Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 review: Are Apple's new running headphones worth the six-year wait?

Telegraph

08-04-2025

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What are the Beats Powerbeats Pro 2?
It has been six years since Beats released the original Powerbeats Pro earphones. Designed for exercise, the earhook on the buds mean they stay secure whether you're running outdoors or lifting weights in the gym.
While parent company Apple has produced new generations of Airpods and other Beats buds, Powerbeats fans have waited patiently for an update ‒ and now it's here, with six years of progress across design, stamina and functionality in one go.
At £249.99, they're at the more expensive end of the running headphone market. Beats' previous bestselling sports earbuds, the Beats Fit Pros, have an RRP of £219.99 (although they're often discounted to much less), while the previous iteration of the Powerbeats tended to sit around £220.
Powerbeats Pro 2 may look similar to the older model but they're smaller, lighter and have more charge (up to 10 hours on the buds alone). But the new features are the headline news; spatial audio provides more immersive sound while active noise cancellation (ANC) blocks out ambient noise.
A new heart-rate sensor provides limited fitness tracking for the first time and a chip upgrade makes it easier to pair with iPhones.
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How we test running headphones
Sound quality is usually the most important metric for testing headphones, but when it comes to earbuds designed for exercise, this factor takes a backseat against the importance of comfort, durability, water resistance and battery life.
It may sound sacrilegious to audiophiles, but when you're pounding the streets or playing sports, hearing every note of a song with perfect clarity becomes less important than knowing your earphones will stay put and go the distance with you, whatever the weather.
Naturally, the best way to test these earbuds is to wear them repeatedly while exercising, ensuring they perform well over a number of long-distance runs and draining gym visits, as well as additional walks to wear the battery down.
While I am, I have to concede, a slightly below-average runner, I do have persistence on my side with the 250 parkrun T-shirt to prove it. I've also been writing about technology for over a decade and have tested numerous audio products and running accessories in that time.
Comfort and fit
Score: 8/10
The buds use six built-in microphones to scan the fit and seal of your ears, adjusting acoustic frequencies on the fly, so it's important you choose the right ear tips to get the best sound quality. Five sizes are provided in the box and you can use the app to scan your ears to make sure you've got a good enough seal.
They weigh an incredibly light 8.9g each (the originals are 11g) and the design means you just pop them into your ear canal and twist until the hook sits behind your ear, making it stay firmly in place. They stayed put no matter how much my head moved during a run, but the hook created a dull throb after extended use, making them less comfortable than plain earbuds overall.
The fixed positioning means it's easier to use the on-bud controls, which include a small volume rocker and a tactile Beats logo that controls noise cancellation and playback. They can even be pressed by leaning into your shoulder in a pinch.
Battery life
Score: 10/10
Testing battery life on the Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 proved difficult for the best possible reason: it's incredibly good. Apple claims that you can expect up to ten hours from the earbuds with noise cancellation off and up to 45 hours when you include the charging case.
That made draining the battery from exercise alone tricky for someone with commitments beyond the gym, and I wore them non-stop one day to test their longevity. The left bud only gave up after playing music with a mixture of ANC and Transparency mode for nine hours and 21 minutes. The right bud lasted three minutes longer, safely proving that these heroic estimates are not mere marketing.
Five minutes charging in the case got me up to 15 per cent, which hit 52 per cent after half an hour. The case has a USB-C charging port and can charge wirelessly.
Sound quality
Score: 9/10
Powerbeats Pro 2 provide excellent sound quality that is clear across the board, making for a good listen regardless of the music that motivates you most. Punchy bass sounds are prioritised to help you go that extra mile without overpowering the song or muddying the sound.
As good as the sound quality is, however, the biggest upgrade is the addition of both Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) and Transparency mode. ANC is highly effective at almost silencing the world around you and reducing road noise to a whisper, but it's the Transparency mode that's a potential literal lifesaver for runners.
It lets ambient noise through the ANC so you can hear traffic and people around you without overpowering the music you're listening to. There is a trade-off, of course, and while it sounds rather natural, you will have to put up with the beat of your feet and the sounds of your breathing getting through.
Water and sweat resistance
Score: 7/10
Disappointingly the water resistance on the Powerbeats Pro 2 is the same level of protection as its predecessor. Both share the same IPX4 certification, which means they have been tested to withstand light rain and some sweat, but offer no guarantees if you're hit by a torrential downpour or they fall in a puddle.
