The redesigned earhook structure of Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 further improves wearing comfort, supports heart rate monitoring and is compatible with third-party sports apps, greatly improving practicality. Plus, with support for ANC, transparency mode, spatial audio, etc., Powerbeats Pro 2 can meet the needs of more users.
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You will find sounding comparisons of Powerbeats Pro 2 vs Beats Powerbeats Pro and Apple AirPods Pro 2 on this Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 review.
Appearance Design & Comfort Fit
The charging case uses a square design with curved corners. The case is very simple, with no other decorative elements except the breathing light and USB-C charging port. The skin-friendly touch of the case surface is very comfortable to touch, and it is not easy to slip even if your hands are sweaty after workout.
Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 has improved the shape of the earbuds and acoustic cavity from an ergonomic perspective. The earbud cavity is softer and rounder, and the transition to the earhook is more natural. The cavity is made of hard plastic and the ear hook is made of nickel-titanium alloy wire, which is comfortable and flexible, and feels more like hard silicone.
Powerbeats Pro 2 earbuds adopt a ventilation channel design from the front cavity to the back cavity, which can achieve better pressure balance between the two acoustic chambers. There is also an axially aligned acoustic sensor, which is placed almost parallel to the acoustic sound outlet, and next to the eartip is a sports heart rate sensor. The “b” logo area on the top of the earbud stem is a pressable function button, and there is also a volume button on the front.
The weight of a single earbud is about 9g and supports IPX4 waterproof rating. The volume of the earhook is also reduced by more than half, which significantly improves the wearing stability. Plus, the skin-friendly texture of the earhook makes it have greater friction with the ear when worn, and it is not easy to slip even when sweating.
In actual testing, I wore Powerbeats Pro 2 for running and skipping, and they stayed firmly on my ears. Even when I wore glasses, I didn’t feel uncomfortable or hindered when wearing Pro2.
Connection & App Support & Battery Life
Like the AirPods series, Powerbeats Pro 2 will automatically pop up a pairing window on your phone when you bring it close to your iPhone. If you are using an Apple device, they are fully compatible. You can directly use one-touch pairing, automatic switching, audio sharing, hands-free siri, find my, etc. For Android users, you can pair them by downloading the Beats App.
When listening to music, you can use the button at the Beats logo to interact. Press once to play/pause, press twice to play the next song, and press three times to play the previous song. Long press the button to switch between “Transparency Mode”, “ANC ON” and “ANC OFF (Normal Mode)”.
When ANC/Transparency mode is turned on, the single battery life is up to 8 hours, and the charging case provides an additional 28 hours of battery life. In normal mode, the single battery life is up to 10 hours, and the total battery life is up to 45 hours.
Heart Rate Monitoring & Controls
Powerbeats Pro 2 is equipped with an LED optical sensor that provides highly accurate heart rate readings during workout, and the heart rate data can be transmitted to compatible fitness apps in real time. The custom algorithm developed by Apple for Powerbeats Pro 2 receives the heart rate data transmitted by the earbuds, and then parses the data to obtain accurate heart rate measurements, providing output every 5 seconds.
Normally, when Powerbeats Pro 2 detects that you start workout, it will automatically start heart rate monitoring. If you are an Android user, after linking the heart rate monitoring function to the app, you can manually turn on heart rate monitoring through earbuds or Beats App when workouting.
You can experience the heart rate monitoring function in third-party fitness apps or Apple Health App. For example, when I open the Apple Health App, I can see that the heart rate data is updated approximately every 5 seconds.
If a call comes in, press once to answer it, and press twice to end the call. Powerbeats Pro 2 also supports the “Hey, Siri” function – even if the phone is temporarily away (as long as the earbuds are not disconnected), you can activate Siri with the earbuds and ask her to perform operations.
Active Noise Cancelling & Calls
Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 is equipped with Apple H2 chip, which makes its ANC performance excellent. The noise cancelling effect is stable and natural, and can effectively filter out environmental noise. The noise cancelling function can effectively block external interference during workout, and the transparency mode also makes users safer when workouting outdoors.
The ANC function of Powerbeats Pro 2 performs well in sports headphones, especially in terms of stability, mode switching and battery life. Although its noise cancelling effect may not be as good as some flagship headphones that focus on noise cancelling, it provides enough functions and practicality for sports lovers.
The earbuds are equipped with multiple digital microphones, including a dedicated voice microphone and a feed-forward active noise cancelling microphone. These microphones have a high signal-to-noise ratio and can use beamforming technology to achieve voice positioning, so that Powerbeats Pro 2 can better distinguish and accurately focus on the user’s voice while eliminating unnecessary noise.
After the call test, Powerbeats Pro 2 filtered out most of the noise around me, and the vocal clear without blurry, and there was no intermittent problem.
Acoustic Configuration & Sound Description
Powerbeats Pro 2 uses a redesigned acoustic architecture, including dual-layer transducers and dynamic head tracking spatial audio. These technologies improve the sound performance of the earbuds and provide more accurate and clear sound effects. In particular, the low-frequency response and sound stability have been significantly improved.
The innovative ventilation channel design from the front cavity to the back cavity, coupled with the customized double-layer sensor, makes the bass hearing more comfortable. The bass extends deeper without sounding too stuffy, and it is more shocking when listening to some exciting drum beats.
The Pro2 is equipped with Apple H2 chip, which brings more powerful audio processing capabilities. When listening to some pop music with more treble, the treble is transparency and bright without harsh, and the vocals are delicate and not fuzzy. The sound of Powerbeats Pro 2 continues Beats’ iconic tuning style, while optimizing some details.
Overall, the bass is rich and extends deep, providing a strong sense of atmosphere and power in sports scenes. The vocals are positioned forward and the clarity is acceptable, but the warmer tuning results in average detail resolution, which is suitable for pop music but lacks transparency. The treble extension is relatively conservative, and the overtones of the instruments are average, which is not suitable for classical or instrumental music lovers who pursue high resolution. It is enough for listening to music during daily workout.
VS Powerbeats Pro and Apple AirPods Pro 2
Compared to Beats Powerbeats Pro, the Pro2 has improved bass control, clearer mids vocals, and a more balanced overall listening experience. It still retains the iconic deep bass style.
Apple AirPods Pro 2 has a more balanced tone, better spatial audio and noise cancelling, but the low-frequency impacting is not as good as Powerbeats Pro 2.
Conclusion & Specs
If you are looking for comprehensive sound quality, you can consider Sony WF-1000XM4 or Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3 at the same price. If your budget is limited and you are focused on sports scenes, Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 is still a reliable choice.
Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 specs and features:
- Heart rate monitoring & ANC/Transparency mode
- 8-10 hours playback of single charge (ANC on/off)
- Charging case can charge earbuds fully 3 times
- IPX4 waterproof rating (rain and sweat resistant)
- Wear detection & Wireless charging
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