The Powerbeats Pro 2 put fitness first, with a secure, comfortable fit and the addition of a heart rate monitor. There are some small hiccups in the sound department, but very solid battery life and a unique look and style bring them firmly back on track to make some compelling fitness buds that can do almost everything.
For
- Good battery life
- Comfortable, secure fit
- Dynamic, pulsing bass
- Great style
Against
- Large charging case
- Some audio quality issues
- Heart rate monitor hiccups
The Beats Fit Pro offers AirPods Pro performance in a Beats package. They're smaller than their new brothers, but they pack in some great features at what will now be a slightly lower price.
For
- Dynamic sound and Spatial Audio support
- Strong ANC and Transparency modes
- Good comfort and secure fit
- Great call quality
- Strong iOS features
Against
- Some features locked out of Android devices
- Eartip Fit Test wasn't effective
- No aptX or lossless
To say that Beats makes the best sport headphones is an understatement. Many of the company’s top releases are so good that they’ve also been rated some of the best wireless earbuds in general.
The original Powerbeats Pro were a category staple that laid the foundation for the sporty earbuds market. Then the Fit Pro came along and took performance a step further by incorporating many of the AirPods Pro 2’s signature features and technologies.
Five years later, the Powerbeats Pro 2 make their grand debut and welcome numerous upgrades that Beats enthusiasts have clamored for. This includes enhanced active noise cancellation and spatial audio, along with a handful of firsts such as built-in heart rate monitoring (HRM) and wireless charging.
Beats’ massive ad rollout might sway you to go all in on the Powerbeats Pro 2, but are you making a huge mistake overlooking the Fit Pro? Our in-depth analysis breaks down these two sporty audio goliaths to determine the better buds for you.
Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 vs. Beats Fit Pro: Specs compared
Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 vs. Beats Fit Pro: Price & availability
The Powerbeats Pro 2 carry a $249 MSRP. Meanwhile, the Fit Pro originally launched for $199, but are currently sold for as low as $159 on Amazon.
Both are terrific investments. However, the opportunity to score the Fit Pro for nearly $100 less is too good of a deal to pass up.
For all of the latest headphones deals, we advise bookmarking our best headphones deals and best Apple deals pages.
Winner: Beats Fit Pro
Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 vs. Beats Fit Pro: Design
Aesthetically, the Fit Pro are sleeker. The smaller design (both buds and charging case) and wide range of vibrant colorways give them a chicer appearance.
The construction is also sturdy on the Fit Pro. Each bud is built from solid plastic that can withstand hard spills to the concrete and sweat/water splashing (IPX4).
Beats’ integrated wings keep the buds locked in during intensive lateral workouts. Comfort is one of the Fit Pro’s weaknesses. Wearing the buds for longer than 2 hours can cause irritating pain around the concha.
While we appreciate the Powerbeats Pro 2’s slimmer and more lightweight design, they have a flimsier look and feel than their predecessor.
The buds are made from the exact materials as the Fit Pro and are IPX4-certified. However, we didn’t feel safe leaving them outside of the charging case, which is noticeably smaller than the massively huge first-gen version, but still big.
The built-in hooks continue to provide stellar on-ear stability. Beats tossed in five sizes of silicone eartips (XS, S, M, L, XL). That is two more than the Fit Pro offers. Comfort wanes after 2 hours of listening.
Winner: Beats Fit Pro
Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 vs. Beats Fit Pro: Controls
Operating the Powerbeats Pro 2 is more rewarding because of the built-in volume rockers. These make volume adjustment a breeze while exercising. Tactility is firm and responsive.
The same can be said about the MF button to activate different controls: ANC, HRM, playback, phone calls, and Siri. Speaking of which, “Hey Siri” voice activation is available to execute hands-free voice commands with precision.
The Fit Pro are just as reliable for enabling media functions, listening modes, and special features on the fly. They just lack volume buttons to turn music up or down. Besides that, these buds enable the same functions and showcase the same excellent speech recognition when using Siri.
Winner: Beats Powerbeats Pro 2
Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 vs. Beats Fit Pro: Sound quality
Expect energetic sound from both sets of buds.
The Powerbeats Pro 2 come with a new amp, venting system and larger drivers that create engaging audio with prominent bass response. Listening at high volume gets your adrenaline flowing with the right playlist and won’t distort the soundstage.
These exact sentiments can be shared about the Fit Pro. Beat’s acoustic architecture makes songs sound clean and spacious, and the bass has been adjusted to provide impactful lows that don’t bloat up your favorite workout tracks.
Personalized Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking is gratifying for immersive 3D sound with Apple Music and Dolby Atmos content.
