Both the name and the price are new, with Apple opting to drop the number (it would be the Powerbeats 4) and dropping the retail price of its predecessor by $50.
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The price drop is one welcome surprise that was missing from previous leaks, this helps to separate the Powerbeats from their true wireless sibling the Powerbeats Pro or the AirPods Pro which both sit at $249.95. The Powerbeats, which had gone without an update since 2016, pick up a lot of new features including the H1 chip (versus the W1 in the Powerbeats 3) which allows for quicker pairing and switching along with hands-free Siri usage. If you prefer buttons, you do still have a volume rocket on top of the right earbud and the beats logo on the side is a multi-function button allowing you to interact with calls, audio playback or summon Siri or the equivalent voice service on other devices. Battery life gets a nice boost as well with up to 15 hours on a single charge, 3 more than the Powerbeats 3 and 6 hours more than the Powerbeats Pro. Charging is again done via a lightning connector and the “Fast Fuel” charging feature still gets you an hour of use for five-minutes of charging. The primary change to the exterior of the Powerbeats is shifting the cable management to go behind the ear and moving the controls from the inline cable to the earbud. This should make for a considerably more solid fit and feel when exercising, which is the primary advantage of these over a true wireless option. The Powerbeats also now have an official sweat and water resistance rating, IPX4, which matches the Powerbeats Pro. The Powerbeats will be available from Apple and other Beats retailers this Wednesday, March 18th.
