Apple’s upcoming fitness-focused earbuds, Powerbeats Pro 2, could launch as soon as next week, according to Apple analyst Mark Gurman. We’ve already seen several leaks over the past few weeks that revealed the design and key specs of the earbuds. Now, this latest report adds more weight to the previous leaks while also revealing a possible launch date and US pricing.
Gurman says the Powerbeats Pro 2 will officially launch on Tuesday, February 11 and will cost $250 in the US. We’re told the new earbuds will feature an Apple H2 chip, the same chip that’s inside the AirPods Pro 2—in other words, expect a big boost to audio performance, noise cancellation, and battery efficiency over the original Powerbeats Pro. In addition to generational improvements, there’s a novelty: an optical heart rate sensor built directly into earbuds for monitoring your workout performance. This was already detailed in multiple leaks and is now being corroborated by Gurman.
As seen in leaked photos, the Powerbeats Pro 2 will feature an updated design with svelte ear hooks and come in at least four colorways: Jet Black, Hyper Purple, Quick Sand, and Electic Orange. Details about battery life, charging, and water resistance aren’t known yet but it won’t be far-fetched to expect modest improvements in these areas—after all, the original Powerbeats Pro ($153.49 on Amazon) launched all the way back in 2019.
Meanwhile, the European pricing is expected to be around €299.95, as per a previous leak from Deallabs and @billbil_kun.
Source(s)
Mark Gurman via Bloomberg