The Powerbeats Pro 2 ($250) was hardly a secret. Although Beats officially announced the new fitness-focused earbuds today, it has been teasing them since last September. And over the last few weeks, a number of pro athletes have been wearing the earbuds in public, including a few NFL players at the Super Bowl. There was little left to see of the Powerbeats Pro 2, but at least there remain more details to discover about the tech inside.
Beats completely overhauled this new model, reducing both size and weight in the process. The company is also utilizing Apple’s H2 chip to unlock a host of features — most notable of which is heart-rate tracking. Given it’s been nearly six years since the original, there are understandably substantial improvements to audio quality and battery life, as well as the addition of active noise cancellation (ANC). The Powerbeats Pro 2 will be available this week, and since I’ve been testing them for several days, I can offer some advice on whether these earbuds are worth investment. Surprisingly, Beats delivered its big overhaul while keeping the price the same as the original Powerbeats Pro.
Powerbeats Pro 2 design
One of the main updates Beats brought to the Powerbeats Pro 2 is its overall look. An over-the-ear hook has been the main aesthetic and functional element on this product line since the first Powerbeats model debuted in 2010. For this redesign, Beats opted for nickel titanium alloy wiring inside the hook to improve comfort, flexibility and durability. The earhook is over 50 percent smaller than what's on the Powerbeats Pro, a change that Beats made to help the earbuds work better with glasses. That’s a welcome change since the previous model wasn’t very glasses or hat friendly. Version 2.0 is definitely more comfy when I wear them with my Goodr shades or a baseball cap.
The main housing of the earbuds is smaller as well, and it’s 20 percent lighter. This results in a more compact frame that’s less obtrusive. Beats says it tweaked the shape of both the earbuds and their acoustic housing for improved comfort and an effective seal. Physical buttons are still available on the Powerbeats Pro 2, with a volume rocker on each side and multi-function controls on the “b” logo button for playback, calls and more. This new model is IPX4 rated for water resistance, so sweaty workouts shouldn’t be a concern.
Thankfully, Beats also made the charging case more compact. The company says the accessory is 33 percent smaller than the one that came with the Powerbeats Pro. It’s still plenty big compared to most earbuds cases these days since it needs extra space to accommodate those hooks. The case supports wireless charging, but there’s also a USB-C port around back for wired top ups. The pairing button, should you need it, is inside between the two earbud cradles.
Heart-rate tracking
There’s plenty to discuss in terms of features on the Powerbeats Pro 2, but the biggest of them is heart-rate tracking. Interestingly, these are Apple’s first earbuds with that technology onboard, an ability that Beats says it borrowed from Apple Watch. The sensor is situated right behind the ear tip to take readings from both earbuds every five seconds.
Beats says it developed the Powerbeats Pro 2’s heart-rate sensor “from the ground up,” and that it relies on four key components. A green LED light emits over 100 pulses per second to go through the skin and hit red blood cells. A photodiode then captures reflected light from those cells and an optical lens keeps transmitted and received light separated. Finally, an accelerometer compensates for your movement to aid in accuracy and consistency.
Tracking my heart rate with the Powerbeats Pro 2 was accurate and reliable. During my tests, the figures displayed in the Runna app mirrored what was on my Apple Watch. They sometimes took a second or two to sync because the two devices take measurements at different times, but once the earbuds and the smartwatch settled, the numbers always matched.
The main issue with heart-rate tracking right now is the relatively short list of supported apps on iOS. The Powerbeats Pro 2 doesn't work with Apple’s own Fitness app. Instead, you’ll have to rely on Nike Run Club, Runna, Ladder, Slopes, Open, Peloton and YaoYao for your workouts. You will be able to see all of the collected data in the Health app on iOS. It’s a much better situation for Android users as Beats says all “fitness and wellness apps” that have heart-rate monitoring abilities will be fully compatible with these earbuds. On Android though, you have to manually turn on heart-rate monitoring in either the Beats app or on the Powerbeats Pro 2 — and remember to turn it off when you’re done. On iOS, it happens automatically once you give your go-to app(s) the proper permissions.
Software and additional Powerbeats Pro 2 features
Beats decided to use Apple’s H2 chip this time around, the same tech that enables all the powerful features on the AirPods Pro 2. That component assists with everything from heart-rate monitoring to Spatial Audio and ANC. A number of handy AirPods features are available on the Powerbeats Pro 2 thanks to the chip as well. You won’t find the AirPods Pro 2 Hearing Aid and Hearing Test tools here, but Beats says Apple’s Hearing Protection is available on these earbuds.
The features list is longer for iOS users than Android this time around. On iPhone and iPad, you can expect quick, one-touch pairing that syncs with iCloud for every Apple device on your account. There’s also Audio Sharing with another set of Beats earbuds/headphones or AirPods, hands-free Siri, Find My, Personalized Spatial Audio and controls customization. Like other recent Beats products, all of this is baked into iOS and accessible through the Bluetooth menu, so you don’t need to download another app.
On Android, you will need the Beats app. Once it’s installed, you’ll get one-touch pairing, Locate My Beats, control customization, the ability to switch listening modes and enable or disable heart-rate monitoring.
Sound quality
Beats completely redesigned the acoustic architecture for the Powerbeats Pro 2, including new venting, an upgraded amplifier, new protective mesh and a custom-designed, dual-layer transducer. The company says it also changed the angle of the transducers for a more direct path for sound to your ear canals. All of this leads to “remarkable dynamic range across the frequency curve,” according to Beats. The promise of a “balanced, powerful sound profile” holds true across most genres, although the Powerbeats Pro 2 is at its best with bass-heavy, high-energy tunes.
