The Powerbeats Pro 2 is the best way to instantly monitor your resting heart rate, but it’s not perfect.
It’s funny how Beats is marketing this as heart rate monitoring for workouts, when it does a better job monitoring your resting heart rate. This device is genuinely better for older folks as a health and accessibility device than it is for athletes as a fitness tracker. 📓
Although the Powerbeats Pro 2 were meant to track your heart rate during workouts, the irony is that it is more accurate and better at tracking your heart rate while at rest. The more your body is moving, the more likely the sensor is moving around in your ears and stops taking measurements, leading to frustration.
Don’t take my word for it. Many reviewers have bashed the heart rate functionality, including DC Rainmaker:
In fact, what we quickly realize is that Beats is very clearly prioritizing accurate data over inaccurate data. Which is to say, when it appears their confidence level is low, they cut-off all heart rate data entirely. Literally, transmitting nothing (no value). I could see the logic in that if it happened rarely, but in reality, it happens constantly….
The thing is, doing more tests is kinda pointless. It’s clear that any movement (even on a stationary bike) quickly leads to either dropouts or inaccurate heart rate. And outdoors running, it’s even worse. Ultimately, I don’t see any value in the heart rate sensor in this product, because it’s simply not good enough to be useful, even for casual use.
For resting heart rate, (huge emphasis on resting), I found the Powerbeats Pro 2 to be very useful. This can be beneficial for people who can’t wear an Apple Watch due to allergic reactions to fitness bands or having wrist tattoos preventing proper operation of the heart rate sensor.
An even greater group of people that can benefit from this? People with heart conditions who are probably taking medications that affect heart rate.
I’ve dispensed my fair share of prescriptions that affect heart rate, with some of those drugs being among the top 50 drugs prescribed in the United States. This is a decent sized population that includes people with other health conditions such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
Having too low of a heart rate is dangerous and can increase the risk of falls due to reduced blood flow to the brain. The Powerbeats Pro 2 allows these people (and anyone else) to easily check their heart rate on demand and have the data sent to their healthcare team for analysis.
It is surprisingly much faster to get a heart rate reading on the Powerbeats Pro 2 versus the Apple Watch. The Apple Watch requires you to open the Heart Rate app on the watch and it gives you live readings right away, but it takes time to get that data transferred in a logged format on the iPhone. I didn’t time it, but it was easily over 5 minutes. With the Powerbeats Pro 2, it starts reading and logging your heart rate within seconds. Crazy.
If you go into the Health App, you can monitor your heart rate by simply going into the Heart Rate section and seeing your latest reading. (I made a shortcut at the end of this page to make this a simple one-click process.)
Results show up within seconds when using your Powerbeats Pro 2. You can even get more detailed information such as Range, Resting Rate, and Walking Average by clicking on “Show More Heart Rate Data.”
To see every single heart rate data point logged on your iPhone, go to the Health app > Browse > Heart > Heart Rate > Scroll all the way down to “Show All Data.”
Here are some other things you need to know to make sure your resting heart rate is being logged:
You have to have both earbuds in place for the heart rate function to work.
After you start getting readings by going to the Heart section (as shown in the image above), you can go to any part of the Health app and your readings will be taken in the background. I went to browse the Medications section of the Health app, and it continued to log readings in the background.
You can get 5-6 heart rate readings per minute.
Heart rate monitoring only works on the iPhone if you are in the Health app. The moment you leave the Health app, it stops taking readings. When you go back to the Health app, your heart rate readings will resume. This is a huge downside, but at the same time, the readings do come in quickly if you just need to monitor it for a few minutes at a time. Hopefully Apple can update this in the future to allow for less frequent readings and not being tied to staying in the Health app.
You can play media through your Powerbeats Pro 2 while logging your resting heart rate. Simply start your podcast or media of choice, and go back to the heart rate section in the Health app.
If you force close the Health app, you will have to go back to the heart rate section to start logging your heart rate. Use the shortcut I created at the bottom of this article to get there in a single click.
You cannot take heart rate readings if your iPhone is locked.
Heart rate monitoring does drain the iPhone’s battery and makes it warm. The Powerbeats don’t get warm and you can’t tell anything is happening. Not a huge deal if you’re only doing it a few minutes at a time, but hopefully this is addressed in a future firmware update.
