I think the AirPods Pro 3 might sell a lot, actually
Apple has finally launched its third generation of AirPods Pro earbuds, with features like heart rate monitoring and live translation built in.
Admission time: I never reviewed the AirPods Pro 2. They launched just before I launched BTTR, and I wasn't doing many product reviews at that time. Plus, I already owned the original AirPods Pro, and they were still going strong for me.
I'd be willing to argue I'm not the only one who stuck with the first generation, who's eyeing off the Pro 3 that were announced today alongside the iPhone 17 family of phones.
Apple has really packed this third generation full of features. Starting with its design, which has been refined based on scans of over 10,000 ears and 100,000 hours of research.
Last year with the launch of the AirPods 4, Apple proudly spoke about its research into ear shapes and how it collected over 50 million data points to help create the design. The AirPods 4 are still some of the best fitting earbuds I've tried, so I expect even better from the new Pro 3, which are based on over 300 million data points.
The result of the research was to shrink the size and shift the weight of each earbud, while adding in new foam-infused ear tips, including a new XXS size. Apple says it's going to deliver an exceptional in-ear fit with an IP57 dust and water resistance rating.
Despite the smaller size, these earbuds offer boosted noise cancelling prowess. Apple claims 2x the noise cancellation of the AirPods Pro 2 and 4x the original AirPods Pro thanks to the improvements in software and ultra low-noise microphones.
Power moves
While that's probably enough to warrant an upgrade on its own, there are a couple of extra tricks up Apple's sleeve.
The first is a custom-built heart-rate sensor built into the earbuds, which promise an integrated workout experience. The sensor shines invisible infrared light, pulsed at 256 times per second and measures light absorption in blood flow.
That's interesting (but kind of useless) on its own though, so Apple combines this data with the other sensors in the AirPods and a new on-device AI model to start up to 50 different workout types, integrating with Apple Fitness to measure calories burned, close the Move ring and earn awards in the Fitness app.
When combined with an iPhone, Apple is offering a digital Workout Buddy, which leverages Apple Intelligence to use your workout data and fitness history to generate personal, motivational insights during your exercise.
That all sounds pretty cool, right? But if you're lazy like me, then you might be more interested by the Live Translation feature.
Live Translation isn't a new tech – Samsung and Google both offer something similar. But Apple has approached it in Apple's way, and I like the sound of it.
When you're using the feature, the AirPods Pro 3 actually lowers the volume of the person you are talking to, so you can focus on the translation being pumped into your ears. If they are wearing the AirPods Pro 3 as well, it means you could feasibly have a proper, deep conversation with someone who doesn't speak your language.
If they don't have AirPods Pro 3, you can still use the feature, using your iPhone to show a live transcription of the conversation.
At launch the Live Translation feature will support English, French, German, Portuguese, and Spanish, and will be coming to four more languages by the end of the year: Italian, Japanese, Korean, and Chinese (simplified). It will also roll out to AirPods 4 (with ANC) and AirPods Pro 2.
AirPods Pro 3 start at RRP A$429, and will be available to purchase on 19 September.
BTTR relies on support from readers like you to keep going. If you'd like to support our work, consider a one-time donation. Every little bit helps us to cover costs and stay independent. 100% of donations go directly to authors. Thanks for your support!
Nick Broughall
Nick Broughall
Nick Broughall
