Apple, as you’ll know, has two headphone brands, Apple AirPods and Beats. It’s the second of those companies which just announced a new product, Beats Powerbeats Pro 2—and it’s just been released. While there are overlaps in the naming, the new Pro 2 from Beats is a very different product, with some features that outdo AirPods.
Beats Powerbeats Pro have a distinctive design with hooks that hang over the ears, making them especially secure in the ear when you’re running, for instance.
They come in a lot more colors than Apple’s in-ears (though since AirPods and AirPods Pro have only ever been released in white, that’s not difficult). There are four shades: Jet Black, Quick Sand (two words, not one, please note), Hyper Purple and Electric Orange. That last one is a particularly attractive, feisty shade.
There are plenty of things the new Beats share with the AirPods Pro 2, such as the price tag ($249), the H2 chip that powers them, active noise cancellation, personalized Spatial Audio, one-tough pairing and compatibility with the Find My app.
Beats Powerbeats Pro 2: Heart Rate Monitoring
But there are also big differences. One is a feature no Apple headphones have offered: a heart rate monitor. It works the same way the Apple Watch measures your heart rate on your wrist, that is optically. That’s pretty cool.
It’s designed to monitor your heart rate in a particular scenario, that is, when you’re doing a workout. For iOS users, this works with apps like Nike Run Club, Peloton, Open, Runna, Ladder and Slopes, for instance. On the iPhone, the heart rate monitoring starts and stops automatically. On Android, users must start the monitoring themselves.
Sure, Apple has its own specialties, such as the recently introduced Hearing Test and Hearing Aid capabilities, designed so people with moderate hearing loss can use AirPods Pro 2 to help them hear better.
The Beats earbuds have better battery life, around half as long again as AirPods Pro 2, but are heavier. Each Beats bud weighs 0.3 ounces, while an AirPod is 0.19 ounces.
While the similarities may make it harder to pick between AirPods and Beats, the two are distinctive enough to offer real choice.
