Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 review: your next workout earbuds

It’s been a busy few years for Beats, with new products in addition to revamps of its most popular lines — some of which hadn’t seen an update in close to a decade. Just last year saw the Solo 4 revitalize the company’s best selling line of headphones after nearly eight years, the Pill portable bluetooth speaker returned after its previous iteration from 2013 — the Beats Pill+ — was discontinued in 2022, and the new Solo Buds were introduced as the company’s first true wireless earbuds under $100. And that doesn’t include the Kim Kardashian collaboration releases of the Pill and Studio Pro.

It doesn’t look like Beats has any plans of slowing down, either, which brings us to today. After a tease with an Instagram post last September, and numerous image and spec leaks in the past week or so, we finally officially have the release of the Beats Powerbeats Pro 2. I had the opportunity to see them in person at an event in New York City a couple weeks ago (and bring home a review sample). Let’s take a look.

Beats Powerbeats 2 specs

As one would hope from a new iteration of earbuds, the Powerbeats Pro 2 have a bevy of new features. Considering the Powerbeats3 were the first Beats earbuds to use an Apple chip (the W1 that was also used by the Solo3 headphones) and the original Powerbeats Pro were the first to use the H1 chip, it makes sense that the Powerbeats Pro 2 use Apple’s H2 chip — the same found in the AirPods Pro 2. The chip allows for fast, secure pairing with Apple devices, greater power efficiency, and excellent noise canceling and transparency mode capabilities.

You read that right, the Powerbeats line finally has noise canceling and transparency (we’ll get to how it compares to the AirPods Pro 2 a bit later). Other features that have been added to the Powerbeats Pro 2 include adaptive EQ, spatial audio support with head tracking, wireless Qi charging, and — in a first for Apple and Beats — heart rate monitoring. For those that have an Apple Vision Pro, the Powerbeats Pro 2 are the first Beats product that are capable of ultra-low latency lossless audio when the two are used together.

The two specs that didn’t change are the IP rating — the Powerbeats Pro 2 are IPX4 — and the price of $249. This puts them firmly in the upper price range for earbuds, going toe-to-toe with the Apple AirPods Pro 2, JBL Tour Pro 3, Bose QuietComfort Ultra, and Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4. That’s stiff competition.

A more compact design and secure fit

Notice I said “more compact” and not “compact.” As any original Powerbeats owner will tell you, small they are not. When the earbuds were released in 2019, their case was amongst one of the larger on the market. The Pro 2 case is definitely an improvement — it’s a 33% smaller rectangular shape that isn’t as bulky — but it’s still on the large side. Beats obviously put in a lot of thought to the case design, trying to shrink down its overall size, but there’s only so much you can do for a case that houses earhook earbuds.

The earhooks are an essential part of what make the Powerbeats brand — they’ve been the signature of it since the first release. And Beats have made some significant improvements to their comfort, stability, and toughness. The new earhook design is thinner (over 50% smaller according to Beats) and uses nickel titanium alloy wiring. This makes them very durable, but flexible, and the earhook always returns to its original shape. I put it through some abuse, more than I expect the earbuds would encounter with normal day-to-day use, and was impressed with how they always come back to form.

Most manufacturers have shied away from using the earhook design, instead opting for wings, which allows for a smaller size. But wings can add pressure in the concha or to the antihelix (the ridge around the concha where the wings tuck into), and become uncomfortable or fatiguing to wear long term.

While it might mean a bigger overall size, the earhook design offers the best combination of a secure and comfortable fit. Beats includes five different ear tip sizes (XS, S, M, L, XL), up from the four that came with the original Powerbeats Pro. For the almost two weeks I used them, I found them incredibly comfortable — with an exception. After an extended period, say two to three hours, my left outer ear would start to ache and I’d need to give it a rest. I didn’t have the same issue with my right ear, so it’s something to do with the shape of my left outer ear.

When out for a run, though, the Powerbeats Pro 2 were as comfortable and secure as could be. Never once did I feel like one would fall out, regardless of the terrain or when I stopped to drop down and do some burpees (shudder). My recent go to earbuds have been the Jabra Elite Active 8, and even though they’re one of the more secure workout earbuds in recent memory, they can’t compete with the secure fit of the Powerbeats.

Satisfying sound

When you get into the $200-300 price range for earbuds, there’s an expectation that they should sound good. After all, the primary purpose of them is to play sound. But it still isn’t a guarantee. The Powerbeats Pro 2, though, sound great.

