While the Apple Watch SE 3, Series 11, and Watch Ultra 3 have quite a few internal spec bumps compared to previous generations of their respective smartwatches, the AirPods Pro 3 wireless earbuds are actually redesigned inside and out, but you’ll have to look closely to notice the changes. The charging case also ditches its physical pairing button.
Following Apple’s “Awe Drop” event on Tuesday, where Tim Cook and company announced the significantly thinner iPhone Air, the feature-packed iPhone 17 Pros, and the aforementioned trio of Apple Watches, I had some personal time to get my hands on the AirPods Pro 3. These are the replacements for the AirPods Pro 2 in 2022 (and then an upgrade to USB-C in 2023). So we’re talking about a new version of Apple’s three-year-old wireless earbuds with active noise cancellation (ANC).
You can read all the tech details about how Apple redesigned the drivers and acoustics and all that stuff here, or on Apple’s product page in the area. We also wrote a helpful comparison of how the AirPods Pro 3 compare to the AirPods Pro 2. What you can’t tell is what it’s like to wear the AirPods Pro 3 in your ears and try out the new live translation feature and built-in heart rate sensor. That’s my job, so let’s get to it.
As with my other questions, these are just first impressions. I had about 45 minutes to try out the AirPods Pro 3. At first glance, the AirPods Pro 3 don’t look new in their charging case. There were rumors that the case would get smaller, but the case is about the same size as the AirPods Pro 2. Flip the case over to the back, and you’ll notice that the pairing button is gone. Apple removed it and replaced it with an invisible touch-sensitive one on the front. Press and hold it for two seconds to put the AirPods Pro 3 into pairing mode, and then press and hold it longer to perform a factory reset. The charging light LED is still there.
The AirPods Pro 3 earbuds themselves are subtly different and designed for better comfort. First, there’s now an extra size for the earbuds in the box — XXS — for a total of five. Second, the cup of the buds is more compact. And third, the earbuds are more rigid for the buds. Together, these changes all help to seat each bud deeper and more snugly in your ears. One side effect is that the stems seem to stand out more. I noticed this immediately for some reason. I don’t know; I’m very sensitive to how my in-ear buds look. Needless to say, the AirPods Pro 3 fit very comfortably in my ears, and while I never had a problem with the AirPods Pro 2 buds falling out, I shook my head and the AirPods Pro 3 buds felt pretty secure.
Skaņas ziņā, Apple saka, ka tas ir uzlabojis kvalitāti, it īpaši ar aktīvās trokšņa atcelšanas veiktspēju. Es klausījos dažas dziesmas par Apple Music, ieskaitot dažus nesenus favorītus atkārtot, piemēram, Olivia Dean un Keshi “Dive” un Keshi “Eiforija”, un tās izklausījās ļoti skaidri ar tīru un dziļu basu un kraukšķīgu vokālu. Apple bija četri mājas podi, kas imitēja dažādus vides trokšņus, piemēram, lidmašīnas un trokšņainas ielas dunci. Es uzreiz pamanīju spēcīgāku ANC, samazinot fona troksni. Apple saka, ka AirPods Pro 3 ir palielināts ANC, salīdzinot ar AirPods Pro 2, un par 4x, salīdzinot ar AirPods Pro un AirPods 4 ar ANC. Tas ir iespaidīgi, un es ar nepacietību gaidu, kā ANC iztur reālajā pasaulē. Galu galā simulācijas ne vienmēr reprezentē reālo dzīvi.
Tulkošanas demonstrācija tiešraidē
Tagad parunāsim par tiešo tulkojumu un sirdsdarbības sensoru, jo, kā teica mūsu vecākais reportieris Džeimss Pero, AirPods Pro 3 skaidri ir Apple iemērc pirkstus, lai pārveidotu bezvadu austiņas daudz vairāk nekā sīkrīku mūzikas klausīšanai.
