A lot of people seem to treat AirPods as the de facto option when they get an iPhone or iPad, even though there are plenty of third-party earbuds out there, some of them arguably better. We get it though — AirPods are right there at the Apple Store, and they’re tightly integrated with the company’s platforms, even more so than Beats products like the Beats Fit Pro. You can switch from sharing music on your iPhone to watching movies on an Apple TV in a matter of moments.
A lot of people choose the AirPods Pro, especially if they’re looking for workout earbuds. Apple may be due for a third-generation Pro soon, so what sort of upgrades can we expect this time around?
AirPods Pro 3 release date and price
Don’t hold your breath if you want to go Pro
- 2025 rumored, probably in the fall
- Price may be unchanged
The most likely launch window is fall 2025. Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman has pointed to a 2025 refresh, and Apple has traditionally reserved new AirPods for the fall, presumably to align with new iPhones and holiday shopping. Apple could opt to break this pattern, but probably only if it has a crowded release schedule.
As for pricing, there’s no sign of a change from the second-gen product’s $249. New features could hypothetically drive that higher, but would also risk nudging people towards competing products, some of which have similar features and/or superior sound.
Design and features
Will Apple break new ground in headphone tech?
- New look
- Hearing health features
- Possible temperature sensors
- Possible camera tech
Gurman further claims that Apple is planning to refresh the AirPods Pro 3 with a new design. There’s no word on what that might look like, but Apple hasn’t meaningfully changed the aesthetics of the Pro since the first-gen model shipped in 2019. We could see something akin to the AirPods 4, which is still recognizable but more ergonomic.
We do know that the Pro 3 will get Hearing Aid, Hearing Test, and Hearing Protection functions. Those are already rolling out to the AirPods Pro 2 via software updates, so the only difference with the Pro 3 should be support out of the box, presumably in a larger number of countries.
For general health, Apple may be planning temperature sensors. While there are already such sensors in recent Apple Watches, ear canal data is considered more accurate, and would extend temperature readings to people who can’t justify a $399 smartwatch.
Perhaps the most radical addition Gurman suggests are cameras. Those may or may not show up in the Pro 3, but if they do, they could be as a supplement to Apple Intelligence. Specifically they might enable Visual Intelligence searches without bringing out your iPhone, but it’s not clear how well that would work with the quality of cameras that can fit in a pair of earbuds.
Internal specs
A new baseline for AirPods
- Enhanced audio
- New H3 chip
Apple typically likes to refine audio with each new generation of earbuds. The second-gen Pro already has features like active noise cancelation and spatial audio, so the company might instead be interested in things like bass response and call quality. It will probably also tweak features like Adaptive Audio and Conversation Awareness, making interaction with the outside world more seamless.
Supporting audio processing and health tech should be a new Apple-designed chip, Gurman says. This will probably be dubbed the H3, given that second-gen Pro uses the H2. The silicon could be a big deal, given not just the addition of health features, but its arrival in the age of Apple Intelligence. Apple has yet to bring advanced AI to Apple Watches, however, let alone headphones.
FAQ
Q: Which devices will the AirPods Pro 3 support?
I’m not sure yet, but it should be safe to assume that compatibility will be similar to the Pro 2, which works with most iPhones, iPods, Macs, and Apple Watches, some over a decade old. It should also work with black-box Apple TVs and the Vision Pro.
Some features could be reserved for more recent devices, especially if they’re dependent on AI.
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