It appears Dr. Dre and Mr. Iovine had a few more pieces of pre-Apple hardware up their sleeves to be released in the wake of Apple’s renowned $3 billion acquisition of Beats Electronics. After releasing the Beats Solo 2 on the first of the month, the company today unveiled what it’s calling “the next generation of performance earphones,” the Powerbeats2 Wireless Earphones.
Inspired by Lebron James, the Powerbeats2 are built to propel you through your workout, so that you too can become a hall of fame basketball player – or at least break that 7-minute mile you’ve been gunning for. These earphones are made to move, melding to your head via their adjustable tether at the back for a tight fit. The wrap-around earpieces are slim and lightweight, and their IPX4-rated water-resistance shrugs off the sweat, so you can shrug off the temptation to slow down.
In contrast to a lot of sports earphones we encounter, it appears Beats has paid nearly as much attention to the interior of the Powerbeats2 as their sleek exterior shells. Each earpiece is stalked with dual drivers, potentially allowing for some ample spreading of the wealth across the frequency spectrum. Beats claims the ‘phones deliver “Beats’ signature sound.” As we’ve discovered the company’s signature sound has eased off the bass a bit in recent iterations, we’re hoping the Powerbeats2 will follow suit and provide some balance to accompany the power.
The Bluetooth-powered ‘phones provide 6 hours of runtime per charge, or 1 hour of playback on a 15 minute “quick charge.” On board control is handled by a small inline remote piece set along the connecting cable, allowing for volume and track control, as well as hands-free calling. The earphones also come with a hardshell case for safe transport.
You don’t have to be Lebron James to afford these earphones, but at $200, it wouldn’t hurt. We’ll likely be pulling them in soon for a review, so we’ll let you know if they’re worth the cash.
The Powerbeats2 will be available online and at select retailers in the coming weeks, and will be available in stores nationwide in July. If you’re hoping to get into a piece of Beats gear before the Apple era begins, these very well may be your last chance.
