Three years on, the latest AirPods Pro upgrade the sound and ANC, while bringing health and translation features to the fore.
The launch of the iPhone 17 may well be what Apple’s September launch was primarily about, but it doesn’t mean Apple didn’t have something else in store. Something else that was ready for a refresh and update.
It’s been three years since the AirPods Pro 2nd-gen popped out, and in that time, it has definitely given the world of noise cancelling earphones some strong competition, bringing with it support for spatial audio and even a hearing test update.
But a lot has changed in the world of active noise cancellation, and the AirPods Pro 2nd-gen aren’t exactly world-leading in noise cancellation tech. Can a new model put the Apple earphones at the top of the game once again?
Improvements to ANC
Apple certainly thinks so, with the 3rd-gen model simply named the “AirPods Pro 3” rather like how last year’s AirPods update was simply the “AirPods 4”.
We were surprised by that pair greatly, specifically because it brought active noise cancelling tech to a style of earbuds that’s normally incompatible.
Here on the earphone style that the AirPods Pro uses, Apple has a little more it can work with, and plans to improve things once again.
For starters, Apple is making changes by using microphones designed to pick up on ultra-low noise, and combining it computational audio to process improvements in cancellation.
The tips Apple uses on the AirPods Pro 3 will lend to that, now that they’re a combination of foam and silicone, something Sony previously dabbled with in its WF-1000XM4.
Apple’s is unlikely to be the same, but the combination of materials could improve the cancellation capability, something Apple says means up to four times more noise removed compared to the first-gen AirPods Pro, and up to twice as much from the AirPods Pro 2nd-gen this model is replacing. There’s even a new tip size for smaller ears.
Improvements to sound, too
It’s not just ANC updates, but also changes to the design and the internal architecture, aspects you’re probably not going to notice, even on first glance.
Inside, the architecture uses a new design that expands the sound, improving the bass and soundstage, while a new generation of Apple’s Adaptive EQ aims to boost the sound considerably.
The design of the AirPods Pro 3 has changed slightly, too. The shape is a little less angular, and there’s an expectation the pair will fit more ears than ever, thanks to over 10,000 ear scans and over 100,000 hours of user research.
The insides are smaller and the tip is designed to be more stable, all while packing in IP57 sweat and water resistance.
You’ll even be able to translate languages using the AirPods Pro 3, using a combination of AI and computational audio to listen to languages such as English, French, German, Portuguese, and Spanish at launch, with Italian, Japanese, Korean, and Chinese coming later in the year.
Oh, and there’s one more thing: a heart rate monitor.
Track your fitness through your ears
Apple isn’t the first company to try a heart rate monitor in the ears — Sennheiser tried it once, and we think Jabra before it, though this year’s Beats PowerBeats Pro 2 also supported the tech.
However, it’s a first for Apple’s own earphones, and in the AirPods Pro 3, the technology uses a custom sensor to measure light absorption in the blood flow at the ears, pulsing light at 256 times per second for measurements.
That sensor will work with accelerometers in the earbuds, as well as an on-device AI model on the iPhone to track heart rate and calories burned while working out it Fitness, something Apple Fitness+ users will be able to see referenced on-screen directly.
Pricing and availability
It probably won’t surprise you to learn the AirPods Pro 3 are launching shortly, alongside the iPhone 17 on September 19 next week.
Pricing-wise, Apple remains fairly consistent, launching the AirPods Pro 3 for $429 in Australia, while the New Zealand price sees the earphones for $479 on the same day.
