Powerbeats Pro vs Jabra Elite 65t: Which should you buy?

The Powerbeats Pro feature Apple's own H1-chip, which mean they pair easily with Apple devices, and switching between devices is a cinch. Plus, with the Powerbeats Pro 9-hour battery life on the earbuds themselves as well as the 24-hour battery life in the charging case, they can easily last all day. Although, the Jabra Elite 65t buds have less battery life, they do feature a more compact charging case that's easier to carry around, and they can access Siri and other assistants with the press of a button.

The big differences

Apple designed the H1-chip to work so seamlessly with the iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and Apple TV, that you only have to pair the Powerbeats Pro with one device, and as long as the others are using the same iCloud account as the first device, your PowerBeats Pro will automatically be paired with all of them. Pair once, play anywhere. Plus, the chip also allows the PowerBeats Pro to use the "Hey, Siri" command to invoke Apple's digital assistant, which is useful when your hands aren't free.

If you're super invested in the Apple ecosystem and getting a pair of earbuds that work with all your devices is important to you, the Powerbeats Pro are going to be the better choice for you; however, the Jabra Elite 65t has a lot of upsides, too.

Where the Jabra Elite 65t buds really excel is in customization, and a big part of that is due to the Jabra Sound+ app. It has an EQ that you can adjust with custom settings or pick one of the six presets. While the sound quality of the Jabra Elite 65t out of the box is fantastic, the ability to fine-tune the EQ is always a welcome addition. The best part of the app is the ability to activate the "HearThrough" feature, which allows the built-in microphones to pick up outside noise so you can hear a bit of what's going on around you. The Powerbeats Pro don't have this kind of control; if you're listening to anything, you'll likely have to take an earbud out to carry on a conversation.

Looking at the spec sheet, the Powerbeats Pro have nine-hour battery life for listening to music, which is a whole four hours more than the Jabra . This means you can wear your Powerbeats Pro longer without having to pop them into your charging case, a whole regular work day even, which is a huge advantage. Plus, the charging case, although bigger than the Jabra case, does provides 24 hours of additional charge opposed to the 10 hours the Jabra case grants you.

Lastly, when it comes to sweat-resistance, the Powerbeats Pro make the water a little murky. Beats states the Powerbeats Pro are water and sweat-resistant, but gives no official IP rating, unlike the Jabra Elite 65t which have an IP55 rating. Without an official rating, it's a little hard to be certain how safe it is to work out with the Powerbeats Pro. However, past Beats headphones we've tried have had the same designation and have been just fine in our testing.

Which should I buy?

It really comes down to what you value. If you're looking for an Apple-specific experience that makes using your headphones with your iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV as easy as possible, the Powerbeats Pro are your best choice. Plus, the impressive battery life of the Powerbeats Pro make them a compelling choice for anyone who wants to get the most listening time they possibly can out of their earbuds.

Of course, the Jabra Elite 65t excels at customization with the ability to adjust the EQ through the Jabra Sound+ app, and enable the Hear Through feature which lets you hear the world around you. Plus, the earbuds can work with other digital assistants, like Alexa. If you don't feel the need to pay extra money for the Apple-exclusive features of the Powerbeats Pro, the Jabra Elite 65t are a fantastic pair of wireless earbuds.

Personally, unless you are a super die-hard Apple fan dying for the Powerbeats Pro, I think the Jabra Elite 65t wraps a lot of the same features into a cheaper package that you can buy right now.