AirPods Pro 3 launched with Apple Intelligence and IP57 protection: Price, features, specs and more
Apple Event 2025: Apple has announced the AirPods Pro 3, the latest version of its wireless in-ear headphones, adding new health and translation features alongside audio improvements.
Redesigned fit and durability
The earbuds introduce a redesigned fit, aimed at improving stability during physical activity. The external shape has been altered to centre the ear tip, while new foam-infused tips are supplied in five sizes, including a new XXS option. According to Apple, the changes are based on large-scale ear scan research. The AirPods Pro 3 also carry an IP57 rating for water and sweat resistance, extending their use in varied conditions.
Health and fitness tracking
For the first time, AirPods integrate health tracking. A built-in heart rate sensor uses infrared light to monitor blood flow, while movement data from accelerometers and the iPhone’s GPS help log up to 50 types of workout in the Fitness app. The information can be used to track calories, progress towards activity goals, and other fitness metrics. Apple Fitness+ subscribers can also view live statistics such as heart rate and calories burned during guided sessions.
Another headline feature is Live Translation. The system allows spoken conversations between different languages to be translated in real time, either via the earbuds themselves or with the iPhone providing on-screen text. The feature launches in beta, initially supporting English, French, German, Portuguese and Spanish. Italian, Japanese, Korean and Simplified Chinese are due to follow by the end of the year.
On the audio side, AirPods Pro 3 introduce a new acoustic design with adaptive equalisation. Noise cancellation has been upgraded, with Apple claiming the system can filter out twice as much external sound compared with the previous generation, and four times as much as the original model. Transparency mode has also been refined to make surrounding voices sound more natural.
Battery life and hearing features
Battery performance has been extended, with up to eight hours of playback when noise cancellation is active, a third longer than before. Transparency mode use has also been boosted to around 10 hours. Hearing-related features are being expanded too, including automatic Conversation Boost in noisy settings and support for home-based hearing tests.
Price and availability
The AirPods Pro 3 are priced at $249 in the United States and are available to pre-order in over 50 countries. Retail availability begins on 19 September.
