A successor to Beats’ iconic workout headphones is finally here. The Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 continue with the same ear hook design as their predecessors but with a more minimal build, better battery life, audio upgrades including an active noise cancellation mode and, a first for Beats and Apple, heart rate monitoring.

The original Beats Powerbeats Pro have featured across our print and digital pages since the first iteration launched in 2019. I’ve personally reached for them over other Beats headphones whenever I’ve needed earbuds that are comfortable over long distances, stay put throughout gym and run sessions, and deliver clear, punchy audio.

With the Powerbeats Pro 2, Beats have taken this winning formula and enhanced it. Slimmer, lighter and more comfortable than ever before, Beats have added a bunch of additional audio functionalities and lifestyle smarts that elevate the new Powerbeats Pro 2 to as much day-to-day workhorses as dedicated workout headphones.

Beats Powerbeats Pro 2

Cons

• Pricey
• Waterproof rating not the best
• Heart rate monitoring difficult to use

Taking the Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 for a spin

Having got my hands on a pair of the Powerbeats Pro 2 three weeks ahead of launch, I set about testing them while I was training for a Hyrox event. That meant plenty of high-intensity gym sessions with lots of movement, coupled with around 30km of running each week out on the road and on the treadmill. In total, I logged around 20 hours of activity with them, plus numerous hours sat at my desk and on my daily commute.

I’m no audiophile, but I like to think I can tell when a pair of headphones sound good or not. The Powerbeats Pro 2 definitely falls into the former camp. Powered by the same Apple H2 chip found in the latest Apple AirPods Pro 2, each earbud pumps out clear, punchy audio with plenty of bass.

The Powerbeats Pro 2 also benefit from three listening modes, including an Adaptive EQ mode that automatically adjusts the low and mid frequencies to suit the shape of your ears and the environment around you, as well as a transparency mode that gives you a more natural listening experience and situational awareness when you need it.

But it’s the new active noise cancellation that’s likely to command the headlines. The old Powerbeats didn’t have ANC, relying instead solely on a tight seal around the silicone ear-tips to block out external noises, which all relied on having a consistently secure fit. The addition of the ANC software significantly reduces unwanted background noise and demands less from the ear-tips, which is a boon for blocking out external sounds both in the gym or in the office. I wouldn’t say it’s the best ANC I’ve ever experienced, but it does a decent job at muffling the loud sounds of the gym and giving your ears some respite in busy settings. Wind was an issue, but I found that I could mitigate this with a good ear tip seal.

Powerbeats Pro 2 earbuds are 20% lighter than the previous version

The Powerbeats Pro 2 are 20% lighter than the previous Powerbeats Pro thanks to their slimmer profile and more minimal shape. The ear hooks are 50% smaller than before and now house a nickel-titanium alloy wiring that makes each bud more comfortable, while still maintaining the secure fit than made the previous iterations so good. The conforming properties of new the ear hook material also makes them more pliable than on the Powerbeats Pro, reverting back to their original even after I bent and twisted them.

At first, I wasn’t sold on the fit of the Powerbeats Pro 2, which come fitted as standard with ‘medium’ sized ear tips. They were too small for me, which meant that sweat pooled into my ears whenever I worked out, which affected the not only the fit, but the effectiveness of the ANC. But I’m happy to report that both of those problems abated once I’d completed Apple’s Ear Tip Fit Test and switched-in the ‘large’ sized ear-tips, which locked each earbud in more securely and stopped sweat from gathering inside my ear.

The Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 are priced at £249.95 and come in four colours – Jet Black, Quick Sand, Hyper Purple, and Electric Orange.

The battery performance of the Powerbeats Pro 2 has seen a big improvement from the Powerbeats Pro. Beats claims the former now delivers up to 10 hours of continuous playback and 3.5 additional charges from the case compared to the Powerbeats Pro.

You can also get up to a maximum of 45 total hours of playback combined with the charging case before you need to recharge when you’re not using ANC. With the Fast Fuel charging feature, a quick 5-minute charge also gives you 90 minutes of playback if you’re ever out of juice when you’re heading out the door for a workout.

