Workout headphones aren’t worth the plastic they’re made out of if they won’t stay in place during a workout. With the Powerbeats Pro 2 earbuds, Beats (owned by Apple) has gone to great lengths to keep them in your ears during even the most vigorous exercise. In addition to the new heart-rate tracking function, these ambitious earbuds also add familiar AirPod features, like Spatial Audio and active noise cancellation. As a result, the Powerbeats Pro 2 are some of the best and most versatile wireless earbuds I’ve ever used, even outside the confines of the gym.
Pros
- Heart-rate monitoring is built in
- Redesigned ear loop is very comfortable and extremely effective
- Solid sound quality
- Integrates easily with Apple devices
- Lots of eartip options
- Fit test helps find the best fit
Cons
How we tested the Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 earbuds
I have personally been working out for a week with the Powerbeats Pro 2, doing both regular cardio and power lifts. To pressure test them, I also had my advanced-level CrossFit pals do some novel movements while wearing them. To test their viability outside the gym, I wore them for a full day of working remotely while listening to music and participating in video calls.
Three key areas we evaluated: Fit, sound quality, heart-rate monitoring.
Stan Horaczek
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Fit
When the original Powerbeats Pro debuted way back in 2019, the oversized hooks were a welcome but imperfect feature for those of us who couldn’t keep regular AirPods in. They were effective but started to chafe and squeeze with extended use. With the Powerbeats Pro 2, the ear hooks have shrunk by half while actually increasing stability thanks to the new shape and nickel-titanium core. They didn’t chafe during extended cardio, and I only felt mild soreness after two hours of wearing them during the workday. Ears are sensitive, so no earhook-style earbud will ever be perfect, but wearability isn’t an issue here.
The package includes a total of five different ear tips, plus an automatic fit test function that will help you choose the best ones for your specific ear holes. I had several people try the test with our review pair, and almost everyone was surprised that they required larger tips than they would have expected. I tried a few sizes just to see if they really make a difference, and I can say with certainty that you want to do the test and get the right tips for the best fit and sound.
I had no issues with stability at all. I even had some of my very fit friends try them while doing burpees and bar muscle-ups (the scary older sibling of the pull-up in which you pull the top half of your body up and over the pull-up bar) without issue. They stay where they’re supposed to.
The only slight hiccup comes when you have to put them in. Because the earbud itself has a click button on its outer shell, I found myself pausing and unpausing the music as I first inserted and adjusted the earbuds. Finger placement is key, and I eventually figured out the ideal technique, but putting them in quickly still results in the occasional input.
Sound quality
The Powerbeats Pro 2 earbuds have inherited many of their pure sound performance characteristics from the AirPods Pro 2. Thanks to Apple’s H2 chipset, the new Powerbeats support Spatial Audio for simulated surround sound, active noise-canceling (ANC) for isolation, and dynamic EQ for optimum levels.
I started the test in transparency mode, which is crucial for a workout headphone that you might wear while running or cycling in the world. It’s similar to transparency mode on the AirPods in that it’s effective, but it can’t replicate the true pass-through effect of something like a bone conduction or open-back earbud. I took them walking on a busy street and felt confident I could hear cars, pedestrians, and whatever else was happening around me.
With ANC turned on, the Powerbeats Pro 2 earbuds do a good job of blocking out the world. I employed this mode on a 45-minute elliptical trainer session in which the buds thankfully obfuscated the sound of the person on the machine next to me playing TikToks at full volume from their phone speaker. Again, performance is similar to the AirPods Pro.
The dynamic EQ kicks in when you’re not using ANC or transparency. You’re sick of hearing this, but they’re once again similar to the AirPods Pro. I’ve been listening to a lot of slam metal at the gym lately, and the blast beats and pig squeals of the most recent PeelingFlesh EP sounded crisp and punchy, thanks to the custom vented drivers. Because I contain multitudes, I followed that up with “Please, Please, Please” by Sabrina Carpenter, and the Powerbeats Pro 2 did a solid job making the highs sound sufficiently sparkly without harshing the pleasing tone of the sultry vocals.
Heart-rate monitoring
I don’t typically wear an Apple Watch at the gym. I can’t resist digging into the workout and fitness data, but it ultimately ends up stressing me out and adding a layer of anxiety that I wouldn’t otherwise feel. Oddly, the Powerbeats Pro 2 work very well for someone like me.
Each Powerbeat Pro 2 earbud has an optical heart-rate sensor baked into it. That’s an upgrade from other similar products, which typically only have a sensor in one ear. The ear is a great place to monitor heart rate because the skin is so thin and the veins are so close to the surface. Plus, that redesigned hook works overtime to keep the sensor right where it should be.
The heart-rate sensor plays nicely with seven third-party apps, which makes the setup a little finicky. I used the Nike Run Club app, and once it was up and running, the heart-rate measurements seemed accurate and steady. I had a friend of mine check it against his very fancy dedicated chest strap heart-rate monitor set up during a light workout, and they stayed within three to four BPM of each other for the duration of the activity.
If you wear an Apple Watch and the earbuds at the same time, the Apple Watch data will override the readings from the earbuds, but hopefully, down the line, users will get the option to choose between the two. For now, though, this is great for people like me who don’t always wear the watch.
Beats Fit Pro vs. Powerbeats Pro 2
While the Powerbeats Pro 2 earbuds have clearly taken over the title of best workout headphones in my eyes, this is also a good time to check out the venerable Beats Fit Pro. They don’t have the outer ear hook, so they’re not as good if you’re doing truly bombastic or explosive movements. And they don’t offer heart-rate tracking. But you do get a great fit with their silicone wingtips, comparable battery life, active noise canceling, Spatial Audio, transparency mode, and a rugged build in an earbud that’s often just $159 on sale.
The verdict
If you’re not worried about budget or you regularly do very strenuous and bombastic exercise, then the Powerbeats Pro 2 earbuds are absolutely worth the $250 asking price. They check all the boxes when it comes to sound, will never come out of your ears, and provide built-in heart-rate monitoring when no other Apple-native earbud does.
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