So the Powerbeats pro 2 have some major upgrades to them that make them a great pair of workout earbuds. They have ear hooks so they are going to give you a super secure fit, they have a noticeably small case for a pair of earbuds with earhooks, they have a very long combined battery life, and they have active noise cancellation and they have built in heart rate monitors. However, apple is gate keeping some important features from the Powerbeats pro 2 so that they dont eat into their AirPods sales. So today we’re going to see how the Powerbeats pro 2 compare to both the AirPods Pro 2 and the AirPods 4… and lets see which ones are right for you.
Regarding pricing, the Powerbeats Pro 2 have a retail price of $250… the same as the AirPods Pro 2… and these earbuds are very different from one another. Then there are the AirPods 4 with ANC, and these are my daily drivers for everything… and they have a retail price of $180. Now you can get them without ANC for $130… but today we’re going to be talking about the ones with ANC. Nonetheless, if you want to pick any of these earbuds 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 cause there is actually a lot going on here. Now the Powerbeats Pro 2’s case is noticeably larger than these AirPods cases, but that’s perfectly fine cause these earbuds have built in ear hooks. So this case isn’t going to be the best while its in your pocket, but I assume that these are going to live in your gym bag. The important thing here is, this case is noticeably smaller than the original Powerbeats pro’s case. But when compared to either the AirPods Pro 2’s case or the AirPods 4 case, the Powerbeats Pro 2’s case is huge. But in general, AirPods have always had the smallest cases on the market, so these cases are great for everyday use cause they are super easy to throw into your pocket and they aren’t all that noticeable.
But when it comes to charging these cases, they all charge via a USB C port, which is great. And they all have wireless charging, which is also great. However, the Powerbeats pro 2’s case cannot be charged with your apple watch charger. And as someone that has an apple watch, and I usually charge my AirPods with my apple watch charger… this was a very big disappointment. Now you can still charge your Powerbeats Pro 2 with your mag safe charger… but the AirPods Pro 2 is the only case here that will properly line up with your mag safe charger. With both the Powerbeats Pro 2 and AirPods 4… you gotta make sure that you line them up properly and you better not move them.
But also, there are the tracking capabilities with these cases. First off with both the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 with ANC… both of these cases have built in speakers, so you can make your cases play a notification for when you eventually lose them, cause it will happen. But also, with both AirPods you can track them down with the Find my app. Now with the AirPods Pro 2, the find my app will give you a distance and direction so its easier to track them them down. Where as with the AirPods 4… these like you play a game of hot and cold with you… you can still track them… but the AirPods Pro 2 are better.
But then there are the Powerbeats Pro 2, now they work with the Find my app, but they are just going to tell you when and where was the last time that they were connected to your phone. And you can make the earbuds play a notification… but they can only do that when they are outside of their case. So, the Powerbeats Pro 2 just lack the traceability that AirPods offer you, which I feel is a pretty big deal cause this helps protect your overall investment into your earbuds.
But then theres the battery life on these earbuds, and this is where the Powerbeats pro 2 really stand out in general. These earbuds 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.
But then there are the AirPods Pro 2 which have an advertised combined battery life of 30 hours with their ANC turned on. And the AirPods 4 have an advertised combined battery life of 20 hours with their ANC turned on. And with both of these, if you use them with their ANC turned off, you can extend their battery life… but regardless the Powerbeats Pro 2 have way better battery life than both of these AirPods.
Now like I mentioned before, I love my Airpods 4, they’re my daily drivers. But what I dont like about them is their battery life. As someone that used to daily drive the AirPods Pro 2… and I only use the ANC on my earbuds when I have too… which is almost never… I constantly have to remember to charge these earbuds cause they just dont keep up with the AirPods Pro 2. But this a sacrifice that you have to make given their super small and conviente case.
But now lets talk about the earbuds themselves. Now what makes the Powerbeats Pro 2’s special is that they have ear hooks so no matter how much you move around, these should stay in place no matter what. And ear hooks are more secure and they should be compatible for more people than lets say ear fins that you’ll find on major other earbuds out there. But also, the Powerbeats Pro 2 are in ear earbuds. But these are shallow fitting in ear earbuds like the AirPods Pro 2. And shallow fitting in ear earbuds are little more comfortable than standard in ear earbuds cause they aren’t as intrusive. But the problem with shallow fitting in ear earbuds is that they do tend to wiggle out a little easier… especially the AirPods Pro 2 when you’re working out with them and youre sweaty. And then there are the AirPods 4… and these just rest in the bowl of your ears. So they aren’t going to passive block out noise like with either the AirPods Pro 2 or Powerbeats Pro 2… but ironically, these do a much better job of staying in place while working out than the AirPods Pro 2… I actually use these to weight lift and jump rope with, and they dont fall out as much as the AirPods Pro 2. So if you’re an athlete or if you do action sports and you need the best lock down from your earbuds, then you’ll want to go with the Powerbeats Pro 2 cause of their ear hooks. Also the Powerbeats pro 2 are more durable and water resistant than AirPods. But if you’re a weight lifter like me and if you’re looking for a pair of earbuds for the gym… I think the AirPods 4 are better than the AirPods Pro 2, and my AirPods are constantly drenched in sweat, and they are fine.