The Powerbeats do emit a green light when measuring heart rate, but others will only notice it in dark environments.
Resting heart rate accuracy is similar to the Apple Watch, which is very accurate overall.
It’s funny how Beats is marketing this as Heart Rate monitoring for workouts, when it does a better job monitoring your resting heart rate. This device is genuinely better for older folks as a health and accessibility device than it is for athletes as a fitness tracker.
If Apple could tweak the device to take recordings outside of the Health app and fix some of the battery drain issues, I would call the Powerbeats Pro 2 a sleeper hit device for resting heart rate monitoring. You still won’t be able to track your sleeping heart rate like an Apple Watch, but it is better than nothing.
To make it a bit easier, here is a quick shortcut to get to the Heart Rate section of the Health app with a single click:
Will Apple make an M4 Ultra chip?
Apple’s answer according to Ars Technica:
When asked why the high-end Mac Studio was getting an M3 Ultra chip instead of an M4 Ultra, Apple told us that not every chip generation will get an “Ultra” tier. This is, as far as I can recall, the first time that Apple has said anything like this in public.
“Not every chip generation will get an ‘Ultra’ tier.”
This is not some sort of breakthrough statement like Ars Technica is reporting. It just means Apple will continue to give ambiguous answers about future products in a very strategic way to keep you guessing, while psychologically comforting you to buy your “inferior” M3 Ultra.
Apple’s answer according to Ars Technica:
When asked why the high-end Mac Studio was getting an M3 Ultra chip instead of an M4 Ultra, Apple told us that not every chip generation will get an “Ultra” tier. This is, as far as I can recall, the first time that Apple has said anything like this in public.
“Not every chip generation will get an ‘Ultra’ tier.”
This is not some sort of breakthrough statement like Ars Technica is reporting. It just means Apple will continue to give ambiguous answers about future products in a very strategic way to keep you guessing, while psychologically comforting you to buy your “inferior” M3 Ultra.
Powerbeats Pro 2 thoughts from an AirPods Pro 2 user.
I’ve been trying these for almost two weeks now, and here are my thoughts as an AirPods Pro 2 user:
Silicone ear tips do not secure as easily as you think. They can easily fly off if they’re not seated correctly. You won’t be doing this a whole lot after you get the right size, but don’t lose them as they bounce away. There is no click that confirms proper positioning like on the AirPods Pro 2.
There is no mesh on the ear tips, so earwax buildup is a bigger problem here than it is for AirPods Pro, which have ear tips with a built-in mesh.
The charging case is 33% smaller than the 1st generation Powerbeats, but it is still more than twice as big as the AirPods Pro 2 case.
I dropped the case from about 3 feet and the earbuds flew out of the case. Not surprising, but just in case you thought it had a snugger fit or a stronger lid magnet, which it does not.
The top lid feels like cardboard, feeling like a recycled takeout box lid. The beige-like Quick Sand color doesn’t help either, giving it the same color as a recycled box. I guess it was either feeling cheap and light or feeling premium and heavy. Don’t expect that dense, quality feel of AirPods cases.
Being a clamshell case, you also lose the “fidgetability” you get from the AirPods case that opens like a Pez dispenser, whereas the Powerbeats case opens clamshell style.
No magnetic wireless charging. It will charge on Apple’s MagSafe chargers which supports the Qi standard, but not magnetically. You also don’t get Apple Watch puck charging. For the record, AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 with Noise Cancellation support magnetic wireless charging on MagSafe and Apple Watch chargers.
The fit is definitely more secure compared to AirPods, but for casual use the AirPods are better since they are easier to take on and off at will. If your AirPods frustrate you because they get loose or fall off during workouts, these will please you.
If you trim your own beard, the Powerbeats Pro 2 don’t get in the way since there are no stems jutting out from your ears. There is a simple solution though, to make sure AirPods don’t get in the way of manscaping.
I would be cautious using the beats in a torrential environment or cleaning them too aggressively. I’ve accidentally washed my AirPods Pro 1 in the washer before, and they survived after drying them out. I’m sure my AirPods Pro 2 would also survive, but the Powerbeats Pro 2 have physical buttons and more ingress points for water to get in.
