Apple today announced AirPods Pro 3, the latest generation of its best-selling wireless earbuds, with sweeping updates across design, audio performance, fitness features, and real-time translation. The company describes them as the “ultimate audio experience,” combining the world’s best in-ear Active Noise Cancellation (ANC), a more secure in-ear fit, heart rate tracking for workouts, and extended battery life.
“AirPods Pro 3 take a massive leap forward, providing fantastic sound quality and the world’s best ANC of any in-ear wireless headphones,” said John Ternus, Apple’s senior vice president of Hardware Engineering. “Combined with an improved fit that provides greater stability for even more people, heart rate sensing, extended battery life, and Live Translation enabled by Apple Intelligence, AirPods Pro 3 take personal audio to the next level.”
Pre-orders begin today, with availability set for Friday, September 19.
World’s Best Active Noise Cancellation
Apple’s third-generation AirPods Pro introduce a new multiport acoustic design that refines airflow and enhances spatial listening. Adaptive EQ has been updated to better balance bass response, widen the soundstage, and bring more clarity to voices and higher frequencies. Transparency mode has also been refined so a user’s voice — and those around them — sound more natural when ANC is turned off.
The centerpiece remains noise cancellation. Apple says AirPods Pro 3 remove up to twice as much noise as AirPods Pro 2, and four times more than the original AirPods Pro. Foam-infused ear tips in five sizes, including a new XXS, contribute to passive isolation, while microphones and computational audio reduce unwanted ambient sound.
Battery performance has improved alongside ANC. With noise cancellation enabled, AirPods Pro 3 deliver up to eight hours of music playback — a 33 percent increase compared with the prior model.
Fit and Comfort Built on Research
To redesign AirPods Pro 3, Apple drew from over 10,000 ear scans and 100,000 hours of user testing. The new internal architecture makes each earbud smaller, while the external ear tip geometry has been realigned for better stability. This refinement, combined with additional ear tip sizes, expands the range of users who can achieve a secure fit.
The earbuds are also more durable, rated IP57 for sweat and water resistance, making them suitable for running, yoga, HIIT sessions, and outdoor workouts in unpredictable conditions.
Fitness and Heart Rate Tracking
AirPods Pro 3 deepen Apple’s fitness integration with a built-in heart rate sensor. The photoplethysmography (PPG) sensor pulses invisible infrared light 256 times per second, measuring changes in blood flow. Paired with accelerometers, a gyroscope, GPS, and on-device AI from iPhone, the earbuds can now track more than 50 workout types.
These metrics sync directly with the Fitness app, where users can monitor calories burned, heart rate, and progress toward their Move ring. Apple’s Workout Buddy — powered by Apple Intelligence — adds real-time motivational coaching based on personal history and live data.
Subscribers to Apple Fitness+ gain additional benefits: onscreen metrics such as heart rate, calories, and Burn Bar performance become visible during workouts when AirPods Pro 3 are connected.
Live Translation in Real Time
One of the most striking additions is Live Translation. AirPods Pro 3 use computational audio and Apple Intelligence to translate speech in real time, creating hands-free bilingual conversations. Users can hear translations directly in their preferred language through the earbuds, or display transcriptions on their iPhone when speaking with someone who doesn’t have AirPods.
The system is designed for travel, collaboration, and personal interactions. When two people both wear AirPods with Live Translation enabled, conversation flows more smoothly, with ANC lowering background noise to emphasize the translated voice.
At launch, Live Translation supports English, French, German, Portuguese, and Spanish, with Italian, Japanese, Korean, and simplified Chinese coming later this year.
Sustainability and Apple 2030
AirPods Pro 3 extend Apple’s environmental initiatives. The earbuds are made with 40 percent recycled content, including 100 percent recycled cobalt in the battery and 65 percent recycled plastic in the case. Manufacturing relies on 40 percent renewable electricity, while packaging is entirely fibre-based. Apple positions these changes within Apple 2030, its plan to achieve carbon neutrality across all operations and products by the end of the decade.
Durability and long-term support also remain part of the sustainability message, with Apple emphasizing design choices meant to extend product lifespan.
Canadian Pricing and Availability
AirPods Pro 3 are available for pre-order today and will ship beginning September 19. Pricing for the Canadian market will be announced alongside the retail rollout, but Apple is expected to maintain a premium positioning in line with the second-generation model.
With added fitness features, improved fit, and expanded battery life, AirPods Pro 3 are positioned as both everyday listening devices and serious workout companions. Combined with Live Translation and advanced ANC, they extend Apple’s strategy of turning headphones into a broader platform for personal health, productivity, and global communication.
