After months of teasing glimpses of Powerbeats Pro 2, the fitness-oriented wireless earbuds will launch next week, if a report from a generally reliable source proves accurate. The updated earbuds reportedly will mark a significant milestone for Apple — its first earbuds with built-in heart-rate monitoring. If you’re planning to use these earbuds with an Android device, you might find this guide on how to pair Powerbeats Pro to Android helpful.
This comes as Apple continues to expand its ecosystem, including new developments like Beats Fit Pro 2 that enhance user experience across devices.
More Apple earbuds with health-related features
Apple made wireless earbuds a “must have” product with the original AirPods, and now builds on that legacy by transforming its wearables with health-related features. That started when a software upgrade in October turned AirPods Pro 2 into genuine medical-grade hearing aids. And now, Powerbeats Pro 2 apparently will continue the trend.
Those wearing these truly wireless headphones will be able to monitor their heart rate, according to a tip sent to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. This would save athletes from wearing an Apple Watch for this health-monitoring feature — just a pair of earbuds would do the trick. However, an iPhone surely will be necessary to collect the data.
Other features coming to the next top-tier Powerbeats include “the same H2 chip as the AirPods, better noise cancellation, and new colors, including an impressive orange,” said Gurman.
A collection of Apple employees regularly leak information to the Bloomberg reporter, allowing him to make frequently accurate predictions about future iPhone, Mac, iPad and accessory releases.
Powerbeats Pro 2 launch date: February 2
Apple made no secret of Powerbeats Pro 2’s imminent arrival. It dropped multiple teasers of athletes — including Major League Baseball star Shohei Ohtani — wearing the earbuds over the past few months. But Cupertino kept the technical details on the down low.
The launch date also remained unknown. Until Sunday … maybe. Sources inside Apple told Bloomberg that the Powerbeats Pro 2 debut on Tuesday, February 11.
The fitness-oriented wireless earbuds should cost $249. That’s the same list price as the AirPods Pro 2. (You can currently pick up AirPods Pro 2 on sale for $169.)
Ed Hardy has been writing full-time about tech for 25 years, and using it for much longer than that. His intro to Apple was a Macintosh Classic II (which he still has), but now he uses a 13-inch iPad Pro as his primary computer. He’s written for NotebookReview, TabletPCReview, and Brighthand, as well as other sites.
