Apple-owned Beats by Dre set its respectable reputation years ago with the introduction of its iconic over-ear headphones. But, that doesn’t mean the company is afraid to experiment and expand to other headphone form factors.
Beats latest in-ear headphones, the Powerbeats2 Wireless, are targeted to active individuals as they are built with a light weight design and wireless capabilities. The new model was inspired by Lebron James, who is credited as a “co-creator,” and gave the earbuds the boost they needed by promoting them in a memorable U.S. television ad.
Available in eleven colors, the earbuds are sweat and water-resistant, comfortable, and flexible. They provide premium sound, take hands-free calls, and can adjust music with no-slip-grip RemoteTalk controls. The three-button remote control and microphone compartment are located near the chin from the left earpiece, allowing for easy control of playback, volume, and calls.
At 0.85 ounces, the Powerbeats2 are Bluetooth 4.0 compatible, have an integrated 80MHz MCU and 80MIPS Kalimba DSP, and 16Mb embedded flash memory. The earbuds come equipped with a 1-cell rechargeable Li-Polymer 90mAh battery pack with a power management circuit that boasts 6 hours of run time.
The device is available at retail and ships with a very short USB charging cable, four pairs of eartips in an array of sizes, a clip that fastens onto the earphone cable to keep it secure behind the head, and a hard zip-up carrying case. Since the earbuds are manufactured by Apple, the Powerbeats2 are also compatible with iOS.
The Powerbeats2 are priced at $200 because of their comfort, light weight, and Bluetooth capabilities. The full teardown report can be found here.
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