And when it comes to connectivity, all of these earbuds are the same. Each earbud establishes a connection with your phone so if you just want to use one earbud at a time you can use either one, it doesn’t matter. Therye all compatible with either an iphone or an android device and latency is not an issue for any of these earbuds so you can use them to watch videos with on your phone.
But with all of that out of the way, lets talk about sound. Now all three off these earbuds have an adaptive EQ and they all have spacial audio… but plainly put, both AirPods sound much better than the Powerbeats Pro 2. With the Powerbeats pro 2, their highs are too harsh, they dont sound as open and their bass doesn’t resonate as deep or hit as hard. One of the main reasons why I dont like to use my Powerbeats Pro 2 while working out is cause I prefer how my AirPods 4 sound. Now the AirPods 4 have a very bass heavy eq, but their highs and vocals still manage to stay very well defined. But with the AirPods Pro 2, since these are in ear earbuds, they do manage to block out noise pollution so you are going to get better detail in the mids and they are going to sound more open. But overall the Powerbeats Pro 2 sound good enough to get the job done… but both the AirPods 4 and AirPods Pro 2 easily sound much better than the Powerbeats pro 2.
But then there are the media controls on these earbuds. Again since the Powerbeats Pro 2 are aimed at athletes, these have physical buttons. So you can control your music and adjust your volume directly from either earbud and since these are physical buttons they should work even if you have gloves on. Now the AirPods Pro 2 also allow you to fully control your media playback from either earbud, but the difference here is they their stems have swiping gestures. And I really like these swiping gestures… but they dont work if you have gloves on. And then there are the AirPods 4… now you can squeeze their stems to play or pause your music and to skip through your music… but you cant adjust your volume. And again, I love my AirPods 4… but I really miss having those swiping gestures.
But also, since the Powerbeats Pro 2 are aimed at athletes, these are the only earbuds here that have heart rate monitors… however, if you already have an apple watch, your apple watch is going to monitor your heart rate. The heart rate monitor on the Powerbeats Pro 2 only matters if you dont workout with an apple watch or any other fitness tracking device.
But then theres the ANC on these earbuds. And the ANC on all of these earbuds is really good, even on the AirPods 4 which is super impressive cause they aren’t in ear earbuds. However, I do want to taper expectations here. Dont expect the ANC on 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 the 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 it seems like apple is holding the Powerbeats pro 2 back cause the AirPods Pro 2 do block out noticeably more noise than the Powerbeats Pro 2. And the AirPods Pro 2 do a noticeably better job of blocking out chatter than the Powerbeats Pro 2. And then there are the AirPods 4, which for a pair of none in ear earbuds, these block out an impressive amount of noise. Now they dont block out as much noise as the Powerbeats pro 2… but they’ll be able to block out your gym’s music or people running on treadmills without any problems.
And all of these earbuds have an ambient mode, so they can pump in the sound around you so you can stay aware if you’re working out out side. And apple’s ambient mode on all of their earbuds is really good. However, another feature that the Powerbeats Pro 2 are missing here is conversation awareness. Now this is a feature that I never use on my AirPods, but you can set them so that when you start talking they will automatically lower the volume of your music and pump in all of the ambient sound around you so that you can talk to someone without having to touch your earbuds. And when you stop talking, they’ll go back to normal again. Now like I said, I never use this feature on my AirPods cause when I have them in I dont want people bothering me… but I think this feature would have been great on the Powerbeats pro 2 cause maybe you have a gym partner or you like to workout in groups.
And another minor feature that missing on the Powerbeats pro 2 is that they dont have the adaptive setting for their Active noise cancellation and ambient mode. Again, this is another feature that I dont use on my AirPods, and I dont miss it on the Powerbeats pro 2… but it feels like another feature that apple is gate keeping from the Powerbeats Pro 2.
Mic PB Quiet
And finally heres the microphone test… and all of these microphones perform very well.
Mic AirPods Pro 2 Quiet
But again I do feel that apple is gatekeeping some things from the Powerbeats pro 2 cause I feel that AirPods have a better sounding and better performing mics.
Mic AirPods 4 Quiet
And I actually feel that the AirPods 4 have a slightly better sounding microphone than the AirPods Pro 2.
Mic AirPods 4 Road Noise
Now all of these microphones do a super impressive job of dealing with noise pollution, cause right now the AirPods 4 are doing a very good 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 AirPods 4, it is severely reduced.
Mic AirPods Pro 2 Road Noise.
And the AirPods Pro 2 also do a very good job of blocking out this road noise. Overall apple just has some of the best performing microphones on their earbuds.
Mic Powerbeats pro 2 Road Noise
And the Powerbeats Pro 2 also do a very good job of dealing with all of this road noise, my voice sounds very clear.
Mic Powerbeats Pro 2 Chatter
But when it comes to blocking out chatter, the Powerbeats Pro 2 aren’t doing as good of a job. Theres a noticeable amount of interference going on with my voice and my voice is getting pushed down on.
Mic AirPods Pro 2 Chatter
Where as with both the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4… these do a slightly better job of dealing with this chatter.
Mic AirPods 4 Chatter
But again, for comparison sake, if we were to switch back over to my lapel microphone, you’re going to clealery hear all of this chatter, but if we were to switch over to my AirPods 4, it is severely reduced and these have slightly better clarity than the Powerbeats Pro 2. Overall all of these mics sound good and they do a good job of dealing with noise pollution… but AirPods do sound a little better than the Powerbeats pro 2.
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.