Apple unveils the $249 AirPods Pro 3, with a new design, 2x the Pro 2's ANC performance, a heart rate sensor, and live translation, shipping from September 19
here's how to get yours today Taimur Asad / Redmond Pie : AirPods Pro 3 Vs AirPods Pro 2 Battery Life Comparison Brittany Vincent / Mashable : Preorder your AirPods Pro 3 at Apple and get personalized engraving for free Becky Roberts / Digital Trends : I'm pumped for the AirPods Pro 3 - but two questions remain Lloyd Coombes / IGN : You Can Snag Apple AirPods Pro 2 Refurbs for $100 in Post-AirPods Pro 3 Price Crash Imran Hussain / iThinkDifferent : Live translation comes to AirPods Pro 2, AirPods 4 ANC, and AirPods Pro 3 Adrian Diaconescu / PhoneArena : Incredible new deal makes the AirPods Pro 2 a must-buy even after the AirPods Pro 3's launch DesFit on YouTube : Apple Watch Ultra 3, Series 11, SE 3 // The Biggest Year For Apple Watch Yet?! Lauren Forristal / TechCrunch : AirPods Pro 3 arrive with heart-rate sensing and live translation using Apple Intelligence Billy Steele / Engadget : Apple AirPods Pro 3 hands-on: the updated ANC system is impressive and foam ear tips are more comfortable but their fit and feel will take some getting used to Mitchel Broussard / MacRumors : Apple Announces AirPods Pro 3 With Better Active Noise Cancellation, Heart Rate Monitor, and More Sahil Mohan Gupta / BW Businessworld : Apple's New AirPods Pro 3 Announced: India Price Is Rs 25,900 Victoria Song / The Verge : Hey look at these AirPods Pro 3. David Carnoy / CNET : I Tried Apple's New AirPods Pro 3 and They Feel Surprisingly Different Mark Gurman / Bloomberg : Apple Debuts AirPods Pro 3 With Pulse Monitoring, Better Fit Lawrence Bonk / Engadget : AirPods Pro 3 offer live translation and heart rate monitoring Malcolm Owen / AppleInsider : AirPods Pro 3 arrive with heart rate sensing, and best-ever ANC Benjamin Mayo / 9to5Mac : Apple brings live translation feature to AirPods Pro Ryan Christoffel / 9to5Mac : Apple unveils AirPods Pro 3: new design, better battery life, heart rate monitor Reuters : Apple launches new version of AirPods Pro; slimmer iPhone expected X: Ray Wong / @raywongy : Just got to try the AirPods Pro 3 and its new real-time, in-ear heart rate sensor with an outdoor walk workout. Here's a video of my heart rate being monitored in the Fitness app on iPhone 17 Pro #AppleEvent [video] Zak Kukoff / @zck : I can't wait to use the auto-translate feature on my new Airpods to see what my Uber driver is really saying about me [image] Rat King / @mikeisaac : i dont really watch apple announcements anymore but this struck me my hot take is that of all the devices purporting to be revolutionary over the past few years, the Airpods Pro are the underdog that might actually live up to it [image] Alex Volkov / @altryne : @Scobleizer @Sapient_Int Live Translation inside AirPods is pretty dope, but other than that... very sad. Apple is 2 years behind at this point Bojan Tunguz / @tunguz : ngl instant live translation enabled by the new AirPods is potentially one killer feature for applied AI @om : 2/ Not sure if I can trust the AirPod translation — call me once bitten by (Apple AI) twice shy. Still, if this works, damn — going to Japan will be way more fun than in the past when using Google Translate. (which is still very good) #AppleEvent @buccocapital : Duolingo down 3% as Apple announces AirPods Pro 3 will feature live translation technology [image] Charlie Chapman / @_chuckyc : Apple loves to talk about how many ears they've looked at Christina Warren / @film_girl : AirPods are the best product Apple has released since at least the iPad. I am tempted to even place them above the iPad in terms of new product category (this is why M-series Macs don't count). The AirPods Pro 3 are such an insta-buy, it isn't even funny. James Titcomb / @jamestitcomb : Live language translation is an amazing technology but it can't stop this scene being incredibly surreal [image] Max Weinbach / @maxwinebach : AirPods Pro 3 battery with ANC is now 8 hours, and 10 hours of battery when using them as hearing aids! [image] Anshel Sag / @anshelsag : Pretty cool and expected that @Apple would integrate heart rate sensing on #AirpodsPro3 and with longer battery life #AppleEvent [image] M.G. Siegler / @mgsiegler : AirPods Pro 3 a no-brainer homerun upgrade. #AppleEvent Sam Sheffer / @samsheffer : i do not need them at all my airpods pro 2 work perfectly well but guess what? i want airpods pro 3 [image] Tyler Stalman / @stalman : AirPods Pro 3 look like a significant update, but no mention of mic improvements for video or calls [video] Sebastiaan de With / @sdw : AirPods Pro 3's auto translate is going to absolutely obliterate Americans on Euro trips now that they can hear how much French and Italian people make fun of them [image] Joanna Stern / @joannastern : This is a really