Apple has officially unveiled the AirPods Pro 3, marking the first major update to its Pro earbuds in three years. Packed with fresh innovations, the next-generation earbuds include an advanced heart rate sensor, a redesigned fit, enhanced active noise cancellation (ANC), and even a live translation tool. Priced at $249, preorders begin today, with shipping set to start on September 19.

One of the standout upgrades is the audio performance. Apple has widened the soundstage and boosted noise cancellation, claiming the AirPods Pro 3 deliver the “world’s best ANC.” This leap is powered by foam-infused ear tips for improved sound isolation, enabling twice the ANC of the previous model. According to Apple, these earbuds now set a new benchmark for in-ear wireless headphones.

The most groundbreaking addition is the heart rate sensor—Apple’s smallest yet. Built using a custom photoplethysmography (PPG) sensor, it “shines invisible infrared light pulsed at 256 times per second to measure light absorption in blood flow.” By combining this with the AirPods’ accelerometers, gyroscope, GPS, and an on-device AI model on the iPhone, users can track heart rate, calories burned, and activity more accurately. The new Workout Buddy feature in the iPhone’s Fitness app leverages Apple Intelligence to integrate workout data and fitness history seamlessly.

Another key innovation is Live Translation. This feature lowers speaker volume, captures speech, and plays it back in the user’s preferred language. Apple explained, “When enabled, Live Translation helps users understand another language and communicate with others by speaking naturally with AirPods.” For conversations where the other person lacks hands-free support, iPhone can act as a horizontal display, showing real-time transcriptions in the listener’s language.

Apple has also focused on comfort and design. After analyzing more than 10,000 3D ear scans, the company has reshaped the earbuds to better fit the ear canal. The AirPods Pro 3 are smaller, offer five ear tip sizes, and come with IP57 sweat and water resistance, making them more durable for everyday use and workouts.

Alongside the Pro 3 launch, Apple is rolling out new AirPods features with iOS 26. AirPods can now act as a remote control for the iPhone camera, while AirPods 4 and AirPods Pro 2 gain support for studio-quality audio across songs, videos, and podcasts. Call quality improvements, smarter charging reminders, and automatic audio pausing during sleep are also part of the upgrade.

The last significant update to the Pro lineup came three years ago with the AirPods Pro 2, followed by a 2023 refresh that added dust resistance and a USB-C charging case. With the AirPods Pro 3, Apple has taken things further, merging fitness tracking, smarter communication, and world-leading sound technology into a single pair of earbuds.