Powerbeats 3 Vs Jaybird X3…
Which is better and which should you buy?
Lets find out!
First lets address the elephant in the room.
The Jaybird X3 retail for $129.99 while the Powerbeats 3 Retail for $199.99.
After crunching the numbers and carrying the one, thats a $70 difference.
Thats 5 chipotle burritos with extra steak AND Guac.
The price difference here can be the deciding factor for consumers on a budget and its certainly
giving the X3’s a leg up here.
they're both bluetooth wireless earphones that are water and sweat resistant, they both
have an inline controller that have a very satisfying click to them, you can pause and
skip tracks, answer and decline calls, and adjust volume.
And they both have in-ear ear buds.
They're both made out of plastic and have a soft touch feel to them, and they both have
flat cables.
But thats where the similarities end.
The Powerbeats 3 feature an adjustable ear hook and they do an amazing job of securing
them in place.
No matter what youre doing, the Powerbeats wont fall out.
You are given a total of 4 silicon ear tips so you can choose which fit best in your ear
canal.
Unfortunately, the silicon ear tips don't create a good enough seal to keep out ambient
noise.
On the other hand, the Jaybirds X3’s come with multiple ear fins, comply ear tips, and
silicon ear tips.
You can wear them either in the under ear or over ear style.
Ear fins are an elegant and cool solution for keeping your earbuds in place with out
the need of ear hooks.
I wish i thought of that.
The comply ear tips that come included with Jaybird earphones also do an amazing job of
making a near perfect seal in your ear canal and do a better job of keeping ambient noise
out than the silicon tips on the Powerbeats.
Unfortunately, forgoing traditional ear hooks in favor of ear fins means the earbuds will
occasionally fall out from time to time if youre being active.
But no where near as much as the Jaybird Freedom do.
Compared to the Powerbeats 2, the Powerbeats 3 sound much better.
They sound clearer, have a deeper bass, and are a little louder.
But even though the Powerbeats 3 sound quality has improved, they don't sound as good as
the Jaybird X3.
You can even adjust the X3’s sound to your liking through Jaybird’s MySound App.
The only way you can adjust the sound on the Powerbeats 3 is through your device’s EQ,
which pales in comparison to the MySound App.
So sound quality obviously goes to the Jaybird X3.
The Jaybird X3 is using the latest and greatest in Bluetooth technology and you can even connect
them to two devices at the same time.
The Powerbeats on the other hand are using Apple’s new W1 chip that was introduced
back in September when they announced the Airpods.
The W1 chip certainly gives the Powerbeats an advantage since they allow for super easy
pairing, they offer a stronger wireless connection with your apple devices, and they require
much less power which means they help with battery life.
The W1 chip also means you can pair with other apple devices associated with your iCloud
account seamlessly.
Listening to music with your Powerbeats on your iPhone and now youre going to watch videos
on your iPad?
Just switch the output, no need to pair them again.
Both of these earphones have a range of about 45 feet from your device with a clear line
of sight.
The Powerbeats did perform a little better, but just by about 5 feet.
The Jaybird X3’s have an 8 hour battery life and thankfully don't require the external
battery pack like the Freedom do.
But in order to charge these earphones you better not lose the proprietary charging cradle.
If you lose this youre out of luck.
And even though jaybird sells replacements charging cradles for the freedom, they don't
for the X3 right now.
And no, the freedom charging cradle dosnt fit the X3…
I tried.
The Powerbeats 3 have an insane 12 hour battery life and can be charged by a standard micro
usb cable.
They also feature fast fuel, which gets you an hour of battery life from 5 minutes of
charging.
Its worth noting The X3 don't have any quick charging capabilities.
And to be honest, fast fuel is great if you forget to charge your earphones like i do.
In conclusion, theres no clear winner here.
Both of these earphones are great and they both have their trade offs.
The Jaybird X3 are a great choice if sound quality is super important to you, if you
want to save money, if you know the ear fins system work great for you, if battery life
isn't an issue for you, or if youre not interested in quick charging.
On the other hand, the Powerbeats 3 are a great choice if a long battery life is a must,
if you have multiple apple devices and don't want to constantly have to pair your earphones,
if you really hate when your earbuds fall out and prefer ear hooks, or if quick charging
is a must.
Personally I prefer the Powerbeats for myself because the ear fins system dosnt work too
well with me so i prefer the ear hooks, a long batter life is a must, and being able
to seamlessly switch between my devices without having to pair them is really nice.
But that may not be the case for you.
If I could, I would ask for earphones with the body, battery life and quick charging
feature of the Powerbeats 3’s with the Comply ear tips, sound quality, and Mysound App from
the Jaybird X3.