Demonstrācijā Apple bija uz rokas, lai runātu portugāļu valodā, kamēr AirPods Pro 3 manās ausīs tulkoja to, ko viņš saka angļu valodā. Tiešā tulkošana tiek aktivizēta, izmantojot Siri saīsni (Apple to kartēja uz darbības pogu iPhone 17 Pro demonstrācijas blokā) vai nospiežot un turot abu AirPods Pro 3 pumpuru kātus. ANC sāk rīkoties, lai izolētu skaļruņa balsi, un tad sākas tulkojums. Varat arī atvērt savu pāra iPhone, lai redzētu transkribētos tulkojumus tulkošanas lietotnē. Tagad es nerunāju portugāļu valodā, un arī neviena no citiem manām praktiskajām grupām nebija, tāpēc es nevaru pateikt, kāda precizitāte bija tulkojumi. Bet man ir pieredze, izmantojot tulkošanas lietotni iPhone mandarīnu ķīniešu, japāņu, spāņu un franču tulkojumos. Tas ir labs, bet ne tik precīzs kā Google tulkojums, it īpaši tonālām valodām, piemēram, mandarīnu valodā. Es teikšu, ka tiešraides tulkojumi bija gandrīz tūlītēji; Pumpuri izmanto staru formas tehnoloģiju, lai mājās būtu tāda cilvēka balss, kura ir tieši jūsu priekšā, un dažām valodām var būt vajadzīgas vēl dažas sekundes, lai iegūtu pareizo tulkojuma kontekstu, taču šķita, ka tas darbojas.
Smalka izdruka AirPods Pro 3 (ja jūs tos saņemat 19. septembrī) ir tā, ka tiešraides tulkošanas funkcija sākumā tiek atklāta beta versijā un ir ierobežota ar piecām valodām (angļu, franču, vācu, portugāļu un spāņu valodas). Apple saka, ka itāļu, japāņu, korejiešu un mandarīnu ķīniešu (vienkāršots) būs pieejams līdz gada beigām.
Gaišajā pusē tiešais tulkojums nav ekskluzīvs AirPods Pro 3. Šī funkcija nāk arī AirPods Pro 2 un AirPods 4 ar ANC – prasības ir bezvadu austiņas ar H2 mikroshēmu un ANC.
Sirdsdarbības izsekošanas demonstrācija
Now let’s talk about the heart rate sensor. This isn’t the same technology Beats uses in its PowerBeats Pro 2 fitness buds, but Apple’s own sensor is based on technology from more than a decade’s worth of learnings from the Apple Watch’s heart rate sensor. According to Apple’s own press release, the AirPods Pro 3 use “a custom photoplethysmography (PPG) sensor that shines an invisible infrared light that pulses 256 times per second to measure the absorption of light in the bloodstream.”
I briefly looked at how the heart rate sensor integrates with the fitness app for workouts. It’s worth noting that my heart rate in the video below is pretty high from getting little sleep, getting up at 5am and hopping on an Uber, then a Kaltrain, then another Uber to get to Apple Park. Oh, and then running around Apple Park for several hours afterwards, extremely caffeinated from too many espresso shots, and Cupertino being extremely warm. That said, I can’t say how accurate the heart rate sensor on the AirPods Pro 3 is compared to the Apple Watch. I’ll have to compare that when I get a pair of ANC buds for review.
Just tried out the AirPods Pro 3 and their new real-time in-ear heart rate sensor with an outdoor walking workout. Here’s a video of my heart rate monitored in the fitness app on my iPhone 17 Pro #PleEvent pic.twitter.com/uqcew8gkeq
— Ray Wong (@raywongy) September 10, 2025
At $249, the AirPods Pro 3 seem like a worthwhile upgrade over the AirPods Pro 2, if everything else, like 2x ANC, checks out. And if they’re anything like the AirPods Pro 2, Apple will likely support them with new features for several years. I’ll have more to share when I review them soon, but I don’t see any steps back just yet.
