Apple at the Awe Dropping event introduced the new AirPods Pro 3 — updated premium wireless headphones with active noise cancellation. Here’s what we know about the new product based on the official announcement and the first details.
Apple at the Awe Dropping event introduced the new AirPods Pro 3 — updated premium wireless headphones with active noise cancellation. Here’s what we know about the new product based on the official announcement and the first details.
The headphones have become smaller and lighter, with an improved shape that fits better in the ear and does not fall out during movement or training.
The new charging case is much more compact (similar to the AirPods 4 case), with an invisible capacitive button instead of a physical one, and a hidden LED indicator that only appears during operation.
There are 5 sizes of ear tips available to fit most users. The headphones also have IP54 dust, sweat, and water protection (both in the case and in the headphones themselves), making them more resistant to daily use, including workouts.
AirPods Pro are equipped with a new H3 chip, which provides better sound quality, deeper immersion in spatial audio, and support for future software updates (as was the case with the H2 in the previous model).
They have improved active noise cancellation (ANC) — on par with or better than AirPods Pro 2, with an adaptive mode that automatically adjusts to your surroundings.
They also support Voice Isolation for clearer calls in noisy places, as well as hands-free Siri with new gestures (for example, in the air to control).
Heart rate sensing is built into AirPods for the first time, similar to Powerbeats Pro 2. It pulses over 100 times per second for accurate measurements during workouts. When worn with Apple Watch, data syncs automatically.
There is also a built-in temperature sensor in the ear canal for quick body temperature measurement (more accurate than on the Apple Watch), but this has not yet been fully confirmed.
In addition, the headphones have a Live Translation mode for real-time conversation translation (integrates with iOS 26), which allows you to communicate with people who speak another language — the translation goes directly to the headphones.
They are compatible with iOS 26, watchOS 26, and Apple Intelligence for AI features like improved Siri.
The battery life of the devices is up to 8 hours.
The official starting price is $249 (approximately UAH 10,500 in Ukraine, depending on the exchange rate and taxes), the same as the previous AirPods Pro 2 model. Apple did not increase the price, despite the new features.
At launch, it will be full price in the Apple Store, but at retailers like Amazon or Best Buy, the price may drop to $199–229 shortly after launch, as was the case with the Pro 2. The premium version with IR cameras (planned for 2026) will be more expensive.
By the way, AirPods simultaneous translation will also appear on older headphone models — AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4. This will require an iPhone 15 Pro or later with iOS 26. 5 languages are already available: English, French, German, Portuguese, and Spanish.