As for the charging case, you’ll be pleased to hear that it’s significantly smaller than the Powerbeats Pro – 33% smaller, to be exact. It’s still not small by any means, but it will now at least fit in your pocket.

The Powerbeats Pro 2 stick with the same IPX4 water and dust resistance rating as the Powerbeats Pro, meaning they can withstand splashes of water from any direction. Beats say the Pro 2 have also passed Apple’s full suite of reliability testing. However, they’re certainly not the most rugged workout headphones you’ll find. Switching from my go-to workout headphones, which are IP68-rated, it certainly feels like a downgrade as far as durability goes.

Sensors in both the left and right earbuds measure your heart rate every five seconds during workouts.

Interestingly, Beats have introduced heart rate monitoring to the Powerbeats Pro 2 – a first for both Beats and Apple. Utilising the same tech used in the Apple Watch, each earbud has green LED sensors, photodiodes, optical lenses and accelerometers that measure your heart rate optically during exercise. The data gets processed by Apple’s custom algorithm, giving you a heart rate reading inside the Apple Health app when an activity is logged using a third-party app, like Nike Run Club, Runna or Peloton.

If you use an Apple Watch to track your workouts, your watch readings will override those gathered by the earbuds. Which does make me wonder what the point is of the earbuds having heart rate monitoring. Then again, this is only Apple’s first move into heart rate monitoring headphones.

With the extra day-to-day upgrades the Powerbeats Pro 2 has received, the heart rate monitoring may well be a handy addition for budding athletes who perhaps can’t afford a smartwatch or chest strap, or indeed two separate pairs of headphones for workouts and day-to-day use, but would still would benefit from the heart rate coaching capabilities of third-party apps. That might sound niche – and the £249.99 price tag certainly tests that line of thinking – but I’m sure there are nonetheless users out there who fit this bill.

I have to admit, I’m yet to properly make sense of the heart rate tracking, or, indeed, get it to work properly. Attempts to connect the Powerbeats Pro 2 to both Strava and Nike Run Club failed on my first couple of tried, but I plan to experiment further and report back.

The Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 are a massive upgrade on the Powerbeats Pro. The audio is clear, loud and punchy. The new ANC mode, while not the best out there, is plenty capable of blocking out and muffling nearby sounds. While the new transparency mode makes outdoor runs that much safer.

There are more rugged headphones out there if you’re looking for something that can withstand the extremes of rain, sweat and even water submersion. But the IPX4 rating against water ingress is still nonetheless plenty for most users and enough to stand up to downpours and sweaty workouts.

At this stage, I think the new heart rate monitoring features are a bit of a novelty. But I acknowledge that I can’t speak for people who don’t own a smartwatch or chest strap and who might benefit from the third-party integrations.

In the end, the sheer volume of new features and upgrades make what was an already recommendable pair of workout-friendly headphones even more so. The long-lasting comfort, super secure fit, new range of audio modes, better battery life, new day-to-day functionalities, smaller charging case and new heart rate monitoring features make the Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 an excellent buy for all manner of fitness types in 2025.

Luke Chamberlain is the ecommerce editor for Men’s Health UK where he compiles expert-led buying guides and in-depth product reviews across gym wear, fitness tech, supplements, and grooming. Responsible for testing everything from the latest gym headphones to the best manscaping tools, Luke also enlists the help of leading health and wellness experts to help readers make informed choices when shopping online – whether it’s to debunk the latest viral hair growth trend or to get the lowdown on a new type of recovery tech. He also covers major sales events for Men’s Health, such as Black Friday and Amazon Prime Day, scouting and verifying hundreds of discounts in order to recommend only the most genuine deals on offer. A magazine journalism graduate from the University of Sheffield in 2018, Luke has also worked as assistant editor for Outdoor Swimmer magazine and as an ecommerce writer for The Recommended. When he’s not testing the latest health and fitness products, he’s busy plotting routes for his next trail run or gravel ride out of London. Follow Luke on Instagram at @lukeochamb