Apple’s Next-Gen Workout Earbuds Are Coming Soon. Here’s What I Want to See

The Beats Powerbeats Pro used to be my go-to wireless earbuds for working out. Their signature ear hooks fit my ears securely. They got really loud (a must for outdoor runs). And they paired easily with my iPhone — they essentially work just like AirPods.

But I haven’t recommended them for years. You see, the Powerbeats Pro were released in April 2019, making them nearly six years old, which is an eternity in wireless-earbud years.

And as tends to happen with workout earbuds, after years of exercising in them, my pair of Powerbeats Pro stopped working as they used to — most problematically, one earbud stopped holding a charge.

Photo by Tucker Bowe for Gear Patrol

Powerbeats Pro 2, coming soon

As of right now, you can still buy a pair of Powerbeats Pro from third-party sellers like Amazon and Best Buy — Apple and Beats stopped selling them this past fall — but I wouldn’t recommend doing so.

That’s because new Powerbeats Pro are supposedly right around the corner. Beats teased the next-gen earbuds back in early September — releasing a clip of baseball superstar Shohei Ohtani wearing them — and promising a “2025” release date.

And, according to Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman, the Powerbeats Pro 2 are expected to be released “imminently.”

A snugger, sportier fit

The released clips of the Beats’ next-generation Powerbeats Pro don’t give much away in terms of features, but it does give us a glimpse into what they’ll look and fit like.

The big difference is that the Powerbeats Pro 2 appear to have redesigned ear hooks that are made of silicone rather than plastic, making them more flexible and less rigid. Additionally, these ear hooks appear a little more angled and promise a tighter fit.

More “AirPods Pro” features

Given that the Powerbeats Pro have Apple’s H1 chip and work similarly to AirPods, it’s pretty much a given that the Powerbeats Pro 2 will have Apple’s latest and greatest chip, the H2. But while the original Powerbeats Pro lacked any real “Pro” features, that’s not expected to be the case with the Powerbeats Pro 2.

These next-gen wireless earbuds will reportedly have many of the same features as Apple’s current AirPods Pro 2, including active noise-canceling and transparency modes, as well as support for spatial audio. There’s even rumblings that they could have a built-in heart rate sensor, something than no AirPods current have.

And then there are the expected next-gen upgrades. The Powerbeats Pro 2 will undoubtedly have USB-C charging (instead of Lightning), as well as improved sound quality and a longer-lasting battery.

Photo by Tucker Bowe for Gear Patrol

Other features on my wishlist

As somebody who has worn the Powerbeats Pro for years, there are a few other features I hope Beats and Apple adds to these next-gen models.

First and foremost, I hope they have a higher water-resistance rating than IPX4. All recent AirPods and the first Powerbeats Pro have had this IP rating, which means that they are basically “splash-resistant.” And as somebody who has killed many wireless earbuds (including several AirPods) that have an IPX4 rating, I desperately want it to be higher.

Second, the charging case of the first-gen Powerbeats Pro is comically large — it’s basically three-times the size of the AirPods Pro 2’s charging case — and is the antithesis of “pocket-friendly.” So yes, I hope the new charging case is considerably smaller.

Third, I hope the charging case supports wireless charging. That’s not too much to ask, right?

And finally, I’m really hoping that the Powerbeats Pro 2 aren’t $250 — the cost of the original Powerbeats Pro. That’s the same price as many flagship noise-canceling wireless earbuds and, frankly, a hard pill to swallow for a pair of workout wireless earbuds.

Photo by Tucker Bowe for Gear Patrol

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