Bass is robust — although thankfully not to the level of Beats of old — with response deep enough for bass heavy tracks like Billie’s Eilish’s bad guy or Kanye’s Love Lockdown. There sound to be a few slight bumps in the frequency range as it transitions from bass to midrange, but I’m splitting hairs here. Overall, bass is clean and punchy. I like what Beats is doing with its tuning, and prefer it to the AirPods Pro 2.

The upper mids and highs have nice clarity and airiness that lets the acoustic guitar in songs like Fast Car by Tracy Chapman or Kacey Musgraves The Architect to ring and fill the space. Cymbals, too, crash appropriately without added sizzle. I ever so slightly miss some punch to snare hits and a bit of the edge to vocals (such as Chris Cornell in the chorus of Outshined), but like the bass frequency bumps, it’s a minor complaint. The Powerbeats Pro 2 sound is sure to please.

With a comfortable, secure fit and built-in heart rate monitoring, the Powerbeats Pro 2 are my go to choice for running earbuds.

Spatial audio performance is solid. With Dolby Atmos Music tracks via Apple Music, the soundstage has great width. Sounds behind the listening position aren’t as far back as they could be, but still impressive (the Atmos-enabled tracks on Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots is an excellent test for this). Since the Beats are part of the Apple family, they have head-tracking capability with Dolby Atmos tracks in Apple Music. It can be a fun trick to move around with head tracking turned on and hear where the sounds are placed in space, but I’m still not convinced that head tracking is all that useful beyond sound in an AR/VR environment.

A quick word about the Beats call quality. I had many conversations while walking the streets of New York in the days I was there for the Beats event, and the Beats’ effectiveness at blocking out traffic noise was impressive. Horn honks, construction, and conversation was suitably blocked out to the point where a few people had no idea I was walking down busy streets. (There was one moment while talking with Caleb Denison, that a woman spoke loudly directly next to me as I was quiet and the Beats algorithm picked up on her voice.)

The effectiveness at blocking all that sound out did mean that my voice in those instances would sound compressed to those I was talking to, but that’s to be expected to some extent.

Noise canceling and transparency

The H2 chip brought with it, at its release in the Airpods Pro 2, the best noise canceling and transparency mode available. In the two plus years since, the noise canceling performance has been outdone a bit by the Sony WF-1000XM5 and Bose Ultra Earbuds — although really, they’re all very close in performance, with each doing slightly better than others in different frequency bands. Apple’s transparency mode, though, has always been at the top of the list.

Since the Powerbeats Pro 2 use the same chip as the AirPods Pro 2, it’s worth comparing the two. Of course, there’s more to noise canceling performance than just a chip and the complex algorithms it processes, including the seal, and the combination of outward-facing and inward-facing feedback mics. Beats says the Powerbeats deliver the best noise canceling of any Beats product, and I agree with them. I wore them on my flight back from New York to Los Angeles, and they did a good job blocking out the cabin noise. I wouldn’t say they made me forget about it at any point, but it was lessened to a point where I wasn’t distracted by it at all.

But that’s where they fall short of the AirPods Pro 2. Apple’s AirPods are still towards the top of the pile in performance, even two years after release. The Beats aren’t quite at that level, particularly in the mid frequencies (such as the shush of an air conditioner).

It’s much the same when it comes to transparency mode. The Powerbeats performance is good, but not quite as natural as the AirPods Pro 2. While both sets of earbuds add some treble to the outside world when transparency is active (which does help with vocal clarity), there’s more coloration with the Beats than with Apple.

Using your ears’ heartbeat

The heart rate monitoring system within the Powerbeats Pro 2 drew upon the R&D put into the Apple Watch, with its implementation developed by Beats from the ground up. Each earbud has an LED sensor that pulses a green light 100 times per second through the skin, reflecting off of red blood cells, back to a photodiode. An optical lens helps separate the transmitted and reflected light, and an accelerometer compensates for any artifacts that result from the motion of any exercise to improve accuracy. There’s also a custom algorithm that takes the readings from each earbud, and analyzes them to create an accurate reading every five seconds.

With one of the supported third-party apps — at launch they include Nike Run Club, Runna, Ladder, Slopes, Open, Peloton, and YaoYao — heart rate tracking will start automatically, as long as your iOS Health permissions are set properly so the earbuds can communicate with the third-party app. I tried this with both Nike Run Club and Open (a meditation app) and it worked flawlessly. Heart rate information is displayed and updated every five seconds within the app. When your session is over, the heart rate tracker stops.

