The new earbuds also get a redesigned fit, better ANC, and longer battery life
Apple has unveiled the long-awaited AirPods Pro 3, a major update to its flagship earbuds that introduces on-board heart rate monitoring for the first time, a new live translation feature powered by Apple Intelligence, and significantly improved Active Noise Cancellation.
The new earbuds are available to pre-order today for $249, with availability beginning Friday, September 19. They join the Apple Watch Ultra 3, SE 3, and Series 11 as the brand’s latest wearables announced as part of the ‘Awe Dropping’ event.
The update transforms the AirPods Pro from a pure audio device into a capable, standalone activity tracker—a transformation we’ve been waiting for since the first-ever iteration.
A new custom heart rate sensor follows the Apple-owned Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 implementation of the technology, which debuted earlier this year. However, it handily allows users to track their workouts natively in the Fitness app on iPhone without needing an Apple Watch.
The other headline feature, Live Translation, enables seamless, real-world conversations between different languages, using the earbuds and a paired iPhone to translate speech in real time.
Apple AirPods Pro 3: Five key features
1. They are now a proper fitness tracker
This is a huge shift for AirPods. A new custom PPG sensor built into the earbuds can now measure your heart rate during exercise. This data integrates directly with a new experience in the Fitness app on your iPhone, allowing you to start, stop, and track over 50 different workout types, with your heart rate and calories burned recorded just from the earbuds.
2. Live Translation comes to your ear
Powered by Apple Intelligence, a new Live Translation feature enables in-person conversations across different languages. The system is incredibly clever; you can even use your iPhone’s screen as a horizontal display to show a live transcription to the person you’re speaking with.
Apple says the powerful ANC helps to lower the volume of the other person’s voice in your ear so that you can focus on the translated audio.
3. The design has been re-engineered for a better fit
To improve comfort and in-ear stability, especially during workouts, Apple has completely re-engineered the earbuds’ internal architecture to make them smaller, while also tweaking the external geometry.
Citing research from over 10,000 ear scans, the new design is paired with new foam-infused ear tips that now come in five sizes, including a new XXS option, to ensure a secure fit for a wider range of people.
4. ANC and sound quality get a big boost
Apple claims that, thanks to new microphones and advanced computational audio, the earbuds can remove up to twice as much noise as the AirPods Pro 2.
A new multiport acoustic architecture also aims to improve sound quality, delivering a wider soundstage and clearer vocals.
5. Battery life is significantly longer
A common user request has been addressed with a notable increase in battery life. The AirPods Pro 3 now offer up to eight hours of listening time with Active Noise Cancellation enabled, a 33% increase over the previous generation.
However, we don’t yet have an estimation for battery life while heart rate tracking is in use. That specific battery drain will be the primary focus of our AirPods Pro 3 testing over the coming weeks.