The 'X' in the Ingress Protection rating is important because it represents a device's ability to cope with dust and other small particles. The scoring is out of six and 'X' means it offers no protection or possibly hasn't been tested at all, as protection against solid objects larger than 50mm only gets a score of one.
An IPX4 rating will be sufficient for most people but for those who relish running in the kind of awful conditions that would make regular mortals turn back, it could be an issue. If this applies to you, you may want to opt for a truly waterproof alternative like the JBL Reflect Aero TWS instead.
Durability and performance
Score: 9/10
As you'd hope for earphones that cost £250, the Powerbeats Pro 2 feel extremely well made and have shown zero signs of damage after multiple runs and walks. The ear hook design keeps the buds firmly in place, but in the unlikely event they did fall out or slip through your fingers while putting them back in their case, I am confident they would survive.
I did a couple of test drops from my 6ft4 height and there was no damage at all, with the music continuing as if nothing had happened once back in my ears. And if you misplace them before putting them back in the base, you can make them play a loud sound via the iPhone's Find My tool or Android's Find My Beats app.
The introduction of a heart-rate sensor is a nice addition but fitness enthusiasts who want to keep tabs on this will likely already have one of the best fitness trackers or a dedicated chest strap. If you're wearing an Apple Watch with the Powerbeats Pro 2, the former will be prioritised and the headphones only support a handful of apps, which awkwardly don't include Apple Fitness Plus or Strava.
The feature worked with the Nike Run Club app however, clocking the same overall average heart rate as a dedicated MyZone chest strap. Crucially the Apple Watch got similarly close in another test, so you're unlikely to gain much by switching to Powerbeats Pro 2, unless your wrist-based wearable struggles to get an accurate read (darker skin, tattoos and hair have all been shown to potentially impact tracking in consumer wearables).
Technical specifications
If you're keen on the ear hook design but don't want to pay Apple prices, then the Shokz OpenFit is a good alternative and nearly half the price at £129.99. You lose noise cancellation for everything bar calls but gain dust protection on top of water resistance.
Should you buy the Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 headphones?
The Powerbeats Pro 2 have been a long time coming, but they've most definitely been worth the wait. While Apple's other releases often offer incremental improvement thanks to an annual schedule, six years of change makes a huge difference here.
The added noise cancellation and transparency mode alongside a new and improved design makes them an easy recommendation for fans of the originals.
Yes, if:
You want noise cancellation and transparency modes
You want superior sound quality
You need long battery life for longer runs
You prefer over-ear headphones
No, if:
FAQs
How do the Powerbeats Pro 2 compare to the original Powerbeats Pro?
Given the six years between Powerbeats Pro and Powerbeats Pro 2, the new version has plenty of improvements.
The headline upgrades include the introduction of active noise cancellation, spatial audio and a heart-rate sensor. But they're also lighter (8.7g vs 11g), packed with more microphones (six vs two), with much better battery life (up to 45 hours vs 24) and USB-C charging instead of Lightning. The 33 per cent smaller case can also be charged wirelessly for added convenience.
Finally, they now have the same Apple H2 chip as AirPods Pro 2 for easy pairing with iPhones.
What are the key new features of the Powerbeats Pro 2?
The key new features are the introduction of active noise cancellation (ANC) and a heart-rate sensor for tracking exertion during exercise.
How accurate is the heart rate monitoring feature?
Compared to a dedicated chest strap, I found the Powerbeats Pro 2 heart rate sensor gave very similar readings overall, with the same average and maximum beats per minute (BPM) recorded. Over the course of the run, the two were usually within a few BPM of each other, albeit with the chest strap quicker to react to the sudden change of switching from walking to running, and vice versa.
It's important to note that the Powerbeats Pro 2's heart rate sensor is only compatible with a limited number of exercise apps at launch, including Open, Nike Run Club, Peloton, Runna, Ladder and Slopers.
Awkwardly, the list currently doesn't include Apple Fitness Plus, and there's another interesting quirk for those all-in on the Apple ecosystem. The company says that if you're wearing an Apple Watch and Powerbeats Pro 2, readings from the Apple Watch will be prioritised.
How does the battery life compare to other wireless earbuds?
The Powerbeats Pro 2's battery life is extremely impressive, with Apple claiming up to 10 hours in the buds themselves, and up to 45 hours when the case is included. Note that this drops to eight and 36 with noise cancellation and transparency disabled.
Even then, Powerbeats Pro 2 compare pretty favourably to other gym-friendly buds. On our list of the best running headphones, only the Xiaomi Openwear Stereo runs that close with 7.5 hours per bud and 38.5 hours in the charging case with ANC turned off.
Are the Powerbeats Pro 2 waterproof?