Beats put a heart rate monitor in these, which is the headline, and it’s also the part I’d tell you to ignore. The Powerbeats Pro 2 launched at $249.99 running Apple’s H2 chip, with noise cancelling that reduces external sound by an average of 83%, roughly matching AirPods Pro 2. The earhooks are redesigned around a nickel-titanium alloy and the buds are about 20% smaller than the originals. Battery is around 8 hours with cancelling on, 45 total with the case, which now charges wirelessly. IPX4, five tip sizes.
With cancelling on these sound genuinely good, scoring 4.6 out of 5 on measured audio quality with an energetic, bass-forward tuning that suits a workout. There’s a catch worth knowing: switch the cancelling off and measured sound quality drops to 3.8. The processing is doing real work, so if you’re someone who runs outdoors with transparency on, you’re hearing the weaker version of these earbuds most of the time. That’s an odd trade for a product aimed at exactly that person.
The fit is the best thing here by a distance. The over-ear hooks give one of the most secure fits I’ve worn, and it’s the thing everyone singles out. Forty-five hours total is best-in-class for premium workout buds. Now the honest part about the heart rate monitor. Run it against a chest strap and you get frequent dropouts and wildly inaccurate readings, it struggles to work reliably while music is also streaming, and pairing it to Garmin, Peloton, or Strava is limited. Treat it as a bonus that sometimes works, not a reason to buy.
H2 gives you the instant Apple pairing experience, but there’s no Bluetooth multipoint, and moving between Apple and non-Apple devices means disconnecting and reconnecting manually. IPX4 is sweat and splash only, which is underwhelming on a $250 workout earbud when cheaper rivals manage IP68. The case charges over USB-C or wirelessly, though it’s noticeably bigger and heavier than an AirPods Pro case. Extended wear can create pressure behind the ears after a few hours, which is the earhook tax.
Buy these if you work out hard, own an iPhone, and want earbuds that will not move no matter what you do. On that specific brief they’re excellent and the battery is unmatched. Skip them if you’re buying for the heart rate sensor, because it does not hold up when it’s tested properly, or if you need multipoint across an iPhone and a work laptop that isn’t a Mac. The natural comparison is the AirPods Pro 3, and Beats Fit Pro is the cheaper non-earhook option in the same family. Buy them for the fit, not the sensor.
Pros
• The most secure fit in the category, by common agreement
• 45 hours total with the case, best in class
• ANC averaging 83% reduction, matching AirPods Pro 2
• Case finally charges wirelessly
Cons
• Heart rate monitor tested as unreliable and often inaccurate
• Sound quality drops noticeably with ANC turned off
• IPX4 only, weak for a $250 workout earbud
• No multipoint, and awkward across non-Apple devices
Our score: 7.9/10