New AirPods With Powerbeats Pro 2's Heart Rate Monitoring Feature Still 'Months Away'

[MacRumors]

After months of teasers and leaks, the Powerbeats Pro 2 were finally announced by Apple today. A key new feature built into the Powerbeats Pro 2 is heart rate monitoring, and that functionality is expected to expand to AirPods in the future.

When both Powerbeats Pro 2 earbuds are placed in the ears, and heart rate monitoring is active, Apple says LED optical sensors pulse at over 100 times per second to measure heart rate via blood flow. The feature integrates with popular fitness apps to collect data during workouts and sync it to the Apple Health app on the iPhone.

The feature is based on the Apple Watch's heart rate sensing technology. If someone is wearing both Powerbeats Pro 2 and an Apple Watch, Apple says apps will default to using Apple Watch heart rate data, and it will likely be the same for future AirPods.

In his coverage of the Powerbeats Pro 2 announcement today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reiterated that new AirPods with heart rate monitoring are "still many months away" from launching. The feature is likely to be available on the AirPods Pro 3, which are currently expected to launch in late 2025 at the earliest.

Article Link: New AirPods With Powerbeats Pro 2's Heart Rate Monitoring Feature Still 'Months Away'

 

[JohnRckr]

Can’t wait for the AirPods!

 

[Rychiar]

Apples release strategy is endlessly perplexing these days

 

[alexandr]

I'll wait, can't see myself buying Beats.

 

[spaxxedout]

Definitely getting both. The 100hz polling rate would seem to have the ability to accurately monitor HRV. Would be massive for meditation / biofeedback.

 

[John_Blackthorne]

The case on the last one was just HUGE. I don't really like the style of the product or colors. Will be nice when this gets to regular AirPods Pro

 

[Student of Life]

Apples release strategy is endlessly perplexing these days

Not really. The Beats are released now so workout people and Android users can buy them up. Later in the year for the holidays watch the new AirPods Pro 3 come out, no need to cannibalize sales by released it so close to the Beats version.

 

[surfzen21]

I'll wait, can't see myself buying Beats.

I am definitely going to wait and compare but I will say, having physical buttons is really nice. Going for a run with a beanie on and trying to skip a song or change volume with touch controls is horrible.

 

[alexandr]

I am definitely going to wait and compare but I will say, having physical buttons is really nice. Going for a run with a beanie on and trying to skip a song or change volume with touch controls is horrible.

Well now, AirPods Pro do have physical buttons))) you have to click the stem. I much prefer the OG AirPods for that, but I hear you )

 

[PsykX]

Not really. The Beats are released now so workout people and Android users can buy them up. Later in the year for the holidays watch the new AirPods Pro 3 come out, no need to cannibalize sales by released it so close to the Beats version.

The AirPods should always be the top of the line, because it has the Apple logo on it. It is their flagship.

It is in fact strange that a side-product, the Beats, get something that the AirPods don't have yet, and even worse, that there are "months" to wait.

 

[AppleMega]

Yeah, I can wait. Perfectly happy with my AirPods Pro 2. Those new Beats look like an ugly and uncomfortable set from ten years ago.

 

[F23]

useless feature when you have an apple watch but cool to have for the rare group of ppl who exercise without ANY fitness tracker & still care about recording metrics lol

 

[dampfnudel]

The AirPods should always be the top of the line, because it has the Apple logo on it. It is their flagship.

It is in fact strange that a side-product, the Beats, get something that the AirPods don't have yet, and even worse, that there are "months" to wait.

It’s only seven more months and I can wait, my AirPods Pro 2 Lightning are still working great.

 

[surfzen21]

Well now, AirPods Pro do have physical buttons))) you have to click the stem. I much prefer the OG AirPods for that, but I hear you )

I didn't realize they had a pressure sensor in them. That's good to know. My touch only cheap buds are garbage

 

[alexandr]

I didn't realize they had a pressure sensor in them. That's good to know. My touch only cheap buds are garbage

Yes, the Pros and every non-pro starting with gen3 has the 'click' tech )

 

[dampfnudel]

Apples release strategy is endlessly perplexing these days

What’s perplexing about this release? The AirPods Pro 3 will get this new feature in a few months when it’s released in September/October which happens to be its traditional release period. So Beats got it first, no big deal.

 

[thefrost]

Mark Gurman's heart rate is what I want to know. Every time he hears about any upcoming Apple products, his heart skips a beat. /s

 

[infomofo]

It's so strange- I had assumed from the way they described it that this heart rate sensor would be additive to the apple watch sensor and they might get a more accurate reading by having both. The fact that it's not used if you have both an apple watch and AirPods means its not really very useful for me personally as I'm rarely wearing my AirPods without my apple watch at the same time, particularly if i'm exercising.

 

[CarlJ]

Well now, AirPods Pro do have physical buttons))) you have to click the stem. I much prefer the OG AirPods for that, but I hear you )

The click doesn't work for changing the volume, it takes a sliding motion on the stem. I can manage this just fine when I'm out on long walks, but I can imagine this being a bit harder when you're running, as the motion is a little finicky.

 

[svish]

The new Pro AirPods, if it is coming this year, will most likely be released along with the new iPhones later this year. Should be priced similar to the current model.

 

[C_Topher]

It's so strange- I had assumed from the way they described it that this heart rate sensor would be additive to the apple watch sensor and they might get a more accurate reading by having both. The fact that it's not used if you have both an apple watch and AirPods means its not really very useful for me personally as I'm rarely wearing my AirPods without my apple watch at the same time, particularly if i'm exercising.

I had the same thought - increased accuracy with 2 sources. Maybe there will be some flip flopping if one loses a signal. From the perspective of battery life, It makes sense to have only one data source at a time.

It will be nice to be able to get heart rate data while wearing an analog watch.

 

[alexandr]

The click doesn't work for changing the volume, it takes a sliding motion on the stem. I can manage this just fine when I'm out on long walks, but I can imagine this being a bit harder when you're running, as the motion is a little finicky.

I have no issues with this when I'm biking, I don't run, but I imagine it's manageable.

 

[Sezel]

AirPods Pro are small in size as compared to Powerbeats Pro, so ideally Apple should avoid this heart rate feature in the AirPods Pro. The space occupied by the heart rate sensor can be used for a larger battery. Heart rate monitoring is better implemented on the Apple watch.