Apple’s AirPods Pro 3 Lands with Built-in Heart Rate Sensor and Live Translation for $249

AirPods Pro 3 are here, after months of anticipation and rumors. Unveiled at the “Awe Dropping” event on September 9, 2025. These wireless earbuds have a new design, better audio tech and features that go beyond music.

AirPods Pro 3 have a new form factor designed from the ground up for more ears. Apple used over 10,000 ear scans and 300 million data points to create the earbuds, making them smaller and more stable. New foam-infused ear tips are now in five sizes, including XXS, for activities like running and yoga. They’re IP57 rated for sweat and water resistance so you can work out hard or get caught in the rain.

The new multiport acoustic architecture sounds way better. This system controls airflow to give you deeper bass, a bigger soundstage and crystal clear vocals for music, calls and podcasts. Adaptive EQ fine tunes the audio in real time so every note lands exactly right. Whether you’re listening to a podcast on a noisy train or a jazz playlist at home, the audio feels immersive and precise. Transparency mode has also been upgraded so your voice and nearby conversations sound natural so you can stay connected to your surroundings without breaking the flow.

Apple claims these earbuds have the best in-ear active noise cancellation (ANC) available, blocking up to twice as much noise as AirPods Pro 2 and 4 times more than the original. Ultra low noise microphones, advanced computational audio and those foam infused ear tips work together to create a silent bubble. On a busy bus or in a noisy office, the world fades away and all you hear is your audio. With ANC on, battery life is 8 hours of music playback, a 33% increase over the previous model. Transparency mode lasts even longer, up to 10 hours, so these earbuds are a marathon runner in a sprint obsessed market.

Fitness enthusiasts will love the built in heart rate sensor. Using a custom photoplethysmography (PPG) sensor AirPods Pro 3 pulse infrared light 256 times per second to track blood flow. Paired with the Fitness app on your iPhone they support over 50 workout types, from HIIT to cycling, so you can track heart rate, calories burned and Move ring progress. Apple Intelligence powers Workout Buddy, a feature that gives you personalized motivational insights based on your fitness history. For Apple Fitness+ subscribers real-time metrics like heart rate and Burn Bar appear on screen so your workout becomes a data driven experience.

Communication gets a futuristic upgrade with Live Translation, available in beta for select languages like English, French and Spanish, with Italian, Japanese, Korean and Chinese coming later in 2025. Powered by Apple Intelligence and computational audio, you can have face-to-face conversations across language barriers. Speak naturally and your iPhone will display a transcription in the other person’s language and your AirPods will translate their response into yours. If both people are using AirPods Pro 3, ANC will quiet the other person’s voice so you can focus on the translation.

Hearing health is still a top priority, and building upon Apple’s earlier work, AirPods Pro 3 enhance the Hearing Test, which gives you scientifically validated results from home. Improved ANC makes testing more accurate by reducing background noise. For those with mild to moderate hearing loss, the Hearing Aid feature now includes automatic Conversation Boost in loud environments like restaurants, amplifying voices while reducing background chatter.

Sustainability is built in, as AirPods Pro 3 use 40% recycled materials, including 100% recycled cobalt in the battery and 65% recycled plastic in the case. Made with 40% renewable energy, they come in 100% fiber-based, recyclable packaging. Priced at $249, they’re available to order now, and will be in stores beginning September 19, 2025.