I’ve complained about Beats putting out earbuds that don’t have some of the iOS-supported features before, but the folks at Beats have just shut me up with their release of the new Powerbeats Pro 2. First launched in 2019, Beats hasn’t updated the Powerbeats Pro line in almost six years. With the H2 chip on board this time, there’s no shortage of iOS connectivity and features.

The new Powerbeats Pro 2 are the best pair of premium fitness-focused iOS-supported earbuds on the market right now. As a first for Apple and Beats, they’ve not only improved every aspect of the previous generation of Powerbeats, they’ve also included heart rate monitors in the earbuds themselves that aren’t just a gimmick.

Okay, other earbuds have gone there, technically, but let’s face it, there’s a reason you don’t see most of them around. Their accuracy leaves a lot to be desired. That all changes, now — I’ve got a lot to talk about and little space to do it, so let’s get to it.

Price, availability, and specs

The Powerbeats Pro 2 are available directly from Apple’s website today and will be on shelves in Apple stores on February 13 for $250. Thanks to the Beats app, they’ll work with both iPhones and Android devices, though some features like Personalized Spatial Audio are iOS only.

The Powerbeats Pro 2 are IPX4 rated for water resistance, and have nickel titanium alloy wiring inside their ear hooks to further increase durability. The ear hooks are 50% smaller than last gen, and the case is 33% smaller, though compared to AirPods cases, the Powerbeats Pro 2 case is still rather large.

Not only were the features upgraded, as well as some new custom acoustic architecture. You’ll get Bluetooth 5.3 inside and Apple’s H2 chip, making the Pro 2 the first Beats product to provide ultra-low latency Lossless Audio for Apple’s Vision Pro.

The stars of the show are the heart rate monitoring components in each earbud that pulse light 100x per second and a custom algorithm that takes data from those readings to create accurate heart measurements every five seconds.

What I liked about the Powerbeats Pro 2

Incredible HRM accuracy & significant 2nd gen improvements

Let’s begin with the star of the show, the heart rate monitoring. The Powerbeats Pro 2’s features are accessible natively in iOS, and on the earbuds themselves. On either earbud, tap twice and hold to turn on the HRM. Many of the competing earbuds with HRMs that have come before the Pro 2’s have had their HRM hardware in only one earbud, but that and building off the lessons learned with the Apple Watch, Beats has a winner for accuracy.

I used the Powerbeats Pro 2 during cardio and weightlifting workouts while also wearing what many consider the Gold Standard in heart rate monitoring, the Polar H10 chest strap. The Powerbeats were beat-for-beat in lockstep with the Polar H10, occasionally being a fraction of a second behind, updating the real-time measurement. Having used my Apple Watch for years now, I think the Powerbeats Pro 2 may be slightly better — though I’ll have to see over time.

I tested the HRM in the earbuds connected to the mindfulness app, Open, as well as Nike Run Club. I also tested out connectivity on Android with the Polar Flow and Strava apps. With Android, you have to manually connect to apps that support third-party HRM, but as Apple does, things just work. Once Open or Nike Run Club are properly configured to Apple Health, heart rate monitoring begins automatically and ends automatically when you end your workout.

Thanks to the new ear hooks and ergonomics, I’ve found them quite comfortable for hour-long runs or lifting sessions.

Not only do they feel good, but they sound great. Testing them with iOS and Android, I have to admit the sonic experience is slightly better on iOS. I think that’s due to the inclusion of the H2 chip, which gives you access to personalized spatial audio in the Powerbeats Pro 2.

I listened to my two test movies and was delighted by the virtual surround the Powerbeats Pro 2 reproduced. During the Taiko drum festival fight scene in episode two of Blue Eye Samurai, the drums were delightfully punchy and resonant. At the same time, the clang of the swords and the marvelous sound design were utterly immersive without being fatiguing. Thor Ragnarok has solid spatial audio, and the beginning exchange between Thor and Surtur, where he drags his sword behind him, has all the panning and spatial elements you could want.

Power output from the upgraded amplifier and digital signal processing handled by the H2 was very good, never requiring me to crank the volume above 70% of its max. Listening to “Sikiliza Kwa Wahenga” from the Get Out OST, the Powerbeats Pro 2 presents a solid soundstage, though it isn’t as airy as some of the competition at this price point. Still, the vocals are haunting and nuanced.

I went through my playlist of vocal-heavy songs, deep bass and sub-bass, as well as my favorite Jazz cuts, and the Powerbeats Pro 2 handled everything with aplomb. They’re tuned a bit warm, but the balance is worth noting because the highs are clear and vocal mids are pronounced without feeling stilted.

Battery life is on target with Beats’ claims. Though I haven’t worn the earbuds down yet in real-world use, an hour and 15 minutes of use with ANC and the HRM active drained only 12% of the battery. At that rate, it would take a little over eight hours to drain the battery. I left the earbuds to play with ANC off and got over 10 hours out of the Adaptive EQ mode. ANC hushed 80 decibels of airplane cabin noise, though some highs bled through and at the gym, the earbuds almost completely silenced the PA music and clanging of equipment.

The Airpods Pro 2 have stronger ANC, but Powerbeats hangs with them for audio quality, and they don’t have heart rate monitors in them.

If you’re an Apple Vision Pro user, rejoice — the H2 chip allows you to use the Powerbeats Pro 2 to deliver Lossless Audio with what Beats says is “ultra-low latency.”

What I didn’t like about the Powerbeats Pro 2

iOS third-party HRM support needs to grow a bit more

The heart rate monitoring experience on Android is exceptional. Any third-party app, and even some smartwatches, immediately see the earbuds and connect to their HRM. iOS is a different story. In all fairness, Android’s two main watches, the Galaxy Watch 7 and Pixel Watch 3, don’t connect to chest straps, but the Apple Watch Series 10 does support that, yet doesn’t recognize the Powerbeats Pro 2 at this time.

At launch, the only iOS apps that can take advantage of the HRM are Nike Run Club, Runna, Ladder, Slopes, Open, Peloton, and jump rope app YaoYao. I’ve put some solid time into Nike Run Club and Open, and the Powerbeats Pro 2 experience with both is smooth and enjoyable.

Call quality is solid indoors and in your car, but in the streets with all the traffic noise, your voice can get a bit muddy as the noise-cancelling tech eliminates background noise.

Should you buy the Powerbeats Pro 2?

Yes, for the sound quality, but not just yet for the HRM

In the week that I’ve lived with Beats’ new Powerbeats Pro 2, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my workouts and recreational listening. On Android, recommending them is still a “no-brainer,” but a bit more nuanced on iOS.

If you’re an iPhone owner and in the market for a new pair of earbuds that are focused on fitness, get these. If you already have a pair you love and were considering switching to these for the heart rate monitors, unless the apps I mentioned earlier are your go-to fitness apps, you may want to wait until there’s more support for the Powerbeats Pro 2 heart rate monitoring. As it is, just one fix will open up the ecosystem: support from WatchOS.