Apple’s “Pro” AirPods will be updated. Although Apple hasn’t upgraded the AirPods Pro 2 to the AirPods Pro 2 since its introduction in 2022, Apple hasn’t yet made another major major overhaul of its most expensive earbuds. At today’s iPhone 17 event (or iPhone Air Event, depending on who you ask), the company has launched its latest models: airpods pro 3. Apple has perfected its design, added heart rate sensing, improved active noise cancellation (ANC), real-time translation and more. Most importantly, it does so without increasing the price.
My brief demo with the AirPods Pro 3 focused entirely on the exquisite ANC. I can’t try any ongoing heart rate tracking or live translation for the moment, but I hope to offer other opportunities for this later this week.
The updated ANC system immediately impressed me. The demo area of Apple Park is located in the marble room outside the Steve Jobs Theatre. It was a nightmare for shooting videos, but it was a great test site for ANC. That’s because you can seem to hear every sound echoing on the floor and the walls. After starting with the video and music twice in transparent mode, I switched to ANC and it completely eliminated the roar of the room. I escaped for a few seconds.
The AirPods Pro 3 even made a dull sound around me, and except for a very loud speaker, the company representative had to knock me on the shoulders because I could never hear her problem again. I need more time to bring earbuds to know if they really stop human sounds better, but after a few minutes of using the new model, I can confidently say they can be more ordinary ambient noise than before.
This demonstration also gave me several minutes to improve the design. Foam ear tips are obviously more comfortable, but the right feeling will take some habit. Actually, I was surprised at how different they feel compared to the current version of silicone, even though I have worn out the foam trick many times in the past. They will eventually be more comfortable on longer listening sessions and I’m sure their passive noise isolation helps ANC improvements.
I hope to get more time on the AirPods Pro 3 today and tomorrow, so stay tuned for more reports on Apple’s new earbuds at the iPhone 17 event.
