll certainly love the oomph that they deliver.
However, these buds do not have any dedicated noise cancellation. That means you’ll be distracted by outside noise, especially in noisy environments. On the upside, it turns out to be a boon, especially if you prefer to run outdoors or plan to use these sports earphones during your daily commute.
Similar to the one above, the PowerBeats Pro to performs best in a quiet environment. They do not have any active or passive noise cancellation features.
Apart from that, the sound quality is stellar with a rich and deep sound signature. Moreover, the bass head in you might come to love the thump of the bass. All these combine to give you a dynamic audio output.
Which Should You Buy?
Well, if you are looking for a good and reliable earphone for everyday wear (including a few stints in the gym), you should go for the Creative Outlier Air. They sound good, have a good form factor, and are inexpensive.
On the other hand, Powerbeats Pro should be your choice if you don’t want to stray outside of the Apple ecosystem. The pair will let you reap the full benefits of the faster pairing with Apple devices (and have a $170 to spare).
The design is stellar and you’d not find anything to complain about. Plus, the wireless performance, sound quality, and stability are a notch above its counterparts. If you are looking for something that sticks to your ears during strenuous workout activities, the Powerbeats Pro is the one you should buy.
Next up: Looking for earphones with long battery life? Read the article below to discover some of the best ones.
