Review: Beats Powerbeats Pro 2

Even back in 2019 when the original Powerbeats Pro launched under Apple's new stewardship, their lack of noise canceling and (especially) transparency mode for working out felt a little behind the times compared to the best earbuds. Still, the Pro’s mix of great sound, a comfy fit, and class-leading battery life made them a remarkably long-tenured hit. It didn’t hurt that they were the first sport-friendly buds with the keys to Apple’s iOS kingdom.

Nearly six years later, the Powerbeats Pro 2 finally rectify those omissions, offering respectable noise canceling, natural-sounding transparency mode, and a wholesale revamp inside and out. The new Powerbeats are slimmer, comfier, and add plenty of other new tricks, from spatial audio to a heart rate monitor built off the Apple Watch. A new proprietary driver and amplifier provide carefully crafted, dynamic sound that epitomizes the Beats brand while improving on detail, clarity, and instrumental separation.

Ryan Waniata

Like all Beats buds, the Powerbeats Pro 2 are designed to work nearly as well for Android users as iPhone owners, while their inclusion of Apple’s H2 processor serves up Apple’s biggest hits like iCloud device swapping and hands-free Siri. It all adds up to a sterling return to form for some of the best workout buds available. While not without a few flaws, the Powerbeats 2 finally give Beats fans the iconic ear hook design they crave with all the trappings of modern flagship buds.

Big Comfort

The new Powerbeats Pro have slimmed down significantly, with a 20 percent decrease in size and weight and a 50 percent reduction in ear hook size. The latter makes them easier to wear with glasses, though it was still slightly awkward with my Wayfarers, and my winter hat needed to be flipped up to fit properly. You can’t win ’em all.

The case is a third smaller than before, but after years of earbud innovation, it remains relatively massive and a tight fit for smaller pockets. On the bright side, it adds Qi wireless charging, and the Electric Orange model I tested (there’s also Jet Black, Quick Sand, and Hyper Purple) proved impressively resistant to fingerprints and scratches. The buds snap readily onto their stands and in the proper orientation, unlike some budget models.

Even after the shrink-ray, the Pro 2 still weigh 8.7 grams per bud which feels chunky compared to un-hooked models like the AirPods Pro (8/10, WIRED Recommends), but you’d never know it once you put them on. I wore the buds for several hours a day over a full week with barely a pinch, proving them to be the comfiest hooked buds I’ve tested, and better than the finned Beats Fit Pro (9/10, WIRED Recommends). Beats engineers redesigned the hooks with a nickel-titanium alloy, reshaping the ergonomic housings and adding five ear tip sizes. (Interestingly, they no longer have the original model’s pointed tips.)

Ryan Waniata

A good fit is always important for earbuds, but especially on this pair. An improper seal affects not just the sound but also features like noise canceling and heart rate data that are included on the new model. I found that out the hard way after testing a smaller tip size for a day with no data to show for it. Thankfully, Apple adds a good Ear Tip Fit Test to ensure a proper seal.

My only fit complaint relates to the controls. The push-button combo of a multibutton on each side and a volume rocker above is great, making it easy to control playback and ambient sound while working out or wearing gloves. I was even able to turn off noise canceling with a shoulder stab while cooking dinner. But that responsiveness makes the keys easy to accidentally tap when inserting the buds. I (mostly) figured out how to avoid it over time, but the process remains a mild pain. I almost wish Apple could make the keys inoperative for a few seconds, as I inadvertently started and stopped music multiple times.

Fully Loaded

The Pro 2 are packed with features, starting with their new ambient sound modes. Beats says the noise canceling is the best ever in a Beats product and it proved impressive, wiping the floor with the Studio Buds+ and standing tall with similarly priced buds like Sony’s WF-1000XM5 (7/10, WIRED Recommends) and Technics’ AZ80 (9/10, WIRED Recommends). Like those buds, the Pro 2 get smoked by Bose’s QuietComfort Ultra buds, but they're otherwise solid contenders.

Just as important for workout buds, their transparency mode sounds remarkably natural. While I wasn’t able to test them directly against the AirPods Pro 2, they seem slightly sharper in my recollection, but they steer clear of the overt bite that plagues plenty of pricey competitors. I happily swapped the Pro 2 for my go-to dog-walking buds, Bose’s Ultra Open Earbuds, without feeling shortchanged or caught unawares. Clap your hands, click your silverware, and even yell at the dog for barking at the delivery guy—it all sounds solid.

