Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 Finally Adds Heart Rate for $249

Apple's Beats division just dropped what might be their most ambitious earbuds yet – the Powerbeats Pro 2. After nearly six years since the original hit the market, Beats has officially unveiled a successor that's not just about pumping out bass-heavy beats. These earbuds can literally read your pulse while you're crushing your workout playlist. At $249.99, they're positioning themselves as the ultimate fitness companion for Apple ecosystem users who demand more than just great audio.

What makes these earbuds actually smart for workouts?

Let's break down the tech that sets these apart from your typical workout buds. The standout feature is definitely the heart rate monitoring – LED optical sensors pulse more than a hundred times per second to track blood flow and measure your heart rate during workouts. When both earbuds are in your ears and heart rate monitoring is active, those sensors get to work through a new transparent section below the silicone tip that shines a light to scan for blood vessels.

This isn't just a gimmick either; the data syncs with Apple Health and works with popular fitness apps like Nike Run Club, Peloton, and Runna. Plus, you can even connect them to gym equipment like treadmills for at-a-glance heart rate viewing. Here's what's clever about the integration: if you're wearing both an Apple Watch and the Powerbeats Pro 2, apps and Apple Health will default to using data from the Apple Watch – smart thinking there, since the watch is generally going to be more accurate for heart rate anyway.

The design has gotten a serious upgrade too. The earhook has been reinforced with a nickel titanium alloy for increased flexibility while making the buds 20% lighter than their predecessors. The ear hooks have shrunk by half while actually increasing stability thanks to this premium material choice and refined shape. Speaking of staying put – these come with five different silicone ear tip sizes to help you nail that perfect fit.

The controls are thoughtfully designed for sweaty hands and intense workouts. Each earbud features a tactile volume rocker along with the signature Beats button, making it easy to adjust volume or skip tracks without fumbling around. The optical sensor pulls double duty too – it's used to automatically play and pause music when you remove the earbuds from your ear.

How do they stack up against the AirPods Pro 2?

Here's where things get interesting. Both earbuds share the same H2 chip and many premium features, but they serve completely different purposes. The Powerbeats Pro 2 delivers up to 10 hours of listening time on a single charge with an additional 35 hours from the case – nearly double what you get from most AirPods models. That's a total of 45 hours, which is pretty impressive for workout-focused buds.

The H2 chip brings significant advantages over the H1 chip used in the original Powerbeats Pro, enabling all the Apple ecosystem features that make these seamless to use: one-touch pairing, automatic switching between Apple devices, Audio Sharing, hands-free Siri, and Find My functionality. Features like Adaptive EQ, Personalized Spatial Audio with head tracking, Lossless Audio, and deep integration with iOS are included. Plus, Powerbeats Pro 2 are the first Beats product to support Lossless Audio with ultra-low latency, optimized for Vision Pro with the H2 chips in both devices working together.

The noise cancellation game is surprisingly strong too. Testing shows the Powerbeats Pro 2 reduces external noise by an average of 83%, which matches the AirPods Pro 2's performance. But here's the kicker – the sound quality is better with ANC enabled than disabled. The transparency mode is particularly impressive, making it sound nearly identical to not wearing earbuds at all, which is perfect for outdoor runs where you need situational awareness.

In terms of practical trade-offs, the Powerbeats Pro 2 case is significantly larger than the AirPods Pro 2 case – roughly twice the size of two AirPods 4 cases combined. The AirPods Pro 2 case is definitely more pocket-friendly. But that larger case pays dividends in battery life and finally brings wireless charging to the Beats lineup.

Are they worth it for serious athletes?

Bottom line: if you're serious about fitness tracking and live in Apple's ecosystem, these could be game-changers. But let's be honest about the limitations too. The heart rate monitoring capability only comes into play once you start a workout, and the accuracy has been hit-or-miss according to early testing. At launch, the HR monitoring only works with seven apps on iOS: Open, Peloton, Runna, Slopes, Ladder, Nike Run Club, and YaoYao. That's a decent start, but if your go-to fitness app isn't on that list, you'll be waiting for updates.

But let's talk about what works brilliantly. The fit is absolutely rock-solid – an attempt to throw them off by head thrashing to 'Bohemian Rhapsody' resulted in no movement at all. That's the kind of confidence you need when you're in the middle of a brutal HIIT session or sprinting up hills.

The charging situation has finally been resolved. The redesigned charging case is 33% smaller than its predecessor and is also the first ever from Beats to support wireless Qi charging in addition to USB-C – a feature that took way too long to arrive but makes a real difference for users who've integrated wireless charging into their daily routines. Fast Fuel charging provides 90 minutes of playback from a five-minute charge, so you're never stuck with dead buds.

The durability factor is solid too. Both the earbuds carry an IPX4 water resistance rating, meaning they can handle sweat and light splashes but shouldn't be submerged in water. They're built for real workouts, not just casual listening.

PRO TIP: The addition of ANC makes the Powerbeats Pro 2 better outside workouts than the originals, and the transparency mode is useful during outdoor runs. You get situational awareness without sacrificing audio quality – perfect for those early morning runs when you need to stay alert.

Where do we go from here?

The Powerbeats Pro 2 feel like Beats finally understanding their lane perfectly. They're not trying to be everyday earbuds for everyone – they're laser-focused on being the best workout companion for Apple users. Available in four colors: Jet Black, Quick Sand, Hyper Purple, and Electric Orange, they've got style options to match your gym aesthetic too.

The sound quality deserves special mention here. The Powerbeats Pro 2 feature a redesigned acoustic architecture with a custom-designed dual-layer transducer, building on the energetic sound profile that made the originals so popular for workouts. The Powerbeats Pro 2 have an energetic sound profile with amplified bass and treble that works well for workout motivation, while still delivering the clarity you need for podcast listening between sets.

Sure, the heart rate monitoring has some growing pains, and Android users don't get the full feature set. On iOS, tracking starts automatically in supported apps; Android users need to activate it manually. The Apple ecosystem integration is clearly where these shine brightest.

But for iOS users who want earbuds that can keep up with intense workouts while delivering premium audio features, these represent a solid evolution. Oliver Schusser, Apple's vice president of Music, Sports, and Beats, called Powerbeats Pro 2 the most impressive product in Beats' history – and after six years of waiting, that's exactly the kind of confidence we want to see backing a product like this.

The key takeaway is that these aren't just iterative improvements. The heart rate monitoring, while still developing, represents Apple's first foray into non-watch biometric tracking in their audio lineup. Combined with the dramatic battery life improvements, wireless charging case, and refined fit, the Powerbeats Pro 2 point toward a future where your earbuds become genuine fitness companions rather than simple audio devices.

At $249.99, they're positioned right where the original launched, but with significantly more tech packed in. For serious fitness enthusiasts who live in Apple's ecosystem, the Powerbeats Pro 2 represent the evolution of workout earbuds from audio accessories to training partners. The question isn't whether they're good – it's whether you're ready to make your earbuds part of your training data.