Beats is about to launch the Powerbeats 4 in line with Apple's wildly popular Powerbeats 3 wireless headphones, based on data found in iOS 13.3, and it looks like they'll be smarter too. According to 9to5Mac, the strings (strings of characters) in the recently released iOS 13.3 code indicate that Powerbeats 4 will come with ``Hey Siri'' support, a feature found in Apple headphones that contain the H1 chip: this includes the 2019 AirPods, the new AirPods Pro, and the Beats PowerBeats Pro true wireless headphones. The ``Hey Siri'' feature lets you summon Apple's Voice Assistant in hands-free mode, and it was introduced at the same time as the updated 2019 AirPods earlier this year. The existence of the Powerbeats 4 headphones hasn't been confirmed by Beats or Apple, let alone their use of the H1 chip; However, the support of the activation phrase `` Hello Siri & # 39; & # 39; makes it likely that you will upgrade Powerbeats wireless earphones from W1 earphone chip to H1 chip. In addition to letting you summon Siri with just your voice, the H1 chip offers lightning-fast connectivity for Apple headphones and better battery life than the original 2016 AirPods.
The True Pro Wireless Powerbeats come with Apple's H1 chip. (Image credit: Beats)
Powerbeats 4: what we want to see
In addition to the inclusion of the H1 chi, there are a few features we hope to see in the rumored Powerbeats 4, namely an overall improvement over the Powerbeats 3, which we've given 3.5 out of 5 stars in our review. Although its 12-hour battery life was impressive at the time, we'd like to see this increase with the addition of the H1 headphone chip. As a racing helmet, it's imperative that the Powerbeats 4 enjoy a secure fit; When we tested the Powerbeats 3, we found that they sometimes felt slack during workouts, though we thought they were generally quite comfortable to wear. Sound quality should also see an improvement. Beats headphones have an unfortunate reputation for muddy, booming low frequencies, and this is a problem we've found with the Powerbeats 3. We'd like to see a more balanced soundstage that the Powerbeats 4 offer, without losing the bassy feel characteristic of Beats that lends itself very well to training. Beats has managed to achieve this goal with the true Wireless Powerbeats Pro, so we wouldn't be surprised to see the same linear piston drivers in the new headphones. Finally, we expect the Beats Powerbeats 4 to be better value than their predecessors, which cost $199.95 / £169.95 / AU$259.95 at launch. While we don't trust this lower price point, we expect to see some additional quality-of-life features like the active noise cancellation offered by the AirPods Pro. Otherwise, they won't be able to beat the Optoma NuForce BE Sport4 to the top spot of the best. wireless headphones, which are less than $100 / €100 / €150 AU. Via 9to5Mac