So these are the Powerbeats Pro 2, and there are some major upgrades here, both big and small. And honestly, I think the Powerbeats Pro 2 are pretty overkill, in a good way. Nonetheless today we’re going to checkout the Powerbeats Pro 2 and we’re going to see how they compare to the Beats Fit Pro, which are still on sale and the beats studio buds, if you’re curious. And if you somehow still have the original Powerbeats pro, the wireless ones, its defneintly time for an upgrade.
Regarding pricing, the Powerbeats Pro 2 have a retail price of $250… which honestly I don’t feel is that bad given their performance. But for comparison sake, the Beats Fit Pro have a retail price of $200 but they like to go on sale for $160, not bad… and then there are the beats studio buds plus which retail for $150 but they go on sale for $100. Nonetheless if you want to pick any of these products up they’ll be linked down below or you can always press on the YouTube shopping button, and if you want to further support the channel then you can always pick up some merch.
So first theres the case. Now when the original Powerbeats pro came out, this case was huge… but this was acceptable back in 2019 cause true wireless earbuds were just beginning to be a thing. But now for 2025, this case is a lot smaller than the original Powerbeats Pro’s case. Specifically, its a lot thinner. Now this case is still a little larger than the Beats fit pro’s case and its a little larger than the Beats Studio Buds case… but thats perfectly fine cause these earbuds have ear hooks, where as these other two earbuds dont. But something that I really like that Apple did here is that the Powerbeats Pro’s case has a little more texture to it than these 3 other cases… so it just makes it a lot easier to get a grip of this case and take your earbuds out.
But then theres chargning this case, now this case charges via a USB C port, pretty standard. And it has wireless charging as well, just as we’d expect for a pair of premium earbuds like these. However, unlike with apple’s AirPods Pro 2 or AirPods 4… this case does not charge with apple’s Apple Watch charger. You can use your mag safe charger, but your apple watch charger isn’t going to work here. And as someone that has both an iphone and an apple watch, I kind of miss this feature.
Also, another feature that I really miss on the Powerbeats pro is being able to track them down with the find my app like you can with either the AirPods Pro 2 or the AirPods 4… and also even though the power beats pro 2’s case is huge… this case does not have a built in speaker like with AirPods… so you cant make your case ring for when you eventually lose this case. Now, you can still use the find my app to track your Powerbeats pro 2… but they’re just going to log when and where was the last time to you connected these earbuds to your phone… and you can make these earbuds ring by using the app… but this is only going to work if the earbuds are outside of the case.
But then theres the battery life on these earbuds, now the Powerbeats pro 2 have an advertised combined battery life of 45 hours with their active noise cancelation turned off. the earbuds can get you 10 straight hours and the case can supply 3 and a half additional charges. And with their ANC turned on, they have an advertised combined battery life of 36 hours, the earbuds themselves can go for 8 hours plus those 3 and a half additional charges.
Overall, the Powerbeats pro 2 are going to be able to go through multiple workout sessions between charges, with or without ANC turned on… and they have really good stamina which is going to be super important either if you are a marathon runner… or if you’re someone that works retail or if you drive, then these can keep up with you on a single charge.
And then theres the fast charging numbers on these earbuds, if you were to drop them into your case for 5 minutes from a dead battery, they are going to get you 90 minutes of playback time. Which should be more than enough for a causal workout.
But overall the battery on these earbuds is a huge upgrade over its predecessors cause these have a combined battery life of 24 hours and no ANC, the beats fit pro have a combined battery life of 28 hours with their ANC turned off, and the beats studio buds plus have a combined battery life of 36 hours but thats with their ANC turned off.
But another big change that I do want to mention about the chargning of these earbuds is going to be the contact points. Now on the original Powerbeats pro, these contact points where on the body or neck of these earbuds, and I noticed that this led to many times where the earbuds wouldn’t properly charge while in their case, so the next time that I came back, these earbuds would be dead, or just one. Where as with the new Powerbeats pro 2, these contact points are on the earbud itself just like with the beats fit pro and beats studio buds, so every time you put these earbuds away, they have proper contact so you’re not going to find dead earbuds the next time that you come back.
