Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 launched in India, brings heart rate monitoring through ears to users
Among the athletes, those with active lifestyle and fitness enthusiasts, Powerbeats is a familiar name. Now, Beats is launching the PowerBeats Pro 2 in India. The Pro 2, which will go on open sale in India from February 13, are premium earbuds aimed at fitness enthusiasts. But unlike other premium earbuds, the Pro 2 comes with a truly unique feature — a heart rate sensor which allows each bud to monitor and report heart rate during a workout. Apart from the new feature-set, the Pro 2 buds also come with a redesigned ear hook and significant upgrades to sound, battery life, and call performance. Another noteworthy improvement is Active Noise Cancellation (ANC), complete with the Transparency mode.
Beats, which is an Apple company, is in a way marrying the Apple AirPods Pro 2 with the specific requirements that athletes or fitness enthusiasts have from their earbuds. It also, in some ways, feels like the next-generation AirPods Pro 3.
Beats said that the Powerbeats Pro 2 can be ordered today from Apple India website. It will go on open sale in a couple of days in four colours — Jet Black, Quick Sand, Hyper Purple, and Electric Orange. In India, the Powerbeats Pro 2 has been priced at Rs 29,900.
“Powerbeats Pro 2 is the most impressive product in Beats’ history — developed to withstand intense training sessions and equipped with our most innovative technology and powerful sound,” said Oliver Schusser, Apple’s vice president of Music, Sports, and Beats. “Now with Heart Rate Monitoring for workouts, Active Noise Cancellation, and Transparency mode, Powerbeats Pro 2 sets a new standard in audio for fitness.”
To offer its heart-rate monitoring the Pro 2 uses LED optical sensors, which are housed in each bud. These sensors pulse over 100 times per second to measure blood flow, and the data is fine-tuned into heartbeats and then is shared with a compatible app.
Like other Apple products, the Powerbeats Pro 2 also works best when paired with an iPhone or other Apple products. Inside it uses the Apple-designed H2 and it offers up to 45 hours of battery life with the charging case. Talking of case, it too has received some significant upgrades. It can now charge the buds faster — 5 minutes of charging equals roughly 90 minute of playback time — despite the case being 35 per cent smaller. The Powerbeats Pro 2 case is also the first Beats case to support wireless charging.
Beats on Tuesday also launched the “Listen to Your Heart” campaign to coincide with the arrival of the Powerbeats Pro 2. The campaign brings together LeBron James, Lionel Messi, and Shohei Ohtani as each of them incorporates the Powerbeats Pro 2 in their fitness routine.
