Whether you love ‘em or loathe ‘em, Dr. Dre's eponymous headphones are everywhere, from the treadmill to the weights bench. Even I joined the Beats brigade, picking up a pair of Powerbeats2 wireless in-ears under the (misguided) belief that they'd get me exercising more.

The Powerbeats3 don't look all that different from . There are a few tweaks here and there, mostly aimed at getting them to fit better. The primary distinction is tucked away inside, a happy addition to the Bluetooth earbuds that arrives as a result of the headphone company's acquisition by Apple.

The Beats by Dre BeatsX headphones deliver more than just a slick design, premium workmanship and first-rate aesthetics. These in-ears in fact seem a lot closer in technical function and capability to Apple's new AirPods, rather than their own Beats brothers.