The Powerbeats Pro 2 upgrade everything except the price
With new and improved features across the board, Beats’ Powerbeats Pro 2 are better than Apple’s own AirPods Pro 2 in many ways.
With their hook design, Powerbeats, from Apple’s audio brand Beats, have long been one of the favorite pairs of earbuds for exercise. Beats claim that they’re in fact the best-selling fitness headphones in the world. The original Powerbeats launched in 2010. Fast-forward nine years, the first-generation Powerbeats Pro brought the first big redesign, ditching the wire between the two earbuds. Now, Beats are launching the second generation Powerbeats Pro, bringing strong improvements in almost every category. Keeping the same $249 price tag, Powerbeats Pro 2 are positioned as Beats’ top-end earbuds.
Powerbeats Pro 2 is the most impressive product in Beats’ history — developed to withstand intense training sessions and equipped with our most innovative technology and powerful sound. Now with Heart Rate Monitoring for workouts, Active Noise Cancellation, and Transparency mode, Powerbeats Pro 2 sets a new standard in audio for fitness.
Oliver Schusser, vice president of Music, Sports and Beats, Apple
Visually, Powerbeats Pro 2 are recognizable compared to the first generation Powerbeats Pro, thanks to the redesign. While keeping the earhook that tucks behind the ear for a secure fit, Powerbeats Pro 2 are 50% smaller and 20% lighter at just 4.35g per earbud. Formed of a nickel titanium alloy, the hook provides grip, comfort and flexibility, while being the most robust yet.
There are five eartip sizes included in the box, including extra-small, small, medium, large and extra-large. Choosing the right size is important to ensure optimal sound and comfort. To help here, Apple has included an “Ear Tip Fit Test” in the settings of iOS and on the Android app. Upgraded venting will further improve comfort and sound.
The headline feature of the Powerbeats Pro 2 is Heart Rate Monitoring. The LED optical sensors pulse over 100 times per second to measure blood flow and provide an accurate reading. This information is relayed to fitness apps in real time. At launch in the US, Heart Rate Monitoring in the Powerbeats Pro 2 is compatible with Open, Peloton, Runna, Slopes, Ladder, Nike Run Club, and YaoYao. While potentially a game changer for some users, most interested in fitness tracking will have already settled for a smart watch or similar for this ability. If wearing an Apple Watch, iOS will prioritize this over the earbuds.
One of the areas where Beats really excel over the competition is their compatibility with both Apple and Android. Featuring Apple’s H2 chip, there are many smart features integrated into iOS. Android users can also access many of these features via the Beats app in the Google Play Store. Similarly to AirPods, when connected to an iOS device, Powerbeats Pro 2 support one-touch pairing, automatic switching, auto play/pause, Audio Sharing, hands-free Siri and Find My. When paired to an Android device with the Beats app, users will find one-touch pairing, activate or disable Heart Rate Monitoring (which is automatic on iOS), customizable controls, a battery status widget, Locate My Beats, and over-the-air updates. When paired with the Apple Vision Pro, the Powerbeats Pro 2 also support ultra-low latency Lossless Audio.
Continuing on the internals, the Powerbeats Pro 2 have a reengineered acoustic architecture. Finally Active Noise Cancelling comes to the earbuds, letting wearers reduce the noise around them. Potentially huge for noisy gyms. When you need to let the outside in, there’s Transparency mode, which is useful for hearing traffic while out and about. Adaptive EQ uses inward-facing microphones and computational audio to tune sound in real time based on your unique fit. There’s also Personalized Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking for immersive audio and videos.
Voice Isolation also comes to the Powerbeats Pro 2 to isolate and clarify the voice, while reducing background noise during calls for better call performance. Spatial Audio is also supported on FaceTime calls to accurately position speakers in 3D space. This all comes from three advance microphones in each earbud, the same microphones as those in the AirPods Pro 2, as well as a voice accelerometer, advanced computational audio, a machine-learning algorithm, improved signal-to-noise ratio and noise surpression.
When it comes to controls, there are voice controls and the physical buttons. Each ear bud has a “b” button and a volume rocker. Customizable in settings or the app, the “b” button can be used to play and pause music, skip forwards and backwards, answer, mute and end calls, switch between ANC, Transparency and Adaptive EQ mode, activate the voice assistant, and activate heart-rate monitoring.
Battery life is improved on the Powerbeats Pro 2. With ANC and Transparency off, the earbuds last for up to 10 hours of playback on a single change. When combined with the charging case, you’ll get up to 45 hours. Turn ANC on and you’re good for up to 8 hours on the earbuds and 36 hours with the case. Supporting Fast Fuel, a five-minute charge provides up to 90 minutes of playback. The charging case now supports USB-C and Qi wireless charging. Unfortunately there is no USB-C cable in the box. Despite the improved battery and inclusion of wireless charging, the case is 33% smaller, measuring in at 7.5 x 6.6 x 3.4 cm and 77.7g with the buds in. While still larger than most modern earbud cases, this is due to the hooks.
One of the only things that has stayed the same is the IPX4 rating. This protects the earbuds themselves against sweat, rain, snow and heat. The case is not water resistant.
The Powerbeats Pro 2 are available in four colors: Jet Black, Quick Sand (an off-white color), Hyper Purple, and Electric Orange. They are available for $249.99, the same launch price as the first generation Powerbeats Pro. Order them today at Amazon or on-shelf in select Apple Stores. The first generation Powerbeats Pro are on sale on Amazon for $153.99, but be aware, you are sacrifing a lot of the above features.