Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 Review: ANC Is Not The Only Upgrade

There's a challenge, when you're updating a beloved product: do you broaden its appeal to find new buyers, or instead double-down on what made it first popular? There's no denying that Beats has taken the second approach with the new Powerbeats Pro 2, keeping the fitness-focused in mind for these new $249.99 earbuds.

Compared to their predecessors, the Powerbeats Pro 2 are smaller, lighter, and last longer. They now include Active Noise Cancellation, heart-rate sensors, and more ear tip options to ensure a better fit. Even the case has been revamped: it, too, is smaller, despite also now supporting wireless charging for the first time on a Beats product.

Still, Beats knows better than to upset its Powerbeats zealots. The ear hook is still present and correct, though now softer and bendier than ever before. Battery life hasn't been compromised, just to make a smaller product, and there are simple, physical buttons for the volume, rather than demanding swipes or voice commands while you're focusing on working out.

Compared to the Powerbeats Pro charging case, this new version is apparently a third smaller. That's a welcome improvement, though given just how chunky the old case was, it's not the night-and-day change you might expect. The new version is 75 x 66 x 34 mm and 69 grams: light, then, but still a very noticeable addition to a pants pocket.

There's a good reason for it, mind: up to 45 hours of total playback, albeit with active noise cancellation turned off. In that case, each earbud should last for up to 10 hours, Beats says, with the case's battery contributing a further 35 hours. With ANC on, there's up to eight hours from the earbuds and 28 hours from the case, for a still-respectable total of 36 hours.

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Dropped back into the case, a five minute charge is good for up to 90 minutes of music playback (with ANC off). Beats switches to USB-C to charge the Powerbeats Pro 2's case itself — the first-gen used Lightning — but there's also wireless charging support, too. A full charge takes two hours.

You can think of Beats' earbuds as on a sliding scale of size against stability. Solo Buds and Studio Buds+ are small, certainly, but they rely on the tight fit of the silicone tip to keep them squeezed into your ear canal. Then there's Beats Fit Pro, which add a flexible wingtip that nestles into the contours of your ear.

As a person with obstinate ears, who struggles to get traditional earbuds to stay in place (at least, if I want them to be comfortable, too), Beats Fit Pro have been my go-to since they launched in 2021. They grip snugly enough to stay in place, even if I shake my head during a particularly enthusiastic conference call. However, Powerbeats Pro 2 are another level.

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The new ear hook has a highly flexible nickel titanium alloy wire wrapped in silicone. Beats says it's more than 50% smaller than the old version, but what I found more noticeable was the smoother contours of the upper arch and the very tip. They rubbed my ear less, even as the Powerbeats Pro 2 held up to my jumping, head-shaking, and generally dancing around like I was covered in fire ants.

That said, as with all ear hook designs, those of us who wear eyeglasses may find they the two don't always coexist perfectly. Depending on the angle, I could occasionally hear rubbing noises where the arms of the glasses came into contact with the Beats.

Despite the improved hook, with active noise cancelation now onboard the ear canal fit still can't be secondary. Beats includes five ear tip sizes, now — one up from before — and there's the in-ear fit test familiar to AirPods users from their iPhone (and available for Android users in the free Beats app).

Inside, there's a slightly larger driver than in other recent Beats launches, along with a high-output amp and a new internal venting path: that promises to improve bass, cut distortion and uncomfortable pressure imbalances, and also makes it harder for liquids to get in. There's IPX4 sweat and water resistance, like before, though don't think about going swimming.

To my ears, I couldn't notice a huge difference in audio quality compared to the Beats Fit Pro. Powerbeats Pro 2 seem to run a little louder, at the top end — that new amplifier probably showing its hand — and there's perhaps a little extra low-end in particularly bass-heavy tracks. Altogether, though, the sound profile is balanced and suits a wide range of musical styles.

