Beats has announced the Powerbeats Pro 2, the latest generation flagship model in the company’s Powerbeats series of wireless earbuds targeted towards fitness enthusiasts. The new model features a new design and a completely overhauled set of features.
Starting with the design, the Powerbeats Pro 2 now has a sleeker, sportier look with a rubberized body and a new nickel titanium alloy frame for the earhook. The earbuds are 20% lighter than the previous generation model, and Beats claims it’s their best fitting headphones, ever. Even the charging case is 33% smaller than before and features Qi wireless charging. The earbuds are also IPX4 sweat and water resistant.
A brand new feature for this year is the integrated heart rate monitoring. Each earbud features an optical sensor and together they can measure the blood flow in real-time. The earbuds can interface with a variety of fitness apps using available APIs and also integrate with Apple’s own Health app.
The Powerbeats Pro 2 feature updated acoustics with a new custom-designed, dual-layer transducer and an upgraded amplifier. The transducers are axially aligned with the acoustic nozzle for the most direct sound delivery and a new acoustically transparent mesh provides greater protection without affecting the audio.
The Powerbeats Pro 2 use Apple’s latest H2 SoC, which is also found on Apple’s AirPods Pro 2, and provide a high level of active noise cancellation, transparency mode, as well as features such as spatial audio with head tracking. You also get Adaptive EQ, which customizes the sound to your specific fit and ear canal but only works when ANC or transparency mode are disabled.
Finally, for Apple Vision Pro users, the Powerbeats Pro 2 can provide low-latency lossless audio.
The Powerbeats Pro 2 have a rated battery life of 8 hours on the earbuds and 36 hours with the additional charges in the case with ANC enabled, which increases to 10 hours on the earbuds and 45 hours with the case with ANC disabled.
The Powerbeats Pro 2 are priced at $249.99 and will be available in four colors, Jet Black, Quick Sand, Hyper Purple, and Electric Orange. It will be on-shelf February 13.