You’ll get a more refined listening experience on current iPhones and MacBooks. The feature is unavailable on Android phones, but music and movies still sound great on Google-operated machines. Head tracking is more accurate on the Powerbeats Pro 2, though it’s not a huge deal.
Winner: Tie
Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 vs. Beats Fit Pro: Active noise cancelling performance
ANC makes its debut on the Powerbeats Pro series and the technology is said to have been updated on the Powerbeats Pro 2. The new hybrid mic system does a noteworthy job of eliminating sounds across the frequency spectrum.
Loud noises can be heard (e.g., crying babies, sirens), but they come across more like background effects on songs. Enabling noise cancellation during workouts is peaceful, for the most part. The feature puts a kibosh on common gym disruptions such as grunting and the whirling noises from cardio machines.
Transparency mode sounds as natural as it ever has on a pair of Beats buds, allowing listeners to hear ambient sound and conversations clearly.
Don’t sleep on the Fit Pro’s noise reduction, because it’s some of the best in the sports category. These buds can block out up to 80% of unwanted sounds, which is about 5% less than the Powerbeats Pro, but still effective for distraction-free exercising.
Most low- and mid-frequency sounds are muted. High-pitched noises are more audible on the Fit Pro. Transparency mode is great for amplifying surroundings.
Sadly, neither entry comes with Apple’s popular major listening modes: Adaptive Audio, Conversation Awareness, and Hearing Health.
Winner: Beats Powerbeats Pro 2
Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 vs. Beats Fit Pro: Special features
The Fit Pro and Powerbeats Pro 2 share about 85% of the same features as the AirPods Pro 2. On the list: adaptive EQ, ANC, audio sharing, automatic switching, Find My support, “Hey Siri,” Personalized Spatial Audio, and most other perks linked to Apple’s H2 processor.
Beats has given the Powerbeats Pro 2 a handful of exclusives. On top of wireless charging, users receive HRM, which utilizes components from the Apple Watch to achieve a certain level of accuracy.
If only it did that. Both our Audio Editor Tammy Rogers and Senior Fitness Writer Nick Harris-Fry reported several “hiccups” with the feature. Bear in mind that when connected to an Apple Watch, HRM is prioritized on Apple’s wrist-worn device.
Winner: Beats Powerbeats Pro 2
Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 vs. Beats Fit Pro: Call quality
The newer release should often receive stronger call quality. Not in this case. We found the Fit Pro to be a better calling headset.
Conversations sounded louder and clearer through the Fit Pro, and wind resistance was strong to minimize whooshing effects when chatting in gusty conditions.
That’s not to say the Powerbeats Pro 2 aren’t serviceable for voice and video calls. FaceTime chats were met with positive feedback, but callers on the opposite end complained about background noise and wind when speaking outdoors.
Winner: Beats Fit Pro
Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 vs. Beats Fit Pro: Battery life
The Powerbeats Pro series has always been Apple’s top performer in the battery life category.
Not only do the Powerbeats Pro 2 generate the longest playtime per charge (up to 10 hours), but their charging case holds more additional playtime than any Apple true wireless model: up to 45 hours.
ANC decreases listening time to 8 hours, which realistically drops to 6.5 hours when factoring in HRM and spatial audio. Wireless charging has been added to this sequel, along with stronger Fast Fuel charging (5 mins. = 1.5 hours of listening time).
The Fit Pro hold a longer charge than any AirPods model, but they fall a few hours short of their newest sibling. Even the charging case is rated lower (up to 30 hours). Two other knocks are the lack of wireless charging and less-powerful quick charging (5 mins. = 1 hour).
Winner: Beats Powerbeats Pro 2
Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 vs. Beats Fit Pro: Verdict
We’re calling it a tie.
The Powerbeats Pro 2’s biggest selling point is battery life. We’re talking an almost 2.5-hour difference, but that’s huge for avid exercisers wanting to squeeze in extra workouts before recharging.
ANC is slightly stronger through the Powerbeats Pro, and music remains consistently satisfying with strong bass at the forefront. The revamped design is less cumbersome on the ear and dependable for all workouts. It’s also less captivating than the original.
We’ve held the Fit Pro to the highest standard for nearly three years, and they’re still an exceptional pickup for Apple and Android users. Beats' proprietary chipset makes switching between platforms seamless, plus it grants access to most of Apple’s and Google’s prime mobile features.
Sound is enticing through the Fit Pro for high-energy workouts; noise cancellation keeps distractions to a minimum in all environments; and playtimes last long enough to enjoy a week’s worth of exercising.
Both of these Beats earbuds are very good. At the same time, know that the more expensive selection (*cough* Powerbeats Pro 2 *cough*) gets you a little more usage, which may not be all that important to budget-conscious exercisers wanting grade-A performance for much less.