Ryan Waniata

There’s plenty more bounty, from standards like in-ear sensors for auto-pause to advanced options like computational voice isolation for notably clear calling and Spatial Audio with head tracking (if you’re into that) via gyroscopes and accelerometers. The Pro 2's IPX4 water resistance could (and should) be better, but they atone with an excellent battery life of up to eight hours with noise canceling on and 10 hours without, which bore out in testing, and 3.5 case recharges.

As true double agents, the Powerbeats Pro 2 provide exclusives for both sides of the mobile power struggle. Android users get extras like one-touch pairing and a dedicated Beats app for Locate My Beats, OTA updates, and some basic control customization. It’s not a ton, and the lack of multipoint pairing is notable, but it’s still way better than AirPods.

The buds are unsurprisingly Apple-optimized, with one-touch iOS pairing, hands-free Siri voice control, audio sharing and iCloud device switching, Find My, and OTA updates to (hopefully) add more features later à la Apple’s AirPods Pro 2.

There are a few missing AirPods features, including Adaptive Audio and the Pro 2’s new hearing aid feature. Unlike some new high-end earbuds we see, there’s also no Auracast (at least not yet), which could limit features like mass pairing with public devices. Whether or not Apple will add Auracast to its devices or something more proprietary is still up in the air.

Heart Beats

As with AirPods, iPhone users can adjust the Powerbeats Pro 2’s features in Apple’s Settings, where you can turn on or off the new heart rate monitor—handy if you don’t want your ears to glow like futuristic green fireflies. Beats says those green LEDs combine with an optical lens, a photodiode, and an accelerometer to take heart rate readings every five seconds when both buds are in place.

I’m no doctor or heart rate expert, but looking into the Health app’s Show All Data section showed persistent measurements that looked similar to data from my Apple Watch Series 8. Beats says the Watch’s more advanced monitoring will take precedence, so I removed mine for testing. Like the Watch, the buds provide regular BPM check-ins via the Health app’s big board, but they're really aimed at real-time heart monitoring with apps like Nike Run Club, which worked well for me on a quick run with no fuss. Other iOS apps include Runna, Ladder, Peloton, Slopes, Open, and YaoYao. Apple says “all Android fitness and wellness apps that have heart rate
monitoring capabilities … should be fully compatible.”

The feature isn’t as compelling if you’ve already got a Watch or Oura ring for constant tracking, but it's a nice addition that feels futuristic, especially compared to earlier versions from wireless pioneers like the Bragi Dash.

Ryan Waniata

Brash Beauties

It always takes me a while to warm up to the Beats sound, which offers a brasher midrange and treble and boomier bass than I usually aim for. Yet, as with the new Beats Pill (8/10, WIRED Recommends), this package is more nuanced than previous iterations. You get the same punch Beats fans adore, but you can clearly feel Apple’s engineers at the wheel and hi-fi chops behind the curtain.

Bass is musical and clean, even when it’s slightly overemphasized. While it does create some bass solos where there were none, it never obscured details in the vocals or high-register instruments. In lighter recordings, bass is surprisingly restrained, which may lead some thunderheads to protest, but feed the buds some big … er … beats and they’ll hit hard.

Occasionally, I found topside instruments and effects too metallic and forward in light recordings, but that was rare, and there’s real finesse here in instrumental colors and timbres. Horns, woodwinds, piano, and upper synths are often striking in their lyricism, while percussion is textural and well drawn.

That stems from great instrumental separation, along with an accurate and expansive soundstage. Multiple times while listening with transparency mode on, I was momentarily tricked into thinking the sound was coming from my studio speakers as it seemed to reach from outside, blending with the room’s natural ambiance. That's rare with earbuds.

I wish Apple would provide even a basic EQ to sculpt things, but there seemed to be more depth and intimacy when turning off ambient sound modes, which transitions the microphones to adjust to your ear canals with Adaptive EQ.

The result of all this tech is a compelling and versatile package that should be a top contender for budding athletes and beyond. With tons of features, punchy sound, and serious comfort in a sport-friendly design, the Powerbeats Pro 2 are an impressive second coming and the best Beats Buds you can buy right now.