AirPods Pro 3 superguide: What’s new and what’s not

Macworld

Apple’s AirPods Pro 3: In Summary

There’s a new pair of AirPods Pro. This is the first major update since the AirPods Pro 2 launched in September 2022, although a minor update brought USB-C and hearing aid features in September 2024. 

Apple claims that the new AirPods Pro 3 have the “World’s best ANC (active noise cancellation).”

The new AirPods Pro 3 are slightly smaller and come with five different foam ear tips for greater noise isolation and to fit any ear size. 

Users will also benefit from new features coming with WatchOS 26, such as Live Translation, but this will also be available in other AirPods.

Waterproofing is better than ever thanks to IP57 support. 

The biggest news is the new heart rate sensor, which means you can track activity and calories burned on the AirPods. This feature works hand in hand with the workout app and Apple Fitness Plus. 

They cost the same $249 in the U.S. while the price is now lower in the U.K. at $219.

The AirPods Pro 3 are the latest version of Apple’s high-end wireless earbuds. Launched in September 2025, and succeeding the AirPods Pro 2, these new earbuds introduce several enhancements focusing on audio quality, health tracking via a heart rate sensor, better waterproofing, and a better fit, while maintaining a similar design aesthetic to their predecessors.

Some other features will be shared with the AirPods Pro 2, such as the ability to use the new Live Translate feature, which allows for real-time language conversion. The hearing aid features are also available on the AirPods Pro 2, though Apple is promising that the newer AirPods Pro will deliver better battery life with used as a hearing aid. Read our review of the AirPods Pro 3 to find out what we thought.

In this guide we will share everything you need to know about the AirPods Pro 3 introduced in 2025. Wondering what’s going on with the AirPods Max? Read AirPods Max 2 rumors: When will Apple update the AirPods Max?

AirPods Pro 3: What is new?

Heart-rate sensors to track heart rate and track calories burned across 50 different workout types.

IP57 rating for improved sweat and water resistance.

Improved Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) and Transparency Mode.

Better-fitting earbuds including a fifth XXS option.

U2 chip in charging case for more precise location finding.

8 hours battery life (up from 6 hours).

New features also on AirPods Pro 2

Some new features come as part of the watchOS 26 update and will also be available on AirPods Pro 2:

Support for Live Translation.

Hearing Aid feature improvements.





We recommend: Apple AirPods Pro 3






















AirPods Pro 3: Design




The AirPods Pro 3 look similar to the AirPods Pro 2, but there are differences. Apple

Despite long-standing rumors of a flush, “stemless” design, like the Beats Studio Buds, the new AirPods Pro look, well, almost identical to the second generation. There is still only one color choice: white.

However, there are differences that becomes clear if you place them side-by-side. For example, the AirPods Pro 3 have new “foam-infused” eartips which Apple promises will be better-fitting. There are now five eartips to choose from, with Apple adding a new XXS option. These new eartips make a tighter seal in your ear, according to Apple. They also rotated inward, which Apple says will result in a more secure fit. The new eartips also shouldn’t deform as readily as the old silicone flanges.




AirPods Pro 2 on the left, AirPods Pro 3 on the right. The newer case is larger too. Foundry

The charging case looks the same, too, although in close comparison the case is a little larger and the light slightly higher. There are internal changes though, with Apple adding “next-generation Ultra Wideband technology” which increases the distance of Precision Finding by 1.5x.

Other changes to the design mean that the AirPods Pro 3 get a IP57 certification for water resistance, up from IP54 on the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4. This should mean the new AirPods have better protection from dust, and will be ok if they are temporary immersed in water of up to 1 meter for approximately 30 minutes, though we wouldn’t recommend it. The older AirPods with the IP54 rating can’t be immersed in water at all and are only protected from splashes and water spray (such as a shower or rain).

AirPods Pro 3: Sound quality




Apple

The 2025 AirPods Pro boast better sound quality than the previous generation.

Apple has improved Active Noise Cancellation in the AirPods Pro 3 with new ultra-low noise microphones, the new eartips, and computational advances. Apple says the result is twice as good as the ANC on the last generation, and four times better than the first (and although it doesn’t spell it out exactly, with ANC on the AirPods Pro 2 being twice as good as the ANC on the AirPods 4, it follows that the AirPods Pro 3 have four times better ANC than the AirPods 4 as well). The company claims it’s “the world’s best in-ear Active Noise Cancellation”.

