Apple has officially launched the long-awaited Powerbeats Pro 2, nearly six years after the original model hit the market. The new headphones maintain the familiar ear hook design, ideal for workouts, while delivering significant upgrades in sound quality, battery life, and health monitoring features.

The Powerbeats Pro 2 introduces built-in heart rate monitoring, a major expansion of Apple's healthcare features. This feature is triggered during workouts, providing real-time data via LED optical sensors. The monitoring is compatible with several leading fitness apps, including Open, Peloton, Runna, Sloves, Ladder, Nike Run Club, and YaoYao. Notably, popular running app Strava is absent from the list.

The Powerbeats Pro 2 is a significant addition to Apple's growing health portfolio, which currently revolves around the Apple Watch. The Watch has evolved to include features like ECG readings, fall detection, sleep tracking, and more, providing a comprehensive picture of the wearer's health. The expansion of health features to the Beats line could signal the introduction of heart rate monitoring in future AirPods updates, although this would require significant hardware upgrades.

The new headphones are powered by Apple's H2 chip, which debuted on the AirPods Pro 2 in 2022. This proprietary silicon is credited with the significant improvements in battery life. The buds themselves offer 10 hours of battery life, up from 9 hours in the previous model, while the charging case has seen a substantial boost from 24 to 45 hours. Apple has achieved this while reducing the footprint of the original Powerbeats Pro's case.

Sound quality has also seen significant upgrades, with the addition of Spatial Audio with head tracking, the same noise-canceling technology found on the AirPods Pro 2, and Adaptive EQ, which adjusts audio quality to match the wearer's ear. The ear hooks now feature nickel alloy for improved strength, and the buds' overall weight has decreased by 20%.

Apple has tested the Powerbeats Pro 2 on 1,000 athletes to create a more universal fit. The headphones also boast an IPX4 sweat resistance rating, the same as the AirPods, and feature wireless charging and a USB-C port, replacing the Lightning port.

The Powerbeats Pro 2 are available online starting today, priced at $250, the same as their predecessors. They will hit store shelves on February 13. Apple is supporting the launch with a significant advertising campaign, featuring endorsements from star athletes like LeBron James, Lionel Messi, and Shohei Ohtani.

The Powerbeats Pro 2 marks a significant milestone in Apple's bid to expand its healthcare features and solidify its position in the wearables market. With its enhanced sound quality, improved battery life, and innovative health monitoring features, the new headphones are poised to be a major hit among fitness enthusiasts and music lovers alike.