Speaking of physical buttons, I appreciate the volume rocker. It’s really personal preference when it comes to a physical volume rocker vs swiping up and down on an AirPods Pro 2 stem to change volume. Both work great.
I do have a problem with the Beats ‘b’ button mainly because the button is too easy to press, and it easily registers clicks even when the earbud is not fully secured in your ear. If I’m watching a YouTube video with one earbud in place, the minute I start to put the second earbud in, my video ends up being skipped to the next video in the algorithm. This happens more often than I’d like even though skipping a video requires two clicks of the ‘b’ button. Not an issue with AirPods Pro.
Sound quality is similar, if not the same as AirPods Pro 2. Don’t buy these thinking they will sound better. Noise cancellation is also the same or very similar, and the difference between these and the AirPods Pro 2 is negligible.
I highly recommend doing the Ear Tip Fit Test. My left ear is perfect with the default medium tip, but my right ear required an extra-large tip to be comfortable. Don’t hesitate to try all 5 sizes of ear tips.
The Find My App works much better on the AirPods Pro 2 due to its U1 chip, giving you Precision Finding. The speaker grilles on the charging case also makes it easy to hear and find. I tried playing a sound on my Powerbeats even though it was right next to me, and it wouldn’t work even after several minutes. Find My will let you know that your Powerbeats are in your house, but you will still have to rummage everywhere to actually find them.
These are far better at monitoring your resting heart rate vs your workout heart rate. I’m working on a more detailed piece about this but in short, don’t buy these if you’re serious about tracking your workout heart rate.
I’ve been trying these for almost two weeks now, and here are my thoughts as an AirPods Pro 2 user:
Silicone ear tips do not secure as easily as you think. They can easily fly off if they’re not seated correctly. You won’t be doing this a whole lot after you get the right size, but don’t lose them as they bounce away. There is no click that confirms proper positioning like on the AirPods Pro 2.
There is no mesh on the ear tips, so earwax buildup is a bigger problem here than it is for AirPods Pro, which have ear tips with a built-in mesh.
The charging case is 33% smaller than the 1st generation Powerbeats, but it is still more than twice as big as the AirPods Pro 2 case.
I dropped the case from about 3 feet and the earbuds flew out of the case. Not surprising, but just in case you thought it had a snugger fit or a stronger lid magnet, which it does not.
The top lid feels like cardboard, feeling like a recycled takeout box lid. The beige-like Quick Sand color doesn’t help either, giving it the same color as a recycled box. I guess it was either feeling cheap and light or feeling premium and heavy. Don’t expect that dense, quality feel of AirPods cases.
Being a clamshell case, you also lose the “fidgetability” you get from the AirPods case that opens like a Pez dispenser, whereas the Powerbeats case opens clamshell style.
No magnetic wireless charging. It will charge on Apple’s MagSafe chargers which supports the Qi standard, but not magnetically. You also don’t get Apple Watch puck charging. For the record, AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 with Noise Cancellation support magnetic wireless charging on MagSafe and Apple Watch chargers.
The fit is definitely more secure compared to AirPods, but for casual use the AirPods are better since they are easier to take on and off at will. If your AirPods frustrate you because they get loose or fall off during workouts, these will please you.
If you trim your own beard, the Powerbeats Pro 2 don’t get in the way since there are no stems jutting out from your ears. There is a simple solution though, to make sure AirPods don’t get in the way of manscaping.
I would be cautious using the beats in a torrential environment or cleaning them too aggressively. I’ve accidentally washed my AirPods Pro 1 in the washer before, and they survived after drying them out. I’m sure my AirPods Pro 2 would also survive, but the Powerbeats Pro 2 have physical buttons and more ingress points for water to get in.
Speaking of physical buttons, I appreciate the volume rocker. It’s really personal preference when it comes to a physical volume rocker vs swiping up and down on an AirPods Pro 2 stem to change volume. Both work great.
