Apple’s third-generation AirPods Pro push earbuds further into health and real-time language tech, adding optical heart rate monitoring, on‑device AI live translations, a revamped acoustic system, and stronger noise cancellation—while holding the familiar $249 price. It’s a notable step that blends premium audio with practical sensing and assistive features in a single, pocketable product.
A New Acoustic Engine and Stronger ANC
Apple says a new multiport acoustic architecture expands the soundstage, tightens bass, and clarifies vocals across music, video, and calls. The company also claims “twice” the active noise cancellation performance versus the previous Pro generation and up to “four times” versus the original model—ambitious gains that, if realized, would put these buds near the front of the ANC pack alongside leaders from Bose and Sony.
Battery life is rated at up to eight hours on a charge, with Apple noting longer runtimes in transparency mode for people using hearing-assist features. That matters: stronger ANC coupled with improved transparency can reduce listening fatigue and make self-administered hearing tests in Apple’s software more reliable, according to the company.
Heart Rate in the Ear
For the first time on AirPods, a built-in optical sensor collects heart rate data during everyday use and workouts. Readings pair with iPhone to track intensity, estimate calories, and log dozens of activity types, and they can feed coaching experiences powered by Apple Intelligence, such as the conversational Workout Buddy.
From a physiology standpoint, the ear is a smart place to capture photoplethysmography: it’s closer to core circulation and less susceptible to the wrist’s motion artifacts. Industry researchers, including teams at Valencell and several university labs, have shown ear-based sensors can deliver more stable heart-rate measurements during high-intensity intervals than many wrist wearables. Few mainstream earbuds attempt this today—past examples like the Jabra Sport Pulse and Amazfit PowerBuds proved the concept but never broke through—so Apple’s scale could normalize ear‑based biometrics for the mass market.
AI Live Translation, In Your Ears
AirPods Pro 3 integrate Apple’s on‑device AI to translate conversations in real time. A simple touch engages the mode, dampening surrounding audio so you can hear a translated stream in your native language. Show your iPhone to reply with a translated transcript and optional spoken output; if both people wear AirPods Pro 3, each hears the other in their own language.
Apple says the feature launches in beta with support for English, French, German, Portuguese, and Spanish, with more languages announced to follow, including Italian, Japanese, Korean, and Simplified Chinese. Similar ideas exist—Google’s Interpreter Mode and Samsung’s Interpreter work with their earbuds—but Apple’s ear‑to‑ear implementation could remove extra steps and make spontaneous exchanges feel more natural, so long as latency remains low.
Accessibility and Hearing Support
Beyond entertainment, AirPods continue to evolve as assistive audio devices. Apple highlights Hearing Protection features expanding to the EU and UK after regional certification. Stronger ANC helps cut ambient noise, while adaptive transparency amplifies voices and environmental cues when needed. With the World Health Organization estimating that hundreds of millions live with some degree of hearing loss, even incremental improvements to comfort, clarity, and battery life can have outsized impact on daily use.
Fit, Comfort, and Controls
Apple says it redesigned the shell after analyzing thousands of ear scans, shrinking the body and reshaping it to mimic the ear canal. Five ear tip sizes broaden the fit window, and the new geometry aims to stay planted during sweaty workouts without adding bulk. Touch gestures remain, but the translation shortcut and workout coaching give those controls new utility beyond playback.
Price, Competition, and Context
Keeping the price at $249 is a strategic move. Premium rivals like Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds and Sony WF‑1000XM5 typically sell higher, and neither offers heart rate monitoring. If Apple’s ANC claims hold up and translation works reliably in noisy real‑world settings—train stations, conferences, street cafés—AirPods Pro 3 could reset expectations for what “pro” earbuds do.
It also lands in a booming category. Market trackers such as IDC continue to rank Apple as the top vendor in hearables by unit share, with hearables representing the majority of overall wearable shipments in recent years. Folding biometric sensing and conversational AI into a mainstream earbud not only differentiates on features; it could push developers to build new audio-first experiences that assume your headphones are as capable as your watch.
Early Take
AirPods Pro 3 aren’t just a spec bump. They stitch together better sound, stronger ANC, ear‑based heart rate, and practical AI into a single, daily-wear device. The real test will be accuracy of the heart-rate sensor across diverse skin tones and workouts, translation fluency and latency in the wild, and whether the fit stays comfortable over hours. If Apple clears those hurdles, these earbuds could become the default choice for people who want one product for luxe listening, fitness feedback, and quick conversations across languages.