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Apple officially introduced the AirPods Pro 3 at its major launch event in 2025, delivering some of the most significant upgrades the lineup has seen since its debut.
The new earbuds promise stronger bass and a wider soundstage, while noise cancellation performance has doubled compared to the AirPods Pro 2. Apple says this is made possible by redesigned foam ear tips, now offered in five sizes, alongside improved hardware and software.
The company is confident enough to claim that the AirPods Pro 3 deliver the most effective ANC available in any pair of in-ear wireless headphones.
Better Sound, Longer Battery, Fitness Features
Battery life has also received a notable boost. With ANC switched on, users can expect up to 8 hours of playback, a 33 percent jump over the previous model. Transparency mode has been fine-tuned to sound more natural and can stretch battery life to 10 hours.
Apple’s Hearing Aid feature, already certified in the US, is now rolling out across the UK and EU, while Conversation Boost is becoming automatic for certified users in noisy environments. This feature uses amplification and background noise reduction to make voices clearer in places like restaurants.
In a new twist, the AirPods Pro 3 are equipped with a heart rate sensor capable of tracking more than 50 workout types in Apple’s Fitness app. The earbuds integrate with Workout Buddy, a feature that delivers personalized coaching and motivational feedback based on activity data.
Those subscribed to Fitness+ gain real-time stats on their iPhone during workouts, including heart rate, calories burned, Move ring progress, and Apple’s Burn Bar metric.
Apple also redesigned the earbuds themselves. After more than 10,000 ear scans and 100,000 hours of user testing, the company reworked the internal architecture to make each bud smaller. The new ear tip design aligns with the body’s center for better stability. The AirPods Pro 3 are also IP57 rated, making them resistant to dust and water.
Live Translation Makes AirPods Pro 3 Stand Out
One of the biggest additions is real-time translation powered by Apple Intelligence. When two users wear AirPods Pro 3, conversations can be translated live into each other’s languages. If the other person doesn’t have AirPods, the iPhone can display a live transcription in their language and translate their replies directly into the AirPods wearer’s ears.
Live translation is not exclusive to this model. It also works on AirPods 4 with ANC and updated AirPods Pro 2, provided they’re paired with an Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone running iOS 26 or later.
The feature currently supports English, French, German, Brazilian Portuguese, and Spanish, with Italian, Japanese, Korean, and simplified Chinese coming later this year.
The AirPods Pro 3 are priced at $249 and are now available for pre-order in the US and more than 50 markets worldwide. General availability begins September 19.