Apple has also improved Adaptive EQ and a new multiport acoustic architecture should allow for deeper bass and a wider soundstage for even more clarity.

Apple also promises “next-level Transparency”. Transparency is a feature of AirPods that lets in some sound so that you can hear conversations and other sounds around you when necessary, such as approaching cars when you cross a road. The improvements to Transparency mode in the AirPods Pro 3 are made possible by new microphone arrays that produce more natural-sounding voices and a new Adaptive Audio feature that makes intelligent adjustments to the noise cancellation features to allow sounds to be heard.

Call quality should also be improved by the improvements to voice, and background sounds during transparency mode should sound more natural.

AirPods Pro 3: Health & fitness features




Apple

The 2025 AirPods Pro headline feature is the new heart rate sensor.

It’s not Apple’s first time adding a heart rate sensor to headphones, but it is the first time it has appeared on the AirPods. Apple-owned Beats introduced an an optical heart-rate sensor on the Powerbeats Pro 2 earlier in 2025.

A new, smaller version of this sensor has made its way to the AirPods Pro. It pulses invisible light to get accurate metrics during a workout. By all accounts it is effective: DC Rainmaker, a site by a triathlete and adventurer, has compared heart rate data using the AirPods Pro 3, an Apple Watch Ultra, a Garmin Fenix 8 Pro smartwatch, and a Garmin Edge 850 paired with an HRM-600 heart rate monitor and found the AirPods Pro 3 to be accurate. He wrote: “Apple has managed to do something that really nobody else has: Produce a pretty solid heart rate sensing device in your ears.”

Apple says that thanks to the heart rate sensor the AirPods Pro 3 can give accurate data in the Fitness app for up to 50 workout types.

AirPods Pro 3: Battery life

8 hours battery life with Active Noise Cancellation on.

10 hours in transparency with Hearing Air feature on.

With ANC active, battery life has gone from 6 hours on the AirPods Pro 2 to 8 hours on the AirPods Pro 3. It’s double the 4 hours offered by the AirPods 4 with ANC on.

There are also 4 hours extra when using the AirPods Pro Hearing Aid feature (a feature that came to the second-generation AirPods Pro after launch.)

Apple claims that after 5 minutes in the case the AirPods Pro 2 and 3 and AirPods 4 will be able to play for about an hour.

AirPods Pro 3: Other features

Live Translation: As part of the iOS 26 update, Apple is bringing live translation capabilities to the Phone, Messages, and FaceTime apps to automatically translate spoken and written text in real-time. Live Translation will also let you listen to people speaking in one language and hear translations via your AirPods Pro 2 or 3. If both participants have AirPods Pro 3, they’ll be able to speak in their own language and hear translations back.

Hearing Aid: Both the AirPods Pro 2 and 3 offer the hearing test and hearing aid features, however, those using the AirPods 3 as a hearing aid will gain 67 per cent more battery life on a single charge (4 more hours at 10 hours), according to Apple.

Pause when sleeping: Another new feature in iOS 26 means that if you’re using AirPods and fall asleep, they will automatically turn off playback so the battery won’t run down. This applies to AirPods Pro 2 and 3 and AirPods 4 as well as some Beats headphones. In Settings there is a “Pause when falling asleep” option.

Camera remote: Users can press and hold the AirPods stem to take a photo or start and stop a video recording on iPhone or iPad. This will work with the AirPods Pro 2 and 3 and AirPods 4.

Studio-quality recording: When you use your AirPods with an iPhone, iPad, or Mac, you’ll be able to record in higher sound quality.

AirPods Pro 3: Release date and price





We recommend: Apple AirPods Pro 3






















AirPods Pro 3 are available now. They went on sale on September 19, 2025.

In the U.S. the AirPods Pro have been priced at $249 since their 2019 debut, and that’s not changing with the third generation, at least not in the U.S. In the U.K. however, the price is now less than it was, starting at £219 rather than £229.

And it’s not only the AirPods Pro 3 that have seen a price drop in the U.K. Apple has also dropped the price of the AirPods 4, both with and without ANC in 2024 by £10 each.

Pricing for the AirPods range is as follows:

Apple Earbuds: $19/£19

AirPods 4: $129/£119

AirPods 4 with ANC: $179/£169

AirPods Pro 3: $249/£219

AirPods Max: $549/£499

We have a round-up of the Best wireless earbuds for iPhones and the best wired headphones if you’d like to consider alternatives to AirPods. Also read AirPods Pro vs AirPods to find out how the models compare.