is a senior editor and author of Notepad, who has been covering all things Microsoft, PC, and tech for over 20 years.
Apple just announced the AirPods Pro 3, the first major update to the product in three years. Apple is introducing a new heart rate sensor in the AirPods Pro 3, as well as improved active noise cancellation (ANC) and a live translation feature. You’ll be able to preorder the AirPods Pro 3 today for $249, and they’ll start shipping on September 19th.
Apple is upgrading the audio quality in the AirPods Pro 3 with a widened sound stage and improved noise cancellation. Apple says the AirPods Pro 3 will deliver the “world’s best ANC,” thanks to foam-infused ear tips for greater noise isolation. Apple claims this will enable twice the ANC than the previous generation of AirPods Pro, and “deliver the world’s best ANC of any in-ear wireless headphones.”
Perhaps the biggest upgrade on the AirPods Pro 3 will be the new heart rate sensor. Apple is using its smallest heart rate sensor on the AirPods Pro 3, which is a custom photoplethysmography (PPG) sensor that “shines invisible infrared light pulsed at 256 times per second to measure light absorption in blood flow.”
The sensor works with the AirPods Pro accelerometers, gyroscope, GPS, and a new on-device AI model on an iPhone to track heart rate, calories burned, and activity. There’s also a new workout experience, Workout Buddy, in the iPhone Fitness app that uses Apple Intelligence to track workout data and fitness history.
Apple is also bringing a new live translation feature to the AirPods Pro 3. ANC will lower the volume of the speaker and play audio back to you in your preferred language. “When enabled, Live Translation helps users understand another language and communicate with others by speaking naturally with AirPods,” explains Apple. “To interact with someone who doesn’t have this hands-free capability, there’s an option to use iPhone as a horizontal display, showing the live transcription of what the user is saying in the other person’s preferred language.”
Apple is also improving how AirPods Pro 3 fit in people’s ears. Apple says it has analyzed more than 10,000 3D ear scans and made each AirPod Pro smaller. The design is shaped to better fit inside the ear canal, and there are now five sizes of ear tips. Apple has even made the AirPods Pro 3 more durable, with IP57 sweat and water resistance.
In addition to the AirPods Pro 3, Apple is also bringing several new features to its AirPods with the release of iOS 26 this fall. AirPods will be able to be used as a camera remote for the camera app in iOS 26, and AirPods 4 and AirPods Pro 2 will now support studio-quality audio for songs, videos, podcasts, and more. Apple is also improving the call quality in iOS 26 for AirPods 4 and AirPods Pro 2, as well improving charging reminders and pausing audio if you fall asleep.
Apple last made a major update to its AirPods Pro line with the second-generation debut three years ago, with improvements to sound quality, noise cancellation, and a built-in speaker in the charging case. Apple then updated the AirPods Pro 2 in 2023 with dust resistance and a USB-C charging case instead of the company’s Lightning port.
