The time is nigh for Beats to reveal a highly-anticipated successor product. According to Bloomberg, the Powerbeats Pro 2 will finally arrive on February 11, nearly half a decade after the first iteration hit the shelves.
Back in September last year, Beats shared a short teaser featuring MLB hotshot Shohei Ohtani wearing the upcoming hook-style wireless earbuds. Golf stars Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy were also spotted wearing the earbuds in the TGL golf league recently.
The Powerbeats Pro earbuds have consistently appeared among the sports fraternity, but they are also a hot favorite among fitness enthusiasts for their rich bass and great fit. The second-gen model will keep the original’s fundamental looks, but with a few key changes in tow.
Built for Shohei Ohtani. pic.twitter.com/78Vz7ondq5
— Beats by Dre (@beatsbydre) September 4, 2024
The stem is thinner on the Powerbeats Pro 2, the logo is more minimalist, and most importantly, the central button has apparently been removed in favor of touch-based controls. The side-mounted physical buttons are here to stay.
The upcoming Beats earbuds are getting a new H2 chip, which is already doing its magic on mainline Apple products such as AirPods Pro 2. As per leaked imagery, the charging case is also going to shrink its footprint, which is a welcome shift.
Of course, new color options will be on the table. So far, we have seen them in black and a shade of beige. As per Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, “an impressive orange” hue will also greet buyers, a claim that leaks have also backed
The most notable addition will be support for heart rate monitoring, a feature that will reportedly make its way to the AirPods family in the near future, too. These won’t be the first earbuds to offer this health convenience, however.
What is going to surprise eager shoppers, is the sticker price. According to the Bloomberg report, the Powerbeats Pro 2 will hit the shelves carrying a sticker price of $250.
That’s the same asking price as the first-gen Powerbeats Pro earbuds. We have also heard chatter about support for noise cancellation, but we are not sure if it’s the true ANC-type or passive noise isolation.
Going by the leaks, it seems Active Noise Cancellation is finally making its way to the Powerbeats. The absence of noise cancellation would have been a real shame on the Powerbeats Pro 2, considering the fact that this sonic convenience is already available on the significantly cheaper Beats Studio Buds earbuds.
