Three years after the announcement of the high-end AirPods Pro 2 (with a Lightning charging case) and only 12 months on the heels of the "regular" AirPods 4 (with and without active noise cancellation), a new pair of super-premium Apple earbuds is out alongside the company's latest and greatest iPhones.
These bad boys are called AirPods Pro 3 rather than AirPods Pro 4, which some prospective buyers might find to be a little confusing, also fueling speculation that another model with a more radical set of upgrades and new features could come out as early as next year.
What's new and exciting about the AirPods Pro 3
Built-in heart rate monitor (!!!);
Improved design for better fit and all-day comfort;
Twice the ANC compared to the previous generation/four times more effective ANC compared to the first-gen AirPods Pro;
IP57 sweat and water resistance;
Longer battery life.
Just as expected, Apple is expanding the Powerbeats Pro 2's number one feature to a much wider audience after what I can only assume was considered a successful test run. Like on the company's sporty Beats-branded earbuds, heart rate sensing will only work during workouts, which is... still more useful than what other "mainstream" buds can do today.
What better way to maximize your workout efficiency than with a heart rate monitor in your ear? | Image Credit -- Apple
But the AirPods Pro 3 are capable of so much more than just replacing your smart band or smartwatch for in-workout health tracking, also working some fancy new software magic to translate your conversations in real time. That's right, you can travel to a foreign country now without speaking a word of the local language, and at least in theory, manage to have a conversation with a perfect stranger with only these buds in your ears.
Unfortunately, Live Translation is launching in beta for the time being in English, French, German, Portuguese, and Spanish, with Italian, Japanese, Korean, and Chinese support coming "by the end of the year", and no word yet on an exit out of this beta stage.
Contrary to many pre-launch rumors, the AirPods Pro 3 seem to vastly improve the audio performance and especially the active noise cancellation of their forerunners as well. In fact, Apple is billing this product as the "world's best" at cancelling noise among all in-ear headphones. Your move, Sony and Beats!
What's your favorite new AirPods Pro 3 feature?
Heart rate monitor
7.46%
Live Translate
44.78%
Smaller charging case
2.99%
Refined design for better fit and comfort
22.39%
None of the above
22.39%
AirPods Pro 3 vs the competition
Can the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro keep an eye on your heart rate during your most tiresome physical activities? No, they cannot, and the same goes for Google's Pixel Buds Pro 2 or Sony's WF-1000XM5. That puts Apple in an excellent position to retain its top spot in global earbuds sales and possibly considerably boost its volumes after a couple of years of not-so-remarkable growth.
The AirPods Pro 3 have a very clear and major advantage (or two) over practically all competitors. | Image Credit -- Apple
Of course, that's not the only thing that makes a pair of earbuds great, which is why it's obviously nice (for Apple) that the AirPods Pro 3 have so much more going for them. Battery life, for instance, is impressively improved by 33 percent from the AirPods Pro 2 to a cool eight hours of uninterrupted music playback, as well as by no less than 67 percent in Transparency mode to 10 hours. The Galaxy Buds 3 Pro, meanwhile, can only promise six or seven hours of endurance between charges, although curiously enough, Apple isn't making any bold claims about the AirPods Pro 3's charging case in today's announcement post.
AirPods Pro 3 pricing and availability
Up for pre-order starting today, yes, today, Apple's ultra-high-end new earbuds are... amazingly not costlier than the AirPods Pro 2. Yes, you can get the world's best active noise cancellation (according to Apple) for just $249.99, with shipments scheduled to kick off as early as September 19.
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Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian's passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for 'adequate' over 'overpriced'.
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