Apple AirPods Pro 3 Launch with Heart Rate Tracking and Best-Ever ANC

As we reported earlier this year, rumours pointed to a redesign, improved stability, and smarter health features — all of which are now confirmed.

The AirPods Pro 3 deliver what Apple describes as “unbelievable sound quality” alongside an all-new in-ear design, extended battery life, and features that lean heavily into fitness, hearing health, and language accessibility. At the core is what Apple claims to be the world’s best in-ear Active Noise Cancellation, now up to twice as effective as the previous AirPods Pro 2 and four times stronger than the original model.

In Apple’s announcement, John Ternus, senior vice president of Hardware Engineering, said:

“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. 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 takes personal audio to the next level.”

Central to the update is a new multiport acoustic design that controls airflow into the ear, paired with next-generation Adaptive EQ. Apple says this widens the soundstage, deepens bass response, and sharpens vocal clarity across music, shows, and calls. Foam-infused ear tips now come in five sizes — including a new XXS option — to improve fit, while the entire unit has been re-engineered internally to make the earbuds smaller and more stable during movement.

The list of smarter audio tricks has also grown. Voice Isolation ensures clearer calls by separating speech from background noise, while Adaptive Audio intelligently blends ANC and Transparency for a more natural listening experience. Conversation Awareness automatically lowers the volume of what you’re listening to when you start talking, then returns it once you’re done — a small touch that feels surprisingly useful in daily life.

With IP57 dust, sweat and water resistance, Apple is also pitching these as workout-friendly. That positioning is bolstered by a first for the AirPods line: integrated heart rate sensing, achieved through a custom photoplethysmography (PPG) sensor. Users can track up to 50 workout types within the iPhone’s Fitness app, complete with calorie burn, Move ring progress, and personalised motivation through Apple’s new AI-powered “Workout Buddy.”

Perhaps the most headline-grabbing addition is Live Translation, which debuts in beta. Powered by Apple Intelligence, it enables real-time, hands-free conversation across languages. At launch, the feature supports English, French, German, Portuguese, and Spanish, with Italian, Japanese, Korean, and Chinese (simplified) promised before the year’s end.

While not unique — rival services from Google and others have offered similar tools — Apple’s implementation aims to make the feature seamless and directly integrated into the AirPods/iPhone ecosystem. During a translation session, Active Noise Cancellation lowers the ambient sound of the speaker’s voice to help users concentrate on the translation.

Another focus area is hearing health. Apple says the Hearing Test and Hearing Aid–style sound enhancement features introduced with AirPods Pro 2 carry over, now with greater flexibility and endurance. Users can take a validated hearing test in a wider range of everyday environments, while the Hearing Aid function provides improved clarity and up to 67 per cent more battery life in Transparency mode. Loud Sound Reduction also works to minimise exposure to harsh environments, and Conversation Boost helps amplify the person you’re speaking to in noisy spaces.

Battery life itself has been pushed further: up to eight hours of listening with ANC enabled, or up to ten hours in Transparency mode when using the Hearing Aid feature — an increase of four hours over the previous generation. The MagSafe Charging Case has also been upgraded, adding USB-C, a built-in speaker, and Precision Finding powered by Apple’s latest Ultra Wideband technology, which increases tracking range by 1.5 times.

Apple also confirmed that the suite of personalisation features — including Adaptive EQ, Personalised Volume, and Personalised Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking — are expanded in AirPods Pro 3. These features aim to tune the listening experience to individual habits, ear geometry, and even head shape, promising playback that feels uniquely tailored.

AirPods Pro 3 will be available to pre-order from September 11 and retail from September 19, priced at US$249 | €249 | £219 | S$349 | A$429.