Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 review 2025

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What happens when you combine the fitness-tracking capabilities of an Apple Watch with the impressive sound quality of Beats headphones? You get the all-new Powerbeats Pro 2 earbuds – the latest release from Beats that’s designed for active lifestyles. 

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While both Beats and AirPods headphones fall under the Apple product umbrella, the Powerbeats Pro 2 earbuds stand out among their technological cousins. The earbuds come in four colours (Jet Black, Quick Sand, Hyper Purple and Electric Orange) and offer one huge difference when compared to other earbuds: optical in-ear sensors that monitor heart rate during workouts. 

I’ll be diving into all the details of the new tech, plus a full review of what you can expect should you choose to invest in a pair for yourself. 

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What: Beats Powerbeats Pro 2
Cost: $349.95
Where to buy: Apple | Amazon | Best Buy
Release date: Feb. 11, 2025

Summary of the Powerbeats Pro 2 earbuds

With a hooked design and heart rate monitoring capabilities, the new Powerbeats Pro 2 are geared towards athletes and uses innovative technology that integrates with your training schedule. 

The earbuds are sweat and water-resistant (IPX4 rating), are 20 per cent lighter than the previous generation of Powerbeats and offer up to 45 total hours of playback per charge. They also have an updated flexible ear hook and five ear tip sizes to find your perfect fit to stay in place during workouts. 

New and noteworthy: Heart rate monitoring, active noise cancelling, wireless charging

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Heart rate monitoring: The earbuds are equipped with the same technology that’s found in the Apple Watch, with in-ear LED optical sensors that pulse light over 100 times per second to measure your blood flow and heart rate. Currently, the Heart Rate Monitoring feature is only compatible with the following apps in Canada: Runna, Nike Run Club, Open, Ladder, Peloton, Slopes and YaoYao. Note that unless you’re using one of these apps, you won’t be able to access heart rate and workout data. 

Active noise cancelling: In an upgrade to the original Powerbeats Pro, the Pro 2 earbuds offer active noise cancelling. Users can toggle between Active Noise Cancellation and Transparency Modes by double-clicking the “b” button on either earbud. This option is great for blocking out distractions when you want to stay focused or letting in ambient noise to stay safe while running or cycling outdoors. 

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Wireless charging: Like all of Apple’s newer devices, the Powerbeats Pro 2 earbuds are Qi-enabled for wireless charging. I’m a fan of this all-in-one wireless charging station that can charge an iPhone, Apple Watch and headphones at once. 

Powerbeats Pro 2 review

While I wouldn’t consider myself an athlete, I’m a fairly active person who put these earbuds to the test while travelling and working out at home. The biggest draw for the Powerbeats Pro 2 is their hooked design, which feels very secure when in use. Once I managed to get the earbuds on they stayed in place through a range of different workouts, including yoga, walking, HIIT and weightlifting, as well as during plane rides. 

Favourite features: Compatibility with Apple devices, noise cancelling

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As an Apple user, these earbuds were simple to set up and use. When listening to music, just open up the case and the Powerbeats connect via Bluetooth. As for heart rate monitoring, I paired these earbuds with the Peloton app and followed along as usual, with the bonus of heart rate data appearing on screen throughout my workouts. 

I appreciate the noise-cancelling ability of these earbuds. It’s not as powerful as my pair of Beats Studio Pro headphones, but still a step up from AirPods (only AirPods Pro models offer noise cancelling). Ensuring that you get a good seal on your earbuds with the right size ear tip will also help with the noise-cancelling performance, so be sure to play around with the five different sizes (extra small to extra large) for the best results. 

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Least favourite features: Size and fit

I wear glasses almost daily and found that wearing the Powerbeats wasn’t the smoothest experience. Navigating the ear hooks over the arms of my glasses could take a couple of tries to get into place, and once on I didn’t find them to be the most comfortable. Since the size of the hooks is slightly too large for my ears, it made for an awkward fit.

Despite being billed as flexible, I also found the ear hooks were fairly rigid and didn’t sit well against my head. I’d recommend trying these on in-store before buying or opting for an online order with a generous return policy – just in case you aren’t a fan and want to return or exchange the Powerbeats Pro 2 for a different pair of headphones. 

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The size of the case is also worth noting. While still smaller than the previous version, the Powerbeats Pro 2 case is significantly larger than my AirPods case, making it a bit bulky to carry around. 

Overall recommendation: Who should consider the Powerbeats Pro 2

The Powerbeats Pro 2 are a solid pair of earbuds that hold up to their claim of being lightweight and secure during workouts. They’re a definite upgrade over the previous iteration of Powerbeats, with the advanced tech to prove it. 

For the average person who isn’t constantly on the move or at the gym, the Powerbeats Pro 2 may be a little overkill for everyday headphone use. I prefer the comfort of AirPods and the ease of an Apple Watch for tracking workouts, but these earbuds are a good option if you run or cycle often (or other similar high-impact workouts) and find yourself constantly fiddling with in-ear earbuds. 

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What: Beats Powerbeats Pro 2
Cost: $349.95
Where to buy: Apple | Amazon | Best Buy
Release date: Feb. 11, 2025

Powerbeats Pro 2 specs

Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.3
Size and weight: Earbuds – 45 x 41 x 24 mm, 8.7g per earbud; Case – 75 x 66 x 34 mm, 69g
Audio: Beats custom-designed, dual-element dynamic diaphragm transducer, Active Noise Cancellation (adaptive), Transparency Mode, Adaptive EQ, Personalized Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking
Voice: 6 microphones total – Dedicated voice microphone on each earbud, feed-forward and feedback microphones on each earbud (utilized for both ANC/Transparency, Adaptive EQ, and voice uplink), Voice accelerometer isolates user’s voice to help eliminate environmental noise
Battery: 10 hours without ANC, 8 hours with ANC, 36 additional hours with case
Charging: USB-C charging port, Wireless charging
Sensors: Optical sensors (in-ear detect), optical sensors (heart rate monitoring), accelerometer, gyroscope
Controls: “B” button – answer calls, pause, play and skip songs, switch between audio modes;  volume rockers on each earbud
Colours: Jet Black, Quick Sand, Hyper Purple and Electric Orange

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kmendonca@postmedia.com

instagram.com/kate.mendonca

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