Apple announced a new version of AirPods Pro at its ‘Awe Dropping’ September 9 event. These third-generation AirPods Pro come with multiple new upgrades, and here are the key ones you should know about.
1. Heart rate sensor
One of the notable features of the new AirPods Pro 3 is a heart rate sensor that measures the heart rate and calories burned during workouts. It allows you to track more than 50 types of workouts in the Fitness app on iPhone.
Apple says:
“AirPods Pro 3 introduce a custom photoplethysmography (PPG) sensor that shines invisible infrared light pulsed at 256 times per second to measure light absorption in blood flow. Combined with sensor fusion from the AirPods Pro accelerometers, gyroscope, GPS, and a new on-device AI model on iPhone, users can start up to 50 different workout types, track their heart rate and calories burned, close their Move ring, and earn awards in the Fitness app.”
This means that even if you don’t have an Apple Watch or have forgotten to charge it, you can track most of your workouts using the new AirPods Pro 3.
Apple first added a heart rate sensor to the Powerbeats Pro 2, and after testing it there, it added it to the highly popular AirPods Pro series.
2. Improved noise cancellation
According to Apple, the newer AirPods Pro 3 have up to twice as much active noise cancellation (ANC) as the previous generation AirPod Pro 2 and up to four times more ANC compared to the original first-generation AirPods Pro and the recent AirPod 4 with ANC.
So, if you travel a lot or use noise cancellation very often to drown out the surrounding sounds, then the new AirPods Pro 3 are sure to be an upgrade for you.
3. Better sound quality
Along with improved ANC, the new AirPods Pro 3 have enhanced Transparency mode and Adaptive EQ, thanks to a “new multiport acoustic architecture that precisely controls the airflow that carries sound into the ear, helping deliver an exceptional spatial listening experience.”
4. Subtle new design and foam-infused ear tips
Although the new AirPod Pro 3 appears identical to the AirPods Pro 2 at first glance, Apple has made subtle changes under the hood. For starters, the latest version is slightly smaller due to a 2.6mm decrease in width. Additionally, the depth of the new AirPods Pro 3 has increased by 3mm, allowing it to sit deeper in the ear and fit better.
Along with that, the ear tips of AirPods Pro 3 have a thin layer of soft foam for improved passive noise isolation. Additionally, Apple says that these new ear tips are aligned to the center of the body for increased stability.
All in all, the ever-so-slightly smaller buds along with new ear tips mean the AirPods Pro 3 will now fit even more people and offer a secure, stable music experience during workouts, running, and other everyday use.
5. New XXS ear tips in the box
AirPods Pro 3 come with five sizes of ear tips:
- XXS: Extra extra small
- XS: Extra small
- S: Small
- M: Medium
- L: Large
The XXS is a new ear tip size added this year for AirPods Pro 3, intended to provide a comfortable fit for even more people.
6. Improved battery life (but with a catch)
The battery life of AirPods Pro 3 is now rated at 8 hours with ANC enabled, compared to 6 hours on AirPods Pro 2. And if you use the Hearing Aid feature, AirPods Pro 3 get up to 10 hours of battery life, which is 4 hours more compared to AirPods Pro 2.
However, the total battery backup, when including the charging case, has dropped by 6 hours. Apple claims that the AirPod Pro 3 charging case allows for a total listening time of 24 hours. This number for the previous AirPods Pro 2 was an impressive 30 hours!
7. Better water resistance
The new AirPods Pro 3 now has an IP57 dust, sweat, and water resistance rating, compared to an IP54 rating on AirPods Pro 2 and an IPX4 rating on AirPods Pro 1.
IPXY means:
- IP – Ingress Protection
- X – protection against solid particles (measured on a scale of 0–6)
- Y – protection against liquids (measured on a scale of 0–9)
An IP57 rating means AirPods Pro 3 can stay protected even when immersed in up to 1 meter of water for up to 30 minutes. So, we can say that it’s waterproof for short immersion. But don’t count on it, as water damage isn’t covered under warranty.
The IP54 rating, in comparison, is only good for protecting against splashing water from any direction.
8. Newer U2 chip
The MagSafe Charging Case on AirPods Pro 3 now has the newer U2 ultra-wideband chip, compared to U1 on AirPods Pro 2. The new chip enables greater accuracy and a 1.5x range increase when using the Find My app on your iPhone to locate your missing AirPods Pro 3 charging case.
9. The same starting price as before
In addition to the above highlights, AirPods Pro 3 (much like AirPods Pro 2 after firmware update) also have the new Live Translation feature for in-person communication with a person who speaks a different language.
The AirPods Pro 3 retain all the handy features you’d expect, such as automatic device switching, Audio Sharing, Spatial Audio, Personalized Volume, hands-free Siri, touch controls to manage calls and media playback, and accessibility features like Hearing Protection and Hearing Aid.
With all this, the AirPods Pro 3 still come in at $249, which is the same price as the previous AirPods Pro 2 and 1. Pre-orders are already open, with deliveries starting September 19.
One big thing to note is that, unlike AirPods Pro 2, Apple has not included a USB-C charging cable in the new AirPods Pro 3 box!