Beats’ AirPods alternative start shipping May 10

Earlier this month, Beats unveiled its long-awaited answer to AirPods. The Powerbeats Pro feature far longer battery life, better sound and an improved fit. The Apple subsidiary promised a May release, and now we’ve got something more concrete.

The fully wireless earbuds go up for pre-order in the U.S. and Canada the morning of May 3 and will be available to everyone May 10 — just a little while longer to get your hands on what’s looking to be a pretty solid alternative.

I spent a bit of time with the headphones already and was mostly pleased with the experience. The comfort’s really the big thing here, especially given the fact AirPods’ hard plastic just doesn’t fit well in lots of ears. Couple that with the H1 one chip and you get the same basic pairing functionality you get with the Apple-branded earbuds. There’s also a lot to say for the stated nine hours of battery life — more on that in our inevitable review, of course.

Downsides include an extremely large charging case, which you’ll probably end up leaving at home when you go for a run. There’s also the pretty lofty $250 price tag, which put them $50 north of the AirPods 2. Either way, it’s a win-win for Apple. The Powerbeats Pro will be available in black at first, with white and brownish-green coming later in the summer.