solid update. Foam tips, heart rate monitoring, better fit. [image] @nirave : Big battery life update and a BIG update to AirPods Pro 3 as a whole! I can't wait to get my hands on them! Pre-order today for $249, same price as last gen, and available September 19! #AppleEvent [image] Ben Bajarin / @benbajarin : AirPods Pro went on a multi-year sales boom and repreesnt the largest part of the AirPods Pro installed base. Knowing most the Airpods Pro base owns Gen1 makes the AirPods Pro 3 an attractive upgrade. Max Weinbach / @maxwinebach : AirPods Pro 3 are still $249 I'm calling it, gonna stay the best earbuds for the next 3 years Alex Volkov / @altryne : Language barriers? Gone! Apple adds live translation with AirPods Pro 3!! Babel fish is here!! [image] @swyx : reminder: apple is never beating these allegations [image] M.G. Siegler / @mgsiegler : Oh man, AirPod-to-AirPod live translation is pretty amazing if it works at all like that promo. #AppleEvent Joanna Stern / @joannastern : OK, but will they pass the chewing test? My AirPods Pro 2 always fall out when I'm eating. [image] Vadim Yuryev / @vadimyuryev : I CANNOT wait to use Live Translation on AirPods Pro 3! #AppleEvent [image] Steve Moser / @stevemoser : I wonder if the AirPods Pro 3 foam tips will fit on the AirPods Pro 2. I would buy some just for the comfort. Ryan Jones / @rjonesy : Was that a black case tease? @leakerapple : 2X ANC than AirPods Pro 2. THIS IS INSANE [image] Marques Brownlee / @mkbhd : First new product: AirPods Pro 3 - New foam-infused ear tips - 2x the ANC performance vs last gen - Live translation (powered by Apple Intelligence) [image] Max Weinbach / @maxwinebach : AirPods Pro 3 have 2x better ANC than AirPods Pro 2, with new foam silicon eartips and a new mic Apple says it's the best ANC of any in ear headphone [image] @can : This translation thing is...wonky but I'm intrigued Marques Brownlee / @mkbhd : AirPods Pro 3 get heart rate sensing during workouts. Probably doesn't mean much to Apple Watch users, but this matches what we saw get added to Beats. Joe Rossignol / @rsgnl : Wow, Apple says AirPods Pro 3 have 2× improved ANC vs. AirPods Pro 2. Major improvement. Threads: Josh Williams / @jw : AirPods translation is the best announcement of the day. Alex Giess / @alexandregiess : So, for my next face-to-face meeting, I will need to buy an addtional pair of AirPods Pro 3 for my business counterpart Forums: r/airpods : Introducing AirPods Pro 3 | Apple's Awe Dropping Event Megathread r/gadgets : Apple announces AirPods Pro 3 with 'world's best ANC' and heart rate sensing r/technews : Apple announces AirPods 3 with live translation and heart rate monitoring r/technology : Apple announces AirPods Pro 3 with 'world's best ANC' and heart rate sensing | The AirPods Pro 3 will ship on September 19th for $249. r/apple : Apple announces AirPods Pro 3 with 'world's best ANC' and live translation
Context & Ripple Effects
Apple had already broadened its earbud ladder with two AirPods 4 tiers, including an ANC model, while earlier reporting pointed to a redesigned Pro model in 2025. Pro 3 fills the premium slot with a sharper case for upgrading beyond the lower-priced range.
The launch also separates hardware-only improvements from software reach: live translation is being extended to older compatible AirPods, while the new model concentrates its differentiation in fit, noise cancellation, and heart-rate sensing.
First-order effects
- Apple gains a new $249 premium AirPods option from September 19, aimed at buyers seeking stronger ANC, a revised design, and fitness sensing in one device.
- Existing AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 ANC users can receive live translation too, reducing the need to upgrade solely for that Apple Intelligence feature.
Second-order effects
- Apple’s AirPods range now has clearer feature segmentation: the earlier $129 and $179 AirPods 4 models sit below a Pro tier defined by ANC and health-oriented hardware.
- The usefulness of heart-rate sensing will depend on software visibility and fitness integration; a subsequent review found the capability buried in fitness apps, making discoverability a product issue rather than a sensor-spec issue.
Third-order effects
- If Apple continues extending AI functions across older earbuds while reserving sensors and acoustic gains for new models, AirPods upgrades may increasingly combine software-platform value with hardware differentiation.
- The category is moving from a single-purpose audio accessory toward a persistent interface for communication, ambient computing, and personal health features—an advantage for vendors that control both the device and its AI layer.
The trend: Premium earbuds are becoming AI- and health-enabled interfaces, with software updates expanding installed-base value while new hardware preserves upgrade incentives.