Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 retains the over-ear hook that made the original a gym staple. The buds now include a heart rate sensor, so you can track your workout without wearing a watch. The H2 chip handles both Active Noise Cancellation and Transparency mode, neither of which was present on the first generation. The battery in each bud lasts about 10 hours, and the case adds 35 more, for about 45 hours total. The redesigned ear hooks are also roughly 20 percent smaller and lighter than previous versions.
Workout earbuds with ear hooks, noise cancellation, and heart rate sensors
People who already own other earbuds keep buying these because of the over-the-ear wrap design. That design wraps around your ear and keeps the bud in place through sprints and burpees, where many standard earbuds would fall out from the motion. The ear hooks are made from flexible nickel-titanium wire. So, they conform to each user’s ear shape instead of forcing a single shape onto every head. Tht means losing a bud mid-workout stops being a concern.
A new feature that changes what these are used for is heart rate monitoring. Each bud has an optical sensor that monitors your heart rate during exercise and sends the data directly to the Apple Health app or to a third-party fitness app if you prefer. You can record a run accurately without any additional accessories strapped to your body. Data collected from both ears is then averaged to create a more accurate reading than collecting data from just one location.
This generation introduced active noise cancellation, along with Transparency mode. With a single press of either mode, you can block gym noise or hear traffic on a run. Unlike some products that apply one fixed level of noise cancellation as soon as it’s turned on, the H2 chip adjusts cancellation levels dynamically as needed. Both modes work on Android and iPhone devices.
Ten hours of battery life per earbud is plenty for most people’s entire workout weeks. When your buds run low, connect the charging case via USB-C or wirelessly with any Qi-compatible charging pad to add another 35 hours of playback. Plus, if you’re in a hurry, a five-minute charge will get you about an hour and a half of listening.
IPX4-rated sweat and water resistance can handle what a typical gym experience does to earbuds over a year. Sweat typically kills most workout headphones, seeping into seams long before anything else fails. It’s much more valuable to look for a rating built around sweat than one based on exposure to a rainstorm you may never encounter.
