Apple-owned Beats has made a name for itself by bringing some compelling and premium headphones and earbuds. While the company focuses on delivering fashionable devices, it also makes earbuds designed for fitness. The fitness-focused PowerBeats Pro just got its long-awaited successors. Beats just launched the new PowerBeats Pro 2, and they come with a pretty neat health feature.
While Beats stayed faithful to the design of the first PowerBeats, the company made some notable changes. For starters, the PowerBeats Pro 2 are noticeably smaller and lighter this time around. That’s important for any pair of fitness earbuds. No one wants heavy or clunky earbuds weighing them down when they’re trying to work out.
Beats also slimmed the case down by 33%. That’s good, but most people wonder if that will have an effect on the battery life. Well, according to the company, the battery life actually saw a jump. The earbuds themselves can last up to 8 hours with ANC on. Turning ANC off will get you an additional two hours. With the charging case included, you’re looking at about 36 hours with ANC on and 45 hours with it off. Those are amazing numbers, as many earbuds on the market struggle to reach the 24-hour mark.
Charging the case is just a bit easier with the addition of Qi wireless charging. So, you’re looking at some great battery life.
The PowerBeats Pro 2 can track your heartbeat
While the battery and design are great, the main new feature is the new heart rate monitor. The company achieves this with LED optical sensors. These sensors pulse more than 100 times a second to measure your blood flow. It uses both earbuds to measure your blood flow for additional accuracy.
This is a neat feature to have, as not everyone has a smartwatch or fitness tracker to track their heart rate. However, more people are likely to have a pair of earbuds. In any case, the PowerBeats Pro will be able to send its data over to compatible health apps. Some of the apps include Open, Nike Run Club, and Peleton. Just know that this function won’t be compatible with all apps.
Fortunately, they can work with apps on both Android and iOS. However, it’s important to note that apps will use the data from an Apple Watch over the data from the earbuds. Something else to note is that, if you are using an iPhone, the heart rate tracking will begin automatically. Android users will need to manually activate the tracking. They can do this on the Beats app or on the earbuds using a double-press and hold gesture.
Features
When it comes to other features, it becomes clear that Beats is owned by Apple. The PowerBeats Pro 2 come with Apple’s H2 chip, and this facilitates features like summoning Siri hands-free, personalized spatial audio, Find My support, audio sharing, and more. When it comes to Android phones, you’ll have some features through the Beats app, but you’re not getting an experience as well integrated. For instance, you won’t be able to use them with the Find My Device network (a pretty bad oversight).
Price
Rounding out the features, there’s IPX4 water resistance. This means that the sweat from your workout won’t ruin the earbuds. That’s a good thing because these are pretty pricey compared to other earbuds on the market. The PowerBeats Pro 2 come in at $249. That’s a bit steep compared to other fitness earbuds, but the addition of the heart rate monitor helps justify the price. You can pick them up now in one of their four colors: Gray, Purple, Black, and Orange.
