Report: AirPods Pro 3 will have ‘better fit’ but no ‘major’ audio upgrades

Macworld

We’re just hours away from Apple’s “Awe Dropping” event, and while the iPhone 17 will undoubtedly be the star of the show, we’re also expected to get a look at new Apple Watches and the first AirPods Pro update since 2022.

According to a last-minute report from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, AirPods Pro 3 will indeed arrive at the event, featuring a heart-rate monitor, as has been previously reported. Apple-owned Beats released its Powerbeats Pro 2 with a heart-rate sensor earlier this year, and it’s been widely expected that Apple would bring it to the AirPods Pro.

Gurman reports that the AirPods Pro will also get an “improved design for better fit and revamped charging case.” It’s been reported that the AirPods Pro 3 charging case will lose the button and have a slimmer design to match the AirPods 4. Interestingly, Gurman does not mention a temperature sensor, as has also been rumored.

Unfortunately, Gurman reports that the AirPods Pro 3 won’t have any “major audio/ANC improvements.” One of the premier features of AirPods 2 when they arrived in 2022 was 2X noise cancellation and richer sound thanks to a low-distortion audio driver and custom amplifier. With the H3 chip, we expected significant upgrades to the AirPods Pro’s audio system, but it appears as though the focus will be on health instead.

Apple’s “Awe Dropping” keynote will kick off at 10am PT today. You can follow along with all the news with our live blog. And for all the latest news and rumors, check out our regularly updated hub articles:

Apple Watch Series 11

AirPods Pro 3

iPhone 17