Apple (AAPL) Launches Powerbeats Pro2 with Advanced Features

Apple’s (AAPL, Financial) headphone brand Beats has unveiled the much-anticipated Powerbeats Pro2, a new earbud designed for athletes, featuring noise cancellation, heart rate monitoring, and an improved design. This marks Apple’s first foray into heart rate monitoring within its earbud lineup, signaling further expansion into the health domain.

The Powerbeats Pro2 integrates Apple’s H2 chip, allowing it to process generated data efficiently. Each earbud provides a 10-hour battery life, which extends up to 45 hours with the charging case. The H2 chip enables additional features like adaptive equalization and Active Noise Cancellation (ANC), with the support of transparency mode.

Apple has incorporated a tri-microphone design identical to the AirPods Pro2 to enhance call quality. Users can control these earbuds using voice commands or hardware buttons, including volume adjustments. The design improvements include refined ear hooks for better fitting and a 20% reduction in earbud casing size for a sleeker appearance.

The Powerbeats Pro2 is IPX4 certified, making it resistant to sweat and water splashes. Priced at $249, it will be available in stores this Thursday, maintaining the price of its predecessor. While compatible with Android devices, Apple users will have access to more features. Analysts predict that Powerbeats Pro2 will drive revenue growth in Apple’s wearables segment, which previously saw a decline in revenue from $11.9 billion to $11.7 billion in a recent quarterly report.