I do have a problem with the Beats ‘b’ button mainly because the button is too easy to press, and it easily registers clicks even when the earbud is not fully secured in your ear. If I’m watching a YouTube video with one earbud in place, the minute I start to put the second earbud in, my video ends up being skipped to the next video in the algorithm. This happens more often than I’d like even though skipping a video requires two clicks of the ‘b’ button. Not an issue with AirPods Pro.
Sound quality is similar, if not the same as AirPods Pro 2. Don’t buy these thinking they will sound better. Noise cancellation is also the same or very similar, and the difference between these and the AirPods Pro 2 is negligible.
I highly recommend doing the Ear Tip Fit Test. My left ear is perfect with the default medium tip, but my right ear required an extra-large tip to be comfortable. Don’t hesitate to try all 5 sizes of ear tips.
The Find My App works much better on the AirPods Pro 2 due to its U1 chip, giving you Precision Finding. The speaker grilles on the charging case also makes it easy to hear and find. I tried playing a sound on my Powerbeats even though it was right next to me, and it wouldn’t work even after several minutes. Find My will let you know that your Powerbeats are in your house, but you will still have to rummage everywhere to actually find them.
These are far better at monitoring your resting heart rate vs your workout heart rate. I’m working on a more detailed piece about this but in short, don’t buy these if you’re serious about tracking your workout heart rate.
MacBook Air updated with the M4 chip, launches in Sky Blue.
Apple Press:
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA Apple today announced the new MacBook Air, featuring the blazing-fast performance of the M4 chip, up to 18 hours of battery life,1 a new 12MP Center Stage camera, and a lower starting price. It also offers support for up to two external displays in addition to the built-in display, 16GB of starting unified memory, and the incredible capabilities of macOS Sequoia with Apple Intelligence — all packed into its strikingly thin and light design that’s built to last. The new MacBook Air now comes in an all-new color — sky blue, a metallic light blue that joins midnight, starlight, and silver — giving MacBook Air its most beautiful array of colors ever. It also now starts at just $999 — $100 less than before — and $899 for education, making it an incredible value for students, business professionals, or anyone looking for a phenomenal combination of world-class performance, portability, design, and durability. With two sizes to choose from, the new 13- and 15-inch MacBook Air are available to pre-order today, with availability beginning Wednesday, March 12.
Apple’s target audience for this upgrade is M1 Air owners and Intel users. I’m still using an M1 Air with just 8GB of RAM, and it works just fine for basic tasks and even some graphical work in Canva. The M4 is up to twice as fast as the M1, which actually speaks to how great the M1 still is. The main upgrade reason isn’t speed, but the other features, such as the bigger display, support for two external monitors, better FaceTime camera, and MagSafe charging.
I’m glad that Space Gray is gone. Never liked it. Sky Blue does look very similar to Sierra Blue on the iPhone 13 Pro, and it would be the color I pick. 15-inches please.
Apple Press:
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA Apple today announced the new MacBook Air, featuring the blazing-fast performance of the M4 chip, up to 18 hours of battery life,1 a new 12MP Center Stage camera, and a lower starting price. It also offers support for up to two external displays in addition to the built-in display, 16GB of starting unified memory, and the incredible capabilities of macOS Sequoia with Apple Intelligence — all packed into its strikingly thin and light design that’s built to last. The new MacBook Air now comes in an all-new color — sky blue, a metallic light blue that joins midnight, starlight, and silver — giving MacBook Air its most beautiful array of colors ever. It also now starts at just $999 — $100 less than before — and $899 for education, making it an incredible value for students, business professionals, or anyone looking for a phenomenal combination of world-class performance, portability, design, and durability. With two sizes to choose from, the new 13- and 15-inch MacBook Air are available to pre-order today, with availability beginning Wednesday, March 12.
Apple’s target audience for this upgrade is M1 Air owners and Intel users. I’m still using an M1 Air with just 8GB of RAM, and it works just fine for basic tasks and even some graphical work in Canva. The M4 is up to twice as fast as the M1, which actually speaks to how great the M1 still is. The main upgrade reason isn’t speed, but the other features, such as the bigger display, support for two external monitors, better FaceTime camera, and MagSafe charging.
I’m glad that Space Gray is gone. Never liked it. Sky Blue does look very similar to Sierra Blue on the iPhone 13 Pro, and it would be the color I pick. 15-inches please.