There are auto-pause sensors in both earbuds, and a new set of microphones and algorithms for voice call processing. Here, the Powerbeats Pro 2 did sound better to those on the other end of my calls, compared to cheaper earbuds in the company's line-up. If you're using them with an Apple device, you can turn on Voice Isolation, too, which uses on-device processing to better oust background noises.

With the new Apple H2 chipset inside — replacing the H1 of the old Powerbeats Pro — there's now the same active noise cancellation tech as we've seen in recent AirPods Pro launches (though not the ability to use the Beats as hearing aids). Powerbeats Pro 2 can do their level best to isolate you from the world, or allow through a little ambient sound in Transparency mode. When both are switched off, Adaptive EQ massages the low and mid frequencies in real-time, using the inward-facing microphone in each bud.

Beats isn't just using Apple's algorithms for its Powerbeats Pro 2 ANC, but its own custom set. The overall performance seemed much in-line with that of AirPods Pro, nonetheless, with full noise cancellation definitely dependent on matching the right ear tip to your ear (it's worth noting that the ear fit test said two sizes were right-sized for me, but I definitely noticed one sealing better than the other). Transparency mode proved particularly impressive, sounding natural and immediate.

Alongside ANC, the big new feature addition here is heart rate monitoring for workouts. It's an earbuds first for Beats (and for Apple), though not for the earbuds segment generally. Each earbud has a sensor, borrowing even-more-miniaturized technology from the Apple Watch, and with power demands so frugal, Beats says it should have a negligible impact on overall battery life.

For iPhone users, Apple has a list of third-party fitness apps that the new tech will work with. That includes Nike Run Club, Peloton, Ladder, Runna, Open, Slopes, and YaoYao: starting a workout in any of those apps will automatically switch on heart rate tracking, and then end it once the workout is finished. Or, you can double-tap-and-hold the Beats button on the earbud to manually start a tracking session, with the data saved to the Apple Health app.

For those with an Android device, Powerbeats Pro 2's tracking should work with any app that supports a Bluetooth heart rate monitor. That lacks the auto-start feature, however: tracking will need to be turned on, either in the Beats app or via the multifunction button. Tracking should auto-end, though, once the workout does.

Usually, I rely on an Apple Watch to measure heart rate while I exercise. Beats made the decision to default to the Apple Watch's sensors, if someone is wearing both products, so as to preserve a more familiar user-experience. There's no way to override that. 

If you use gym equipment which supports Bluetooth heart rate tracking — which includes Peloton hardware, like its Bike or Tread — Powerbeats Pro 2 pairs just like a generic chest strap monitor or similar. A second Bluetooth pairing handles wireless audio. You don't get auto-start tracking; on my Peloton Bike, I used the double-tap-and-hold gesture to start heart rate monitoring. Then the earbuds showed up as a heart rate sensor in the Peloton's settings UI, showing metrics in the ride.

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Compared to the heart rate sensor on the Apple Watch, and Peloton's own armband sensor, the readout on the Bike's screen matched almost perfectly from the Beats' sensors.

"Built for athletes," Beats says of the Powerbeats Pro 2, and it's hard not to conclude that also means they're potentially overkill for the rest of us. If you demand the most resilient fit, impressively-lengthy battery life, and refuse to sacrifice on features along with it, these $249.99 earbuds earn their spot at the top of Beats' range.

There are compromises to go with that, though. The Beats Fit Pro charging case already felt on the large side, compared to Apple's AirPods case; though smaller than before, the case needed to accommodate Powerbeats Pro 2 is still a whopper, relatively speaking. Then there's how the ear hooks might rub with certain styles of eyeglasses. For extended wear, outside of doing energetic movements, Beats Fit Pro were easier to ignore in my ears.

I'm no pro-athlete, and I'm already an Apple Watch wearer. The latter takes care of any heart rate tracking I might need, while the Beats Fit Pro capably handle music (even if I'm left envying the Powerbeats Pro 2's voice call performance). There's no denying that Beats has made the superlative earbuds for serious fitness enthusiasts: just make sure you're being honest with yourself as to whether you actually count among that number.