But now lets talk about the earbuds themselves. Now the Powerbeats pro 2 are a pair of shallow fitting in ear earbuds just like the beats fit pro, the beats studio buds, or AirPods Pro 2, as in they go into your ear canals, but they dont go in super deep like with the original Powerbeats pro. Now shallow fitting in ear earbuds like these are good cause they are a little more comfortable and they feel less intrusive than standard fitting in ear earbuds… the problem is they do tend to wiggle out a little more easily. But the main selling point of the Powerbeats pro 2 is that they have full on ear hooks, so no matter how hard you try, these earbuds should stay in place. Now the ear fins found on the Beats Fit pro also do a decent job of staying in place, however it is still possible for these earbuds to wiggle out… or since these ear fins aren’t customizable, this system might not work for everyone. Where as with the ear hooks that you’ll find on the Powerbeats pro, these should be compatible with everyone, and you also get a lot of other silicon ear tips to choose from. So the Powerbeats Pro 2 fit very well and they offer you a super secure fit thanks to their ear hooks, and this is their most obvious selling point point.
Now connectivity on these earbuds is very Apple standard. Each earbud establishes a connection with your phone so you can use one earbud at a time, it doesn’t matter. And since these are using Apple’s H2 chip, one of the many benefits is that when you connect these earbuds to your phone, they will automatically be paired with all of your apple devices associated to your apple account so you can easily hot swap between your devices. But even if you’re an android user, they’ll still connect to your phone without any issues as well. And wether you’re an iPhone or an android user, latency is not an issue for these earbuds so you can use them to watch videos with on your phone.
But now lets talk about actually listening to music with these earbuds. So just as you’d expect, the Powerbeats pro 2 are going to sound a lot better than the original Powerbeats pro which are like 5 years old now. They sound more open and crisp. And a major difference between these earbuds and both the Beats Fit Pro and the Beats Studio Buds Plus is that they have an adaptive EQ. And both the Powerbeats Pro 2 and the Beats Studio Buds Plus have spatial audio. However, im not the biggest fan of how the Powerbeats pro 2 sound… now for context the AirPods 4 have been my daily drivers and workout earbuds since October 2024 and before that I was using the AirPods Pro 2’s as my daily drivers. My issue with the Powerbeats Pro 2 is that they dont sound as open as either AirPods, their highs are a little too emphasized, and they bass doesn’t hit as hard as either the AirPods Pro 2 or AirPods 4. And if played around with different ear tips and if used them with their spatial audio turned on and off. Now dont get me wrong, the Powerbeats Pro 2 sound good, but I still prefer the sound coming out of either the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4. Their bass is richer, they sound more balanced and they sound more open.
But when it comes to the media controls on these earbuds, they have the same set up as the original Powerbeats pro, they have a volume rocker on each earbud so you can adjust your volume up and down and they have a physical button so you can play and pause your music. And the important thing here is, both earbuds have these buttons, so effectively you can fully control your media playback all from one earbud. Which is something that you can do with either the Beats Fit pro or the Beats Studio Buds. The only thing is, I kind of wish that these earbuds had swiping gestures like with the AirPods Pro 2… but given that these are aimed at athletes, maybe the phsyciall buttons are a better call cause maybe you’re wearing gloves or your earbuds are drenched in sweat. But also you can always activate Siri with just your voice.
Also, since these earbuds are aimed at athletes, another major new feature on them is that they have built in heart rate monitors. However, if you have an apple watch, your watch’s heart rate monitor is going to collect that data for you. However, if you’re a weight lifter and you like to wear wrist wraps or wrist straps, then the Powerbeats pro 2 will allow you to still monitor your heart rate while you workout.
But then theres the active noise cancelation on these earbuds. And overall, Apple does active noise cancelation very well on their earbuds. Their headphones on the other hand like the AirPods Max or beats studio pro, not so much. However, dont expect these earbuds to block out as much noise as a proper pair of over ear ANC headphones like either the Sony 1000XM5’s, Bose QC Ultra, or AirPods Max.
