Published:
Readtime: 4 min
Every product is carefully selected by our editors and experts. If you buy from a link, we may earn a commission. Learn more. For more information on how we test products, click here.
- AirPods Pro 3 add heart-rate sensing, Live Translation, improved fit.
- New foam tips in five sizes, including XXS, enhance isolation.
- “World’s best ANC”—twice Pro 2, eight-hour battery life.
- IP57 sweat and water resistance make them suitable for workouts.
- AUD$429; preorders Sep 10, available Sep 19 in Australia and 50+ regions.
Maybe even more impressive than the new line-up of iPhones is the new Apple AirPod Pro 3 (AUD$429), which introduces a heart rate sensor, new foam-infused ear tips that now come in five sizes (including a new XXS size), Live Translation, the world’s best in-ear Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) that removes up to 2x more noise than the previous-generation, and finally, IP57 sweat and water resistance that makes them sweat and water resistant, suitable for workouts.
Impressively, the price has only increased by $20 over the previous generation AirPods Pro 2, which makes the AUD$429 earbuds similarly priced to the Sony WF-1000XM5 (AUD$399) and cheaper than the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Wireless Noise Cancelling Earbuds (AUD$449).
That’s a lot of new technology, packed into an in-ear bud roughly the size of a piece of popcorn. Pre-orders open on Wednesday, September 10th, before they’re available online and in-store on Friday, September 19th.
How Has Apple Improved ANC in the New AirPods Pro 3?
We’ll start with the “world’s best ANC of any in-ear wireless headphones” claim, which is a big one from Apple, but likely a true one given the popularity of the AirPods Pro 2.
They’ve achieved this in three ways:
- Ultra-low noise microphones
- Advanced computational audio
- New foam-infused ear tips for greater passive noise isolation
The result is ANC, which is twice as good as that found in the AirPods Pro 2 and four times better than the original AirPods Pro without sacrificing battery life. It’s improved to offer eight hours of music playback, a 33 per cent increase over the previous generation.
Do the AirPods Pro 3 Fit Better?
Fit was never an issue for us with the AirPods Pro 2, but the brand has improved the design of the earbuds, and thus, the fit has improved in the name of increased passive isolation. They’ve achieved this by scanning over 10,000 ears, 100,000 hours of user research, and a dataset of more than 300 million points to redesign the earbud.
The AirPods Pro 3 are smaller, and the stem and external geometry of the ear tip have been aligned to the centre of the body for increased stability, so you don’t look like you have antennas growing from your ears. Going a step further, the AirPods Pro 3 now comes with new foam-infused ear tips in five sizes (including a new XXS size).
They’re also IP57 sweat and water-resistant, which makes them suitable for workouts. Here, you’ll also be able to take advantage of Apple’s smallest custom-built heart rate sensor. The custom *deep breathe* photoplethysmography (PPG) sensor shines invisible infrared light pulsed at 256 times per second to measure light absorption in blood flow. We already know that people are adverse to putting wireless devices in their heads. How people react to red lights being shined into their heads 256 times a second remains to be seen.
Where and When Can You Buy Apple AirPods Pro 3?
“With AirPods Pro 3, the most popular headphones 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.”
Customers in Australia and more than 50 other countries and regions can pre-order AirPods Pro 3 from Wednesday, September 10th, before they’re available online and in-store on Friday, September 19th.
AirPods Pro 3 prices start at AUD$429.
Comments
We love hearing from you. or to leave a comment.