Kendrick Lamar’s GNX has excellent, nuanced low-end thump on these earbuds, and most hip-hop albums follow suit. There’s plenty of bass to boost your energy levels during training sessions, but it doesn’t overpower the mix. Vocals and other elements cut through clearly, which is crucial for less bass-dependent styles like rock and metal. No Cure’s I Hope I Die Here carries every bit of dirty texture from the distorted guitars, but those instruments don’t get mashed up with the metal band’s drums, bass and vocals. Amidst the chaos of tracks like “Hang Me From the Bible Belt,” there’s plenty of sonic detail in every breakdown.
The Powerbeats Pro 2 supports Apple’s Personalized Spatial Audio and Adaptive EQ. The former works with Dolby Atmos content (including Apple Music) to provide immersive, 360-degree sound. With those albums, movies and shows, these earbuds provide the sensation of being surrounded by 64 speakers. Spatial Audio is a staple of recent Apple and Beats audio products and it works well on the Powerbeats Pro 2. Plus, you get dynamic head tracking with Apple platforms and both lossless audio and ultra-low latency when you pair these earbuds with Apple’s Vision Pro headset. I don’t have a Vision Pro, so I wasn’t able to test that compatibility.
ANC performance on the Powerbeats Pro 2
The Powerbeats Pro 2 are the first Powerbeats earbuds with ANC. In fact, Beats calls the performance here “an exceptional noise canceling solution with an immersive listening experience — the best ever in a Beats product.” Hybrid microphones monitor environmental noise and any clamor that might make its way in your ears, automatically adjusting the level of ANC to match your surroundings.
While the Powerbeats Pro 2’s noise-canceling tech does reduce distractions from constant annoyances like white noise machines and fans, it doesn’t entirely block them. The earbuds also struggle to quiet human voices, which is where a lot of the competition stumbles, too. If you’re like me and listen at around 70 percent volume most of the time, this is less of an issue. But at quieter levels, and during podcasts, the mediocre ANC performance here becomes apparent.
Call quality
ANC might not be impressive on the Powerbeats Pro 2, but the earbuds are certainly handy for calls. Thanks to Apple’s natural-sounding transparency mode, you never feel like you need to shout to hear yourself over voice or video chats. I don’t think that ambient sound is quite as clear as the AirPods Pro 2, though, especially in terms of piping in your voice.
Beats says it has employed microphones and an accelerometer to focus on your voice while blocking background noise. In fact, the company explains that the computational audio setup is the same as what’s available on the iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple TV. The Powerbeats Pro 2 also offers Voice Isolation with compatible Apple devices, which the company says enables clarity and noise suppression that exceeds any other Beats product.
In practice, the voice clarity isn’t pristine, but it’s certainly usable, even for work calls when you need to sound as good as possible. Where the Powerbeats Pro 2 does shine in this regard is blocking background racket. The earbuds silenced loud fans and other constant sources of noise to the point they weren’t noticeable at all on the other end.
Powerbeats Pro 2 battery life
Beats says the Powerbeats Pro 2 will last up to 10 hours on a charge with ANC off and eight hours with either noise-cancellation or transparency mode active. The previous model was rated at nine hours, but it wasn’t equipped with ANC. During my tests with active noise cancellation mostly disabled, but still employing all of the sound modes at certain times, I managed to wring out over 13 hours of use. In another test with ANC on the entire time, I surpassed the eight-hour figure with ease.
The company explains that the heart-rate tracking doesn’t impact battery life, in case that was a concern for you. I didn’t notice any speedier battery drain during my workouts for this review, which were once a day and lasted at most one hour. If I do encounter anything to the contrary, I’ll update this review with those findings.
The competition
Plenty of companies make earbuds with a similar hook design to the Powerbeats Pro 2 these days. But none of them come close to offering the tech and features that Beats does, especially for iOS users. If you’re looking for an alternative with heart-rate tracking, the Sennheiser Momentum Sport is a reliable alternative.
Sennheiser’s fitness earbuds lack the polish of the company’s flagship Momentum set, mostly in terms of audio and ANC performance. However, the heart-rate monitoring is reliable and accurate, plus it even tracks body temperature for workouts. I prefer the design of the Sport to the regular Momentum model as well, and the option of added bass is great for an energy boost. This set is more expensive than the Powerbeats Pro 2 though ($330), so that may factor into your decision.
Wrap-up
The Powerbeats Pro 2 presents an interesting proposition, at least for the time being. For now, it’s the only set of Apple earbuds that offers heart-rate tracking. Reports indicate that the upcoming AirPods Pro 3 will also carry such sensors, but those probably won’t arrive until September with the new batch of iPhones. It may seem odd that Apple would rely on a subsidiary for such a notable debut, but it makes a lot of sense when you consider these are earbuds designed primarily for workouts and other physical activities. Plus, this is a great stress test for the tech before it makes its way into a set of AirPods.
On the whole, the Powerbeats Pro 2 are a substantial upgrade over the original. They’re more comfortable and have a host of new features that help it match today’s earbuds. Beats needs to expand support for heart-rate tracking on iOS and its ANC performance won’t silence the world around you. But if you’re into the hook design for a secure fit, you’ll have a hard time finding another spec sheet that’s this full.
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