I tested the accuracy of the earbuds’ heart rate sensor against a Garmin Epix 2 during a run, and both displayed basically the same numbers, with occasional differences of only a few BPM (beats per minute). When comparing similar workouts between the Powerbeats Pro 2 and an Apple Watch Series 10, heart rate readings were also very similar. (When using both an Apple Watch and Powerbeats, the Apple device will default to using the Apple Watch for heart rate tracking, so true A/B testing wasn’t possible. Instead, the comparison was between the readings from the same Les Mills workout done on multiple days at the same relative intensity.)

The heart rate sensor works with Android, as well, but instead of the automatic start capability with the integrating iOS apps, you need to turn on the heart rate tracking with the earbuds on in the Beats Android app on your own before you start your workout.

Exceptional versatility

Beats is in a unique and advantageous situation that no other audio manufacturer is in, not even Apple. It has the ability for full integration in the Apple ecosystem, while still having strong integration with Android products. AirPods can of course be connected to an Android device — as can any Bluetooth earbuds or headphones — but they lose the ability for most of their controls. Sony does an excellent job working for both ecosystems with its Sound Connect app in both the Apple Store and the Google Play Store. Beats, though, still … ahem … beats it.

When used with an Apple device, the Powerbeats Pro 2 have easy one-touch pairing setup, audio sharing with other compatible Apple and Beats headphones and earbuds, Find My, head tracking with spatial audio, hands-free “Hey Siri” activation, and iCloud pairing. This last one I find particularly useful, as I can easily switch between music I’m listening to on my phone to my computer for a Teams meeting or Zoom call in seconds.

The features aren’t quite as extensive with Android devices. Through the Beats app, you still have one-touch pairing, Locate My Beats (which works just like Find My on Apple), easy adjustments to listening modes (ANC, Transparency, and Adaptive EQ), and the ability to enable heart rate monitoring.

Battery life and charging

One way Beats has usually outpaced its parent company is with battery life, and the Powerbeats Pro 2 follow suit. With 10 hours per charge with ANC off (up to 8 with ANC on), the battery life is above average. Adding in the case, the Pro 2 get up to 45 hours with ANC off and 36 hours total with ANC on. The case can be charged via its USB-C port or wirelessly with a compatible Qi charger. If for some reason you’ve forgotten to charge your case, a quick five minute charge will get you another hour and a half of playback.

Physical buttons, for the win

I’ve tried for years to like capacitive touch controls on earbuds, and sometimes a pair will come along that almost convinces me I like them. But they never respond with the consistency of physical buttons — and thankfully, that’s what the Powerbeats Pro 2 have.

The layout is similar to the original Powerbeats Pro, with up and down volume toggle on the top of both earbuds, and a button on the Beats ‘b’ that controls stop/start, track skip forwards/backwards, and noise control and Siri activation (assignable in settings), depending on the number of short presses or press and hold. Calls can also be controlled with the ‘b’ touch control to answer, mute/unmute, and end the call.

I’ll admit that physical controls can cause problems for some as well. If the buttons are too stiff, it can be uncomfortable to press them as it forces the earbud further into your ear. If the button isn’t stiff enough, you can accidentally activate them while putting or removing them from your ear, or sometimes just shifting them around. The Powerbeats Pro 2’s button is on the slightly stiff side — not as easy as the original Powerbeats, which was a benefit of those earbuds — but not overly uncomfortable, either.

Our take on the Beats Powerbeats Pro 2

I’ll be honest that I wasn’t feeling the need for an update to the Powerbeats Pro. It seemed like we had moved past the earhook trend and was instead looking forward to a Beats Fit Pro 2 release (and I still am). But the tease last fall intrigued me. I was a big fan of the Powerbeats Pro, and used them a lot for running, and even everyday use. But could Beats update them in a way that would work in 2025?

The answer is a resounding “yes.” The addition of a load of features missing from the original — noise canceling and transparency, personalized spatial audio, wireless charging, heart rate monitoring — and the improved battery life and design have made these an easy choice for workouts.

Will they supplant the AirPods as my daily driver? I’m not sure of that yet. The case might have been slimmed down, but it still fills a pocket more than most things on the market, and that might give me pause as I choose what to grab as I go out. The ANC and transparency on the AirPods is better, too, and with an identical price (although the now two-plus year old AirPods are constantly on sale), if that’s at the top of your priority list, the Beats are a harder sell.

For me, the comfort of the Powerbeats Pro 2, physical buttons, and heart rate feature make them an easy top-choice recommendation for working out. And they’re certainly worth a close look as an everyday pair, as well.