5 reasons the Powerbeats Pro 2 should be your next earbuds

Summary

The Powerbeats Pro 2 offer Active Noise Cancellation and a 45-hour battery life.
The new design includes a lighter frame and five swappable ear tips for the perfect fit.
Heart rate monitoring, stable battery life, and vibrant color options are also available.

After six long years, Beats is finally releasing a successor to its athletic-focused Powerbeats Pro earbuds. The PowerBeats Pro 2 offer an assortment of upgrades and improvements, making the wait worthwhile for many users. They’re aimed at those who frequent the gym, go out for runs, or generally have an active lifestyle. However, don’t let the focus on an athletic design deter you away from its robust offerings — all users can likely garner something from the Powerbeats Pro 2. This is something that dawned on me quickly during my two weeks of hands-on time with Powerbeats Pro 2.

2024 was already a standout year for Beats. The company launched the Beats Pill speaker, new Beats Studio Pro headset colors, and the Solo 4. Returning to the well for PowerBeats Pro 2, it’s great to see the company bring new innovations to some of its most popular earbuds.

Powerbeats Pro 2

Beats’ Powerbeats Pro 2 are the latest athletic earbuds from the Apple-owned company. Featuring Active Noise Cancellation (ANC), Transparency mode, Adaptive EQ, and wireless charging, Powerbeats Pro 2 are 22% lighter and offer a 45-hour battery life.

Battery Life: 45 hours
Charging Case Included?: Yes
Microphones: 6
Brand: Beats
Bluetooth: Bluetooth 5.3
Price: $250
IP Rating: IPX4
Charging type: USB-C
Colors: Jet Black, Quick Sand, Hyper Purple, and Electric Orange
Compatibility: iOS, Android
Noise Cancellation: Yes

1 The more comfortable design is everything to me

The Powerbeats Pro 2 refresh the look of Beats’ athletic earbuds

Powerbeats Pro 2 in purple on their case.

I’ve never been a fan of earbuds with an over-the-ear hook design. Getting them on is usually annoying, and once I wear them, I’ve found they’re never quite comfortable for longer than an hour. Beats has refined this design with the Powerbeats Pro 2 by using nickel-titanium alloy wiring for the ear hooks.

The result is an ear hook that’s 50 percent smaller yet still offers stability when running. As someone who wears glasses and hats, I’ve been able to continuously wear Powerbeats Pro 2 for hours without uncomfortable pressure on my ears. Beats redesigned the acoustic architecture of the Powerbeats Pro 2, which also extended to the ergonomics and overall shape. While still including everything from microphones to heart rate sensors and acoustics, Beats also made the buds 20 percent lighter.

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2 The Powerbeats Pro 2 ships with five swappable ear tips

One of the most difficult things to deal with regarding earbuds is their snug fit — ear tip sizes often don’t feel right when sitting in my ear. Thankfully, Beats ships every Powerbeats Pro 2 pair with five swappable silicon ear tips. With an emphasis on maintaining a solid acoustic seal for audio, Beats wants every user to have options for their perfect fit.

With the increased emphasis on tailored sizes, I’ve found that the pair of small ear tips are comfortable.

The Powerbeats Pro 2 ships with extra-small, small, medium, large, and extra-large ear tips, and I’ve personally found that the small ear tips are the most comfortable for me. With the increased emphasis on tailored sizes, the small ear tips are comfortable and provide a good seal within my ear.

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3 Adopting the Apple Watch’s heart rate monitor

The Powerbeats Pro 2 support a wide assortment of fitness apps

Beats says it worked closely with Apple Watch engineers to build its sensors into the Powerbeats Pro 2. The company has also developed a custom algorithm to read the data taken from each respective earbud. Over 100 pulses are taken each second by emitting green LED lighting into the skin, hitting red blood cells. This data is then read, providing heart rate measurements every five seconds.

While I don’t see Powerbeats Pro 2’s use of heart rate monitoring as a replacement for my Apple Watch Series 10, I like that the new feature works with several apps on day one. The Powerbeats Pro 2’s heart rate monitoring is supported across iOS apps like Nike Run Club, Peloton, Slopes, YaoYao, Runna, Open, Ladder.

It’ll also archive your heart rate data within the Health app.

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4 THe Powerbeats Pro 2 offer stable battery life that lasts a full day

You’ll be hard-pressed to run out of battery

To accommodate gym sessions, commutes, and afternoons cleaning the house, the Powerbeats Pro 2 feature an upgraded battery powered by Apple’s H2 processor. The Powerbeats Pro 2 offer 10 continuous hours of playback from each earbud for music, podcasts, or other audio bits. Even after the 10 hours of built-in battery life has been exceeded, you can get up to 45 hours from the wireless charging case in Adaptive EQ mode.

The Powerbeats Pro 2’s case is Qi-compatible and offers USB-C charging, too.

This is a substantial improvement from the first Powerbeats Pro. The earbuds’ predecessor offered a respectable nine hours of playback per earbud. However, the battery provided by the charging case pales in comparison with a meager 24 hours of combined playback. Even if you take advantage of ANC or Transparency mode on Powerbeats Pro 2, you’ll still receive eight hours of playback and up to 36 total hours. It’s worth pointing out that Powerbeats Pro 2’s case is Qi-compatible and offers USB-C charging, too.

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5 The Powerbeats Pro 2 have a variety of eye-catching color options

If a flashy and loud colorway is your vibe, Beats has just what you need

Powerbeats Pro 2 in four different color options.

At launch, Powerbeats Pro 2 are available in four colors: jet black, quick sand, hyper purple, and electric orange. While the jet black and quicksand options are a bit more traditional, the latter two are very loud and stand out among many other counterparts on the market. If you want to add extra pop to your outfit or routine style, hyper purple and electric orange could be up your alley.

I’ve been using the Hyper Purple model for the past two weeks. It’s a little more subtle than the electric orange. However, I feel as though it’s unique to the eye. I think Beats’ muted colorways alongside punchy options give users the best of both worlds. That said, I wish there was a blue or navy colorway.