But when it comes to ANC rankings within the apple eco system, the AirPods Pro 2 are still number one, followed by the Powerbeats Pro 2, below them are the Beats Fit pro, below them are the AirPods 4 and below them are the Beats Studio Buds Plus. So the Powerbeats pro 2 are defiantly going to be able to block out your gyms music and you’ll be able to block out noise pollution like people running on treadmills. And most importantly, the power beats pro 2 are able to block out this noise without causing you any headaches like with the original AirPods.
But also, the Powerbeats Pro 2 have an ambient mode where they will pump in all of the sound around you, and this is going to be especially good if you’re running out doors, you’ll be able to hear traffic. And as always, apple has a very natural sounding ambient mode, its almost like you’re not wearing earbuds. and their microphone array does a really good job of rejecting wind noise when walking outdoors. And just like with the AirPods Pro 2, their ambient mode will also protect your hearing from sudden loud sounds, which is great for when a siren I rolling by or if a dog starts barking.
But something thats missing on the Powerbeats Pro 2 is conversation awareness, which is something that you’ll find on both the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 where when you start talking, they’ll automatically lower the volume of your music so that you can talk to someone. Now this is a feature that I never use on my AirPods, but I think this feature would have been super useful on the Powerbeats Pro 2 especially if you have a workout partner or if you workout in groups.
20 - Beats Fit Pro (black) Quiet
But finally heres the microphone test. Now sadly I can’t include the original Powerbeats Pro cause those are long dead. But these are the Beats Fit Pro, and this mic doesn’t sound all that great cause these earbuds are the oldest ones here.
21 - Studio Quiet
But then these are the beats studio buds plus and these sound a lot better by comparison while in a quiet room, and I feel that they better sound better cause these are newer.
22 Pro 2 Quiet
But finally here are the Powerbeats pro 2 and these sound a lot better as well, and personally I am not surprised cause apple has just been killing it on their microphones ever since the AirPods Pro 2 came out.
Pro 2 Road Noise
Specifically, apples newer earbuds all have been doing a super impressive job of dealing with noise pollution. Cause right now, the Powerbeats pro 2 are doing a super impressive job of blocking out this road noise. Cause for comparison sake, if we were to switch over to my lapel microphone, you’re going to clearly hear all of this road noise, but if we were to switch back over to the Powerbeats pro 2, it is severely reduced.
Studio Raid Noise
Now the Beats Studio Buds Plus are also doing a really good job of blocking out all of this road noise, however my voice doesn’t sound as clear as with the power beats pro 2.
Beats Fit Pro Road Noise
And finally here are the beats fit pro which are trying to block out this road noise, but you can still hear a lot of it in the background.
Beats Fit pro Chatter
And its the same thing when it comes to blocking out chatter, they’re trying, but they have a lot of interference going on with my voice.
Studio Chatter
And then here are the Beats Studio Buds Plus, now these are blocking out this chatter, but now my voice is super pushed down.
Powerbeats Pro 2 Chatter
And finally here are the Powerbeats pro 2, and these are also blocking out chatter, but they are also pushing down on my voice, but a little less than the Beats Studio Buds Plus. But for comparison sake, if we were to switch over to my lapel microphone you’re going to clearly hear all of this chatter, and if we were to switch back over to the Powerbeats pro 2, it is slightly reduced. Overall these earbuds have a very good performing microphone on them to take phone calls with, but I would avoid taking phone calls with them in an area with a lot of chatter.
But with all of that being said, the Powerbeats Pro 2 are a pair of very good workout earbuds that offer you ear hooks so you never have to worry about your earbuds falling out while you’re working out… their case is now reasonably small for earbuds with ear hooks, and they offer you a super long battery life so you can go multiple workouts in between charges. The Powerbeats pro 2 also block out noise so you can ignore your gym’s playlist, or they can pump in sound so you can stay safe while working out while outdoors. However, you can clearly see that apple is still gatekeeping certain features that you’ll find on AirPods from the Powerbeats Pro 2. I think that its unfortunate that you cant charge this case with your apple watch charger, you dont have conversation awareness, the mics aren’t as good as AirPods, and I personally prefer how AirPods sound over the Powerbeats pro 2. If you’re an athlete that needs ear hooks and a super secure fit, yeah these are good, but as a weight lifter and someone that likes to jump rope for cardio, is still prefer my AirPods 4.