I do not wish to seem ungrateful – I’m glad Apple‘s up to date its flagship AirPods, and the arrival of AirPods Pro 3 at Apple’s interesting ‘Awe Inspiring’ event on September 9 gave me just a few issues to get enthusiastic about.
The first is heart-rate monitoring that appears prefer it’ll really assist exercises, not simply inside Apple’s ecosystem but additionally along side third-party apps (and could even make the Apple Watch feel surplus to requirements?) utilizing stated ticker-taker and movement monitoring.
The second is Live Translation, and although one of the wider team isn’t sure it’s the right direction for AI (and indeed earbuds wearers) to be going, it is definitely an enormous new characteristic and one not anticipated to reach so quickly – though take word, it’s not exclusive to AirPods Pro 3, with AirPods Pro 2 assist and AirPods 4 (with ANC) assist incoming.
But Apple’s AirPods Pro 2 are arguably the most well-liked headphones ever and given the three-year wait I anticipated, properly… extra.
I’ve gone into element about every of the perks I’d hoped to see that by no means materialised – and there are just a few – and why all of them add as much as a barely disappointing launch for me, though that stated, I can not wait to present Live Translation a whirl.
Already acquired an older set of AirPods and are attempting to work out whether or not to improve? Feel free to take a look at our AirPods Pro 3 vs AirPods Pro 2 explainer or our AirPods Pro 3 vs AirPods 4 evaluation.
Everyone else, let’s get granular!
1. Visually, it’s a case of spot the difference… again
It’s hardly a jubilant design overhaul, is it? There aren’t even any fresh colorways (and make no mistake, Apple had looked to sell its inaugural AirPods in a variety of colors, again within the day). Would just a few skin-tone colours be an excessive amount of to ask – as a result of ColorWare is currently offering that, for a premium. It all feels slightly… too protected.
Also, it was broadly tipped that AirPods Pro 3’s case can be smaller than AirPods Pro 2, and Apple’s spec sheets really verify that the Pro 3’s case is 2mm taller and slightly wider than its older sibling.
Put the outdated AirPods Pro 2 subsequent to the brand new AirPods Pro 3 and you would be enjoying a sport of spot the distinction to verify which is which, but once more. On the one hand, Apple may argue it ain’t broke so why repair it – however oh, how I needed for a complete new look.
OK, there is a redesigned mesh and new customized driver structure, for elevated airflow and a wider soundstage, plus novel “foam infused” ear ideas (of which there are actually 5) however I’m struggling to get excited a few new XXS ear tip as a design flourish.
Apple additionally says that regardless of the brand new sensor, the buds themselves are actually smaller (with a tweaked form to higher match most ear canals) and with an IP57 ranking, that means they’re going to lastly survive precise immersion in water for a short time.
But once more, Apple’s spec sheet reveals that though the Pro 3 are 2.6mm thinner, they’re really 3mm deeper and weigh a tad extra, at 5.55g versus 5.3g.
All I can say is that to the bare eye, there does not appear a lot in it…
2. Where’s that H3 chip, Apple?
There wasn’t a dicky bird from Apple regarding the more powerful H3 chip within its AirPods Pro 3 launch announcement, which was disappointing.
This was the much-touted chipset (and one Apple’s long been rumored to have been testing) for future features, promising “much better” ANC and better battery, which is why it’s so odd that AirPods Pro 3 have been confirmed as housing the H2 chip again – yes, after three long years between iterations.
That said, the stamina and ANC have, says Apple, been improved again. The best I can say of AirPods Pro 2 is that the battery life was an ‘acceptable’ maximum of 6 hours of listening time on a single charge (up to 5.5 hours with Spatial Audio and Head Tracking) or up to 30 hours of listening time including the case, and AirPods Pro 3 have improved upon this, claiming up to 10 hours in Hearing Aid mode with Transparency on, or 8 hours of standard use with ANC deployed.
Also, Apple claims the ANC is twice as effective as the Pro 2, or four (4) times as effective as the inaugural AirPods Pro. How has Apple achieved these feats using that same H2 chip? I’ll see that when we get to testing.
3. Temperature sensors seemed a dead cert given the poster, no?
It was widely speculated that one (or possibly two) rumored features wouldn’t make the AirPods Pro 3 update – and so it came to pass.
Yes, the arrival of Live Translation may well atone for the omissions to a degree, but this particular no-show was perhaps the one that disappointed me most, given Apple’s ‘Awe dropping’ hot-to-cold graphic, aka the placeholder while we all waited for the livestream to start.
You don’t need to be a tech expert to have cottoned on to Apple’s big push towards health-tracking for its Pro-suffixed AirPods, and with heart-rate monitoring now accessible within the Apple subsidiary model Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 – and sure coming to the much-teased Beats Powerbeats Fit – the prospect of ticker-taking being not simply current however upgraded in AirPods Pro 3 was all however a gimme.
And but, whereas movement monitoring is right here to enhance the issues Apple can do together with your BPM studying to a level (and your ear is considered a nice place to get a deal with in your physique temperature) that much-tipped temperature sensor is not right here.
4. I’d really (really) hoped Apple could give us eyes in our ears
Less of a shock was the fact that IR cameras built into AirPods Pro 3 also didn’t materialize. This one was, I admit, more wishful thinking than genuine anticipation, but Apple used to love a big ‘one more thing’ reveal…
Back in December 2024, a Mark Gurman Bloomberg report instructed that the tech for cameras in your AirPods merely is not there but and will not be there for some time, pointing to a 2027 launch date for any AirPods with thermal cameras.
Look, I personally think they’ll be a huge safety win when they do arrive (and truly, I feel it could happen in 2026 rather than 2027, which is a great reason to hold out for the AirPods Pro 4) however even when AirPods with tiny AI cameras really won’t arrive until 2027, I’ll nonetheless be right here for it – and would really feel far more comfy strolling residence alone if I had AirPods that would see what I see, to a level.
5. Still no Apple Music Lossless support
Arguably, my main issue with any new AirPods is their potential to play nice with Apple Music’s own high-resolution audio offering, specifically 24-bit/96 kHz, aka the maximum resolution of Apple Music‘s Lossless tier, and 24-bit/192kHz – the place Apple Music’s Hi-Res Lossless providing maxes out.
Currently, to get at Hi-Res Lossless recordsdata (which Apple gifted to Apple Music subscribers for no extra fee means again in June 2021, and Spotify has almost done, with its brand new Lossless tier) from an iPhone, you want a convoluted wired system involving Apple’s Lightning to USB digicam adapter (which is proscribed to 24-bit/48kHz) after which a portable DAC (which Apple does not make) to bump up the decision, then a set of decent-quality wired headphones – sadly, I’d recommend one thing higher than Apple’s still-good value EarPods.
And Apple’s barely extra humble (however nonetheless higher than CD high quality) Lossless tier? You additionally will want wired headphones – though your iPhone’s inbuilt DAC is ready to ship the products offered you are attaching a wire. And Apple has really made progress right here: since April 1, 2025, AirPods Max added Lossless USB-C audio passthrough, so it is hardly churlish to count on an answer for AirPods Pro to iPhone hasn’t been within the pipeline, moreover utilizing a Vision Pro headset as your supply system (which provides you with Lossless).
If AirPods Pro 3 may grant loyal Apple devotees entry to Apple Music’s Hi-Res Lossless tier, it would be a house run – which is why it is really stunning that the Cupertino big nonetheless hasn’t.