
These Beats Earbuds Are My New Favorites for Workouts, and They're Down to an All-Time Low Price for Prime Day
Beats launched the Powerbeats Pro 2 earlier this year after a six-year hiatus in the lineup. The new pair introduced a built-in heart rate tracker, improved the ergonomics, and borrowed the Apple H2 chip from the AirPods Pro 2. I've been using them on and off since launch, and these are my new go-to earbuds to use for workouts.
The Powerbeats Pro 2 are feature-packed
Prakhar Khanna/CNET
Beats' new workout earbuds represent one of the biggest generational updates to this model. They come equipped with the Apple H2 chip, which puts them on par with the AirPods Pro 2. Beats says it's "leveraged Apple's best noise canceling." I find that I get a good, secure seal when I'm wearing them, so the noise cancellation performance is pretty good. However, they're tuned differently compared with the flagship Apple earbuds. The Powerbeats Pro 2 are more bassy, which some gym enthusiasts might appreciate.
The best part about them is their fit, thanks to their ear hook build. The music never left my ears. Whether I was on a run or in the gym, the earbuds sat comfortably. More than the fit, I was surprised by the voice-calling performance. As CNET's David Carnoy noted in his review, "Thanks to the H2 chip, new microphones and voice accelerometers to help pinpoint your voice, Beats has made some big improvements in the voice department."
Read more: Best True Wireless Earbuds With Ear Hooks for 2025
Android users have to manually start the heart rate monitor in the app or use the control button on the buds.
Screenshot by David Carnoy/CNET
I haven't relied on their heart rate monitoring system, because I have an Apple Watch. And if you're like me and you already own the Apple Watch, your iPhone will prioritize readings from the Watch. If you don't own one, it'll show the heart rate data in Apple's Health app. Like other Beats products, the Powerbeats Pro 2 are also platform-agnostic, and the company says all Android fitness and wellness apps with heart rate monitoring capabilities are compatible with its earbuds.
That said, the Powerbeats Pro 2 offer a few Apple-exclusive features, like personalized spatial audio with head tracking, hands-free Siri, audio sharing and iCloud pairing across all your Apple devices logged in to your iCloud account.
Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 key specs
Weight: 8.7 grams per earbud (case weighs 69 grams)
Bluetooth 5.3
Apple H2 chip
Custom designed, dual-element dynamic diaphragm transducer
IPX4 splash-proof and sweat-proof
Active noise cancellation (adaptive)
Transparency mode
Adaptive EQ
Spatial audio with dynamic head tracking
Six microphones total (one dedicated voice microphone on each earbud)
Sensors (per bud): Optical in-ear detection, optical heart rate monitoring, accelerometer, gyroscope
Customizable controls
Five sizes of soft silicon ear tips (XS, S, M, L, XL)
Wireless charging case (Qi compatible or via USB-C cable)
Battery life: Up to 10 hours with ANC off (8 hours with ANC on)
35 additional hours from charging case with ANC off (28 hours with ANC on)
Fast Fuel: 5-minute charge gets you up to 1.5 hours of playback
Telephony: Up to five microphones employed for phone calls, wind-noise reduction, voice accelerometer isolates user's voice
Colors: Electric Orange, jet black, Hyper Purple and Quick Sand
The case isn't easy to carry
Prakhar Khanna/CNET
Though Beats made the Powerbeats Pro 2 50% smaller, the case is still on the bigger side. It isn't as comfortable as carrying other earbud cases, especially when you go for a run. I leave the case at home most of the time, but if you want a pair of earbuds that's easy to carry in a case, the Powerbeats Pro 2 aren't for you.
That said, if portability isn't a priority, the Powerbeats Pro 2 can be counted among the best ear hook earbuds on the market right now, which is why they're on CNET's list of the best wireless earbuds of 2025. They offer good sound quality and great noise cancellation and voice call performance, and they stay snug in your ears. They also offer heart rate detection. With the $50 discount, this might be the best time to buy them.
If you're interested in other options to improve your listening experience, check out our roundup of the best earbud and headphone deals.
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Tom's Guide
13 minutes ago
- Tom's Guide
iOS 26 guide: All the new features for your iPhone and how to use them
Any iOS update is going to have its share of unfamiliar features with new twists and turns that you may not immediately grasp. Apple's iOS 26 update is a case in point, as this year's version of the iPhone software rolls out new capabilities and enhancements to old features while also switching up the interface for the first time in a dozen years. For the most part, these are positive changes, as I observe in my iOS 26 first look, but they will take some getting used to. Fortunately, we've been working with iOS 26 since Apple released the initial developer beta in June, and we can help you get the lay of the land. In this iOS 26 guide, I'll walk you through the biggest changes in Apple's software update, now available as a public beta ahead of its full release in the fall. This guide features highlights of the major iOS 26 changes as well as links back to our coverage for a more in-depth explanation of what's new in the update and how to make the most of it. Our guide on how to download the iOS 26 public beta offers step-by-step instructions on updating your iPhone's software. You'll need to enroll in Apple's beta software program, and then it's just a matter of going into the Software Update section of the Settings app to grab the iOS 26 beta. Just make sure you've got an iOS 26 supported device capable of running the update. That's any iPhone released from 2019 onward — basically, the iPhone 11 or later. That means the iPhone XR, iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max are the only iOS 18-compatible devices that can't upgrade to iOS 26. (And no, you didn't fall asleep and miss eight iOS updates between iOS 18 and iOS 26. Apple decided to switch to a different naming convention for its software, replacing the version number with the year following the update's release.) Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. Also, be aware that not every feature will work on every iOS 26-compatible phone. There are Apple Intelligence features in iOS 26 that require at least an iPhone 15 Pro or later. A new spatial photos feature only works on the iPhone 12 later. Liquid Glass is the name Apple's given to the new interface for its iPhone software, as well as for the software updates coming to the Mac, iPad, Apple Watch and Apple TV this year. Apple wants a more unified software experience with streamlined menus with a look that takes its inspiration from the visionOS software that powers the Vision Pro headset. Liquid Glass is characterized by translucent menus and fluid animations as on-screen elements adjust to your actions. (Think the URL bar shrinking in Safari as you scroll down a web page.) Some icons have been changed around in iOS 26, and you've got new tinting options, including one that makes those icons completely clear. We've got a comparison between the iOS 26 and iOS 18 interfaces that can help you get used to what's changing with the look of Apple's iPhone software. 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Swiping left or right brings up other camera modes, such as portrait, pano, slo-mo and time lapse. An upward swipe brings additional settings to adjust things like aspect ratio, exposure and more. And in video mode, you just need to tap the Format button to bring up all your available options. My colleague John Velasco has more on the streamlined camera interface and how it simplifies the task of adjusting settings. He also looks at new iOS 26 AirPod features that turn your earbuds into camera remotes and recording tools. After a big Photos overhaul in iOS 18, Apple is at it again with iOS 26, though this time the changes are more modest. The new version of Photos restores tabs for toggling between your library and your collections, an addition that should save some scrolling while addressing complaints about last year's redesign. That's not the only change to Photos' look, though. You also have the ability to customize the layout of Collections. 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Android Authority
43 minutes ago
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I tried one of the first Material 3 Expressive apps so I could see the future of Android
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Yahoo
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