Apple Inc. (AAPL.US) launches new sports earphones equipped with heart rate monitoring and noise-cancelling functions.

Apple Inc.'s headphone brand Beats has finally launched the long-awaited Powerbeats Pro 2, designed for athletes with noise-cancellation, heart rate monitoring, and improved design. This is Apple Inc.'s first headphone product with built-in heart rate monitoring, marking its further expansion into the health field. The Powerbeats Pro 2 is equipped with Apple Inc.'s H2 chip to process the data generated. Each earbud has a battery life of 10 hours, and when used with the charging case, the total battery life can reach 45 hours. Thanks to the H2 chip, the Powerbeats Pro 2 also features practical functions such as adaptive equalizer, active noise cancelling (ANC), and transparency mode. To provide the best possible sound quality during calls, Apple Inc. has installed the same three-microphone design as the AirPods Pro 2 in each earbud. Additionally, the headphones can be controlled via voice commands and hardware buttons for volume control. The Powerbeats Pro 2 has undergone design updates to improve the ear hooks for a better fit and reduce the earbud size by 20% for a more compact and discreet product. The Powerbeats Pro 2 is IPX4 certified, meaning it should be able to withstand sweat and splashes of water. The headphones will officially hit stores on Thursday with a price tag of $249 in the US, the same as its predecessor. The headphones can also be paired with Android devices, although the functionality may be reduced compared to Apple Inc. users. Market forecasts predict that the Powerbeats Pro 2 will help drive revenue growth in Apple Inc.'s wearable devices division. In Apple Inc.'s previously announced first quarter fiscal report for 2025, the revenue from the wearable devices division decreased from $11.9 billion in the same period last year to $11.7 billion.