Powerbeats Pro 2 Review – The Athlete’s Choice in Wireless Earbuds

Powerbeats Pro 2 marks a significant evolution in the realm of true wireless earbuds for athletes, building on the acclaimed original version released in 2019. With their tight fit, impressive bass, and extended battery life, the original Powerbeats Pro became essential for fitness lovers. Six years later, the new model encounters a drastically altered landscape in 2025.

Today, athletes benefit from a plethora of options, including open-ear designs tailored for workouts, promoting enhanced situational awareness. However, Powerbeats Pro 2 adheres to the classic over-ear hook format, ensuring a comfortable, sealed fit, in contrast to the open-ear concept many competitors are leaning towards.

Incorporating features like head-tracked spatial audio, active noise cancellation (ANC), and a built-in heart rate monitor, Powerbeats Pro 2 puts forth a convincing argument for its value. The pressing question remains: does its premium price hold weight, or has the passage of time outpaced Beats? Let’s explore the details.

Design and Fit

Powerbeats Pro 2 maintains its traditional design, characterised by robust ear hooks that contour around the ear for enhanced stability. This feature offers a dual advantage; it ensures a secure fit perfect for intense workouts, while also requiring a bit more effort to wear compared to newer earbuds.

The overall design is bulkier relative to many competitors. Although Beats has made strides to decrease the size of the charging case from its predecessor, it remains larger than standard wireless options. The build quality impresses, yet the IPX4 rating is disappointing, providing only fundamental protection against water and sweat. Other competitive sports earbuds, such as Samsung’s Galaxy Buds 3 Pro, come with IP57 ratings, making them more resilient.

Sound Quality

Powerbeats Pro 2 is engineered to offer a lively, forward-facing audio experience, albeit with certain compromises. The bass, once the hallmark of the initial Powerbeats Pro, appears slightly diminished. Instead, a stronger emphasis on the treble and upper mids can lead to a harsh or tinny sound on particular tracks.

Moreover, the soundstage falls somewhat short compared to premium alternatives like the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds. Deactivating ANC can further skew the balance, rendering the audio overly bright. Nevertheless, the spatial audio with head tracking enhances immersion, particularly in acoustic and live recordings, although it does not entirely compensate for the overly aggressive treble tuning.

Active Noise Cancellation and Transparency Mode

Featuring ANC for the first time in this series, Powerbeats Pro 2 does an admirable job of minimising background noise. However, it struggles to compete with the noise-cancellation prowess of Apple’s AirPods Pro 2, which have proven effective in various scenarios.

The inclusion of transparency mode offers a beneficial feature, delivering a great performance for situational awareness.

Heart-Rate Monitoring and Fitness Features

A noteworthy upgrade in Powerbeats Pro 2 is the heart-rate monitoring capability. Using a compact optical LED sensor akin to that found in an Apple Watch, it provides reliable readings. However, it is essential to note that if users already own an Apple Watch, the device’s measurements take precedence, rendering the Powerbeats Pro 2’s heart-rate tracking somewhat unnecessary.

Battery Life

Battery life stands out as one of the key strengths of Powerbeats Pro 2. Beats asserts that the earbuds can offer up to 10 hours on a single charge, with the charging case supplying an extra 35 hours. In practical usage, even with ANC and spatial audio activated, the earbuds achieved nearly 8 hours per charge, remaining impressive when stacked against AirPods Pro 2, which provide between 5.5 to 7 hours.

Moreover, the case now features wireless charging, a much-needed enhancement from the previous model.

Call Quality

Equipped with six microphones and advanced machine learning-based noise isolation, Powerbeats Pro 2 ensures clear and natural voice calls. Throughout multiple assessments, voice quality was commendable, effectively minimising background noise.