We’ve been hearing about the Powerbeats Pro 2 Wireless earbuds for several months now. As the launch date got closer, we started seeing them on athletes like Shohei Otani and Tiger Woods in The Golf League. I reviewed the original Beats Powerbeats Pro, back in 2019. Excited to hit the gym with a Powerbeats Pro 2; these are my thoughts after a couple of weeks.
Powerbeats Pro 2 Design
I have the Powerbeats Pro 2 in the Hyper Purple color. It’s a gorgeous-looking color, and I think it’s great for those who run outdoors. The earbuds have a slim profile. They have a hook that goes behind the ear to help keep them in place. They have a physical volume rocker button on the top border of the earbuds, while the “b” on the earbuds is a button as well for playback and track controls. The case is much smaller than the previous model. While it’s still not the smallest case due to the ear hooks, it’s still a big difference. It’s over 30% smaller than the original. They are IPX4 sweat and water-resistant.
The packaging is light. The Powerbeats Pro 2 come with five ear tip sizes (XS, Small, Medium, Large, and X-Large). You can do the ear fit test on the Beats app or the headphones settings on the iPhone to determine the proper fit. The earbuds’ charging case charges wirelessly (first time for Beats) or via a usb-c port located in the back. The pairing button is found inside the case between the charging slots of the earbuds. You don’t get a charging cable or wall plug in the box.
The earbuds have an Apple H2 chip, allowing for a few upgrades. This includes quick one-touch pairing on Apple and Android devices, spatial audio, auto play-pause with in-ear detection, and audio sharing to other Airpods or beats.
POWERBEATS 2 PRO SOUND AND EXPERIENCE
You notice how lightweight the earbuds are as soon as you try them on. While weight won’t always make a difference when it comes to earbuds, it does matter a little more when it comes to using them for working out. The medium ear tips work well for me. I tested these on the train, walking around New York City, at the gym, at home, and also at the office. Depending on where I was and how early or late it was, I toggled between the active noise canceling and transparency mode features. When at the gym, the ANC did a pretty good job of canceling out people yelling and their questionable playlists. Stayed listening to my gym playlist and focused on my workouts.
Powerbeats Pro 2 Heart Rate Monitoring
Heart rate monitoring is a pretty cool feature to have on earbuds. While I am not exactly the core audience, it’s great to have that data when you’re dedicated to reaching a goal. You have to make sure your fit is correct, and the heart rate sensor has proper contact with your skin during the workout. It doesn’t work directly with the Apple Fitness app; you need to use one of the apps Apple teamed up with on iOS. They expect to make the Powerbeats compatible with more apps, but so far, they have started with Nike Run Club, Peloton, and Runna, to name a few.
Each earbud has a sensor. The Apple Health app manages the heart rate monitoring via the permissions from one of the partner apps listed above. So the Nike Run Club app gets the heart rate information from the Apple Health app (you allow the app permissions), and that’s how it will monitor your heart rate. I tried the Nike Run app with the Apple Watch, and the data matched. Just know that if you are wearing an Apple Watch, the data will default to the Apple Watch data over the Powerbeats.
CALL QUALITY AND BATTERY LIFE
Taking calls on the Powerbeats P2 wasn’t horrible. Sometimes I sounded a bit muffled to the other side. While it can be hit or miss, for the most part, it was fine. The other party didn’t hear noise around me. Better than expected.
When it comes to battery life, the Powerbeats have that on lock! They can go up to 45 hours without using fancy features like transparency and active noise cancellation modes. But if you decide to use these features, you can get over 35 hours of battery life. Let’s not forget that the charging case now charges wirelessly. With my regular use and then leaving them on to see how long they’d last, I got at least a solid 7 hours of playback. Not bad at all since I don’t intend to use them for that long. Obviously, it will vary with different people and their usage.
BEATS APP AND HEADPHONES SETTINGS ON IPHONE
The Beats pair easily with both Android and iOS. The Beats app on Android allows you to rename the earbuds, toggle transparency mode, and active noise canceling.
VERDICT
If you’re into working out and want a bass-forward pair of earbuds, the Powerbeats Pro 2 are a great choice. Sometimes the sound profile isn’t the best for regular music listening sessions. But overall, the Powerbeats Pro 2 are the upgrade we’ve been waiting for for nearly five years.
There’s a reason that the Powerbeats line is the best-selling for Beats. Great performance and feature set are worth the splurge of $249.99. The lighter build, fun colors, ANC, wireless charging case, IPX4 rating, and heart rate monitoring make it a great choice for fitness enthusiasts.
Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 Wireless Earbuds
$249
Pros
- Lightweight but sturdy fit
- Wireless charging case
- Heart rate monitoring
- Physical buttons on earbuds for easier control during workout sessions
Cons
- Case is still a little large
- Heart rate monitoring doesn't work with Apple Fitness app
- Doesn't come with charging cable or wall plug
