I don’t want to appear ungrateful – I’m glad Apple‘s updated its flagship AirPods, and the arrival of AirPods Pro 3 at Apple’s interesting ‘Awe Inspiring’ event on September 9 gave me a few things to get excited about.
The first is heart-rate monitoring that looks like it’ll actually help workouts, not just within Apple’s ecosystem but also in conjunction with third-party apps (and could even make the Apple Watch feel surplus to requirements?) using said ticker-taker and motion tracking.
The second is Live Translation, and although one of the wider team isn’t sure it’s the right direction for AI (and indeed earbuds wearers) to be going, it’s certainly a big new feature and one not expected to arrive so soon – although take note, it’s not exclusive to AirPods Pro 3, with AirPods Pro 2 support and AirPods 4 (with ANC) support incoming.
But Apple’s AirPods Pro 2 are arguably the most popular headphones ever and given the three-year wait I expected, well… more.
I’ve gone into detail about each of the perks I’d hoped to see that never materialised – and there are a few – and why they all add up to a slightly disappointing launch for me, although that said, I cannot wait to give Live Translation a whirl.
Already got an older set of AirPods and are trying to work out whether to upgrade? Feel free to check out our AirPods Pro 3 vs AirPods Pro 2 explainer or our AirPods Pro 3 vs AirPods 4 analysis.
Everyone else, let’s get granular!
1. Visually, it’s a case of spot the difference… again
It’s hardly a jubilant design overhaul, is it? There aren’t even any fresh colorways (and make no mistake, Apple had looked to sell its inaugural AirPods in a variety of colors, back in the day). Would a few skin-tone colors be too much to ask – because ColorWare is currently offering that, for a premium. It all feels a little… too safe.
Also, it was widely tipped that AirPods Pro 3’s case would be smaller than AirPods Pro 2, and Apple’s spec sheets actually confirm that the Pro 3’s case is 2mm taller and a little wider than its older sibling.
Put the old AirPods Pro 2 next to the new AirPods Pro 3 and you’d be playing a game of spot the difference to check which is which, yet again. On the one hand, Apple could argue it ain’t broke so why fix it – but oh, how I wished for a whole new look.
OK, there’s a redesigned mesh and new custom driver architecture, for increased airflow and a wider soundstage, plus novel “foam infused” ear tips (of which there are now five) but I’m struggling to get excited about a new XXS ear tip as a design flourish.
Apple also says that despite the new sensor, the buds themselves are now smaller (with a tweaked shape to better match most ear canals) and with an IP57 rating, meaning they’ll finally survive actual immersion in water for a little while.
But again, Apple’s spec sheet reveals that although the Pro 3 are 2.6mm thinner, they’re actually 3mm deeper and weigh a tad more, at 5.55g versus 5.3g.
All I can say is that to the naked eye, there doesn’t seem much in it…
2. Where’s that H3 chip, Apple?
There wasn’t a dicky bird from Apple regarding the more powerful H3 chip within its AirPods Pro 3 launch announcement, which was disappointing.
This was the much-touted chipset (and one Apple’s long been rumored to have been testing) for future features, promising “much better” ANC and better battery, which is why it’s so odd that AirPods Pro 3 have been confirmed as housing the H2 chip again – yes, after three long years between iterations.
That said, the stamina and ANC have, says Apple, been improved again. The best I can say of AirPods Pro 2 is that the battery life was an ‘acceptable’ maximum of 6 hours of listening time on a single charge (up to 5.5 hours with Spatial Audio and Head Tracking) or up to 30 hours of listening time including the case, and AirPods Pro 3 have improved upon this, claiming up to 10 hours in Hearing Aid mode with Transparency on, or 8 hours of standard use with ANC deployed.
Also, Apple claims the ANC is twice as effective as the Pro 2, or four (4) times as effective as the inaugural AirPods Pro. How has Apple achieved these feats using that same H2 chip? I’ll see that when we get to testing.
3. Temperature sensors seemed a dead cert given the poster, no?
It was widely speculated that one (or possibly two) rumored features wouldn’t make the AirPods Pro 3 update – and so it came to pass.
Yes, the arrival of Live Translation may well atone for the omissions to a degree, but this particular no-show was perhaps the one that disappointed me most, given Apple’s ‘Awe dropping’ hot-to-cold graphic, aka the placeholder while we all waited for the livestream to start.
You don’t need to be a tech expert to have cottoned on to Apple’s big push towards health-tracking for its Pro-suffixed AirPods, and with heart-rate monitoring now available in the Apple subsidiary brand Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 – and likely coming to the much-teased Beats Powerbeats Fit – the chance of ticker-taking being not just present but upgraded in AirPods Pro 3 was all but a gimme.
And yet, while motion tracking is here to augment the things Apple can do with your BPM reading to a degree (and your ear is regarded as a great place to get a handle on your body temperature) that much-tipped temperature sensor isn’t here.
4. I’d really (really) hoped Apple could give us eyes in our ears
Less of a shock was the fact that IR cameras built into AirPods Pro 3 also didn’t materialize. This one was, I admit, more wishful thinking than genuine anticipation, but Apple used to love a big ‘one more thing’ reveal…
Back in December 2024, a Mark Gurman Bloomberg report suggested that the tech for cameras in your AirPods simply isn’t there yet and won’t be there for a while, pointing to a 2027 release date for any AirPods with thermal cameras.
Look, I personally think they’ll be a huge safety win when they do arrive (and actually, I think it could happen in 2026 rather than 2027, which is a great reason to hold out for the AirPods Pro 4) but even if AirPods with tiny AI cameras really won’t arrive until 2027, I’ll still be here for it – and would feel much more comfortable walking home alone if I had AirPods that could see what I see, to a degree.
5. Still no Apple Music Lossless support
Arguably, my main issue with any new AirPods is their potential to play nice with Apple Music’s own high-resolution audio offering, specifically 24-bit/96 kHz, aka the maximum resolution of Apple Music‘s Lossless tier, and 24-bit/192kHz – where Apple Music’s Hi-Res Lossless offering maxes out.
Currently, to get at Hi-Res Lossless files (which Apple gifted to Apple Music subscribers for no extra fee way back in June 2021, and Spotify has almost done, with its brand new Lossless tier) from an iPhone, you need a convoluted wired system involving Apple’s Lightning to USB camera adapter (which is limited to 24-bit/48kHz) and then a portable DAC (which Apple doesn’t make) to bump up the resolution, then a set of decent-quality wired headphones – sadly, I’d suggest something better than Apple’s still-good value EarPods.
And Apple’s slightly more humble (but still better than CD quality) Lossless tier? You also will need wired headphones – although your iPhone’s inbuilt DAC is able to deliver the goods provided you’re attaching a wire. And Apple has actually made progress here: since April 1, 2025, AirPods Max added Lossless USB-C audio passthrough, so it’s hardly churlish to expect a solution for AirPods Pro to iPhone hasn’t been in the pipeline, besides using a Vision Pro headset as your source device (which will give you Lossless).
If AirPods Pro 3 could grant loyal Apple devotees access to Apple Music’s Hi-Res Lossless tier, it’d be a home run – which is why it’s truly surprising that the Cupertino giant still hasn’t.
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becky.scarrott@futurenet.com (Becky Scarrott)
