Hooked on to fitness? The Powerbeats Pro 2 is here to match your energy. These sporty earbuds have a thing for workouts — tracking tunes while keeping your pulse pumping. With a snug fit, robust battery life and Apple’s H2 chip under the hood, they promise a sweat-proof, bass-boosted experience. But are these truly music to the ears or just another fitness-focused flex? Let’s find out.
Design
The Powerbeats Pro 2 come enclosed in a case that’s bigger than most earbud cases — almost the size of my palm. The accessory is available in four colours — Jet Black, Quick Sand, Hyper Purple and Electric Orange, and I’ve got the bright orange variant for review.
Out of the box, the headphones look much bigger than anticipated. As someone whose first preference isn’t the hook-type earphones, it took me some time to get used to this set. I realise that a smaller eartip feels more comfortable, and thankfully there were four extra sizes available to swap from.
The earhook has a soft but sturdy grip as I get started with my warmup for the day — hinges, pulse squats, hamstring stretch and hip flexor stretches. So far so good.
The brand says that the product is build to handle training in rain, snow and heat but in Chennai during March, there’s only heat and I’m not willing to be a prey to that. Nevertheless, the earbuds are sweat and water resistant, with an IPX4 rating.
Acoustics
I used the Powerbeats Pro 2 with both an iPhone and a Google Pixel 9 Pro — pairing with the former was a bit easier and seamless. On the Android smartphone, I had issues with software updates through the app, despite following the instructions. On the iPhone, it doesn’t need an app and pairs and works seamlessly. I hit Spotify with my customised ‘Energetic Workout’ mix. Compared to the Apple Airpods Pro (Second generation), which are my go-to, the sound on these doesn’t feel as immersive overall.
What was impressive though was the noise cancellation. I couldn’t hear someone calling me about a foot away when I had these earphones on. I could long-press the beats logo on either earbud to toggle through transparency mode or active noise cancellation. A quick press would pause and play tracks that I was streaming or end a voice call I was on. I could also customise the long-press function on the Beats app to trigger the voice assistant instead of noise controls. The only drawback with on-bud controls is that it requires a hard press, and each time I do it, the device pushes against my ears uncomfortably. The stem of each earbud also has a volume rocker which, while handy, causes the same discomfort when used.
Automatic ear detection was snappy on the device. A second or so after I’d take off one earbud, the music would pause.
The earbuds also feature Personalised Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking. I haven’t really been a fan of spatial audio on most devices, even the high-end ones, as they do tend to dilute the impact of the audio.
Special features
One of the standout features of the Powerbeats Pro 2 is its ability to track the user’s heart rate. The sensors are flush with the earbuds construct and do not protrude at all. Using the ‘Heart Accessing’ feature to check my heart rate, though, wasn’t as simple as I thought it would be. On the Android smartphone, I wasn’t able to track this. On the iPhone, I could track this only via third-party apps such as Nike Run Club or Slopes.
I used the earbuds during product briefings as well, and each earbud is equipped with three microphones. The company says there’s ‘Voice Isolation’ working to reduce background noise, which isolates the user’s voice for clarity during calls.
Battery
Powered by the Apple-designed H2 chip, the Powerbeats Pro 2 delivers up to 45 hours of battery life with the charging case, with each bud delivering up to 10 hours of playback per charge. A quick 5-minute charge can deliver up to 90 minutes of playback.
Verdict
The Powerbeats Pro 2 is a feature-packed workout companion with an ultra-secure fit, heart rate tracking and impressive noise cancellation. However, the audio quality falls short of being truly immersive, and the chunky case isn’t the most compact in the market. If you’re after fitness-first earbuds with Apple’s magic touch, they’re worth a look — just don’t expect them to outshine your favourite audiophile picks.
Snapshot
Pros: Secure fit, heart-rate tracking, effective noise cancellation, decent battery life
Cons: Not the most robust sound quality, bulky case, can get uncomfortable while using on-ear buttons