Apple’s new watch bands still don’t have the right description for compatibility.
Apple released new watch bands today, and their compatibility description is still wrong. Not all 42mm Apple Watches fit all 42mm watch bands.
What Apple’s description says:
You can match most bands with any Apple Watch Series 3 or later case of the same size.
38mm, 40mm, 41mm, and 42mm bands are compatible with 38mm, 40mm, 41mm, 42mm case sizes. 44mm, 45mm, 46mm, and 49mm bands are compatible with 44mm, 45mm, 46mm, and 49mm case sizes.
What it should say:
You can match most bands with any Apple Watch Series 3 or later case of the same size.38mm, 40mm, 41mm, and 42mm bands are compatible with 38mm, 40mm, 41mm, and Series 10 42mm case sizes.
44mm, 45mm, 46mm, and 49mm bands are compatible with 44mm, 45mm, 46mm, and 49mm case sizes, and Series 3 or earlier models with a 42mm case size.
If you’re still wearing a Series 3 watch or earlier in the 42mm size and you want to buy one of the new watch bands that is worth more than your watch (you know who you are), you would have to buy the 46mm watch bands for a proper fit.
To understand why, I went in extreme detail a few months ago discussing this growing confusion of Apple Watch band compatibility.
Apple released new watch bands today, and their compatibility description is still wrong. Not all 42mm Apple Watches fit all 42mm watch bands.
What Apple’s description says:
You can match most bands with any Apple Watch Series 3 or later case of the same size.
38mm, 40mm, 41mm, and 42mm bands are compatible with 38mm, 40mm, 41mm, 42mm case sizes. 44mm, 45mm, 46mm, and 49mm bands are compatible with 44mm, 45mm, 46mm, and 49mm case sizes.
What it should say:
You can match most bands with any Apple Watch Series 3 or later case of the same size.
38mm, 40mm, 41mm, and 42mm bands are compatible with 38mm, 40mm, 41mm, and Series 10 42mm case sizes.
44mm, 45mm, 46mm, and 49mm bands are compatible with 44mm, 45mm, 46mm, and 49mm case sizes, and Series 3 or earlier models with a 42mm case size.
If you’re still wearing a Series 3 watch or earlier in the 42mm size and you want to buy one of the new watch bands that is worth more than your watch (you know who you are), you would have to buy the 46mm watch bands for a proper fit.
To understand why, I went in extreme detail a few months ago discussing this growing confusion of Apple Watch band compatibility.
Background Sounds in iOS are great for White Noise
I play YouTube videos as my background noise when going to sleep, but I found a way to prevent any hiccups in case the YouTube app crashes for whatever reason (which it does).
Ladies and Gentlemen, introducing Background Sounds.
This isn’t a new feature by any means, but it provides redundancy to my background noise should my main source of background noise (YouTube) stop working. Every once in a while, the app crashes, and there’s nothing worse than waking up earlier than expected.
With Background Sounds ON, I can still have white noise playing, keeping me sound asleep. The great thing is you have 8 different sounds to choose from, and you can control the volume of Apple’s background noises separately from your main source of volume.
Go to Settings > Accessibility > Audio & Visual > Background Sounds. From here, you can adjust the volume along with whether or not you want to stop Background Sounds when the iPhone is locked.
You can do this easily by adding a Control Center widget as well.
I play YouTube videos as my background noise when going to sleep, but I found a way to prevent any hiccups in case the YouTube app crashes for whatever reason (which it does).
Ladies and Gentlemen, introducing Background Sounds.
This isn’t a new feature by any means, but it provides redundancy to my background noise should my main source of background noise (YouTube) stop working. Every once in a while, the app crashes, and there’s nothing worse than waking up earlier than expected.
With Background Sounds ON, I can still have white noise playing, keeping me sound asleep. The great thing is you have 8 different sounds to choose from, and you can control the volume of Apple’s background noises separately from your main source of volume.
Go to Settings > Accessibility > Audio & Visual > Background Sounds. From here, you can adjust the volume along with whether or not you want to stop Background Sounds when the iPhone is locked.
You can do this easily by adding a Control Center widget as well.
