As part of its iPhone 17 event, Apple revealed the latest version of its AirPods Pro and made some pretty big claims. Apple says the AirPods Pro 3 have the best active noise cancellation available on a pair of in-ear wireless headphones.
This claim is based on testing against the "best-selling wireless in-ear headphones" conducted in July in accordance with the IEC active noise cancellation standard. From a more comparative perspective, the AirPods Pro 3 are able to remove up to two times more noise than the AirPods Pro 2, and up to four times more than the original AirPods Pro.
In addition to better noise cancellation, the AirPods Pro 3 also have better battery life. They're now able to last up to eight hours per charge with noise-cancelling on. With the case, the total battery life comes to 24 hours.
In terms of sound improvements, Apple says the buds have deeper bass and a wider soundstage.
The AirPods Pro 3 also have a slight redesign, which should offer a more secure fit. They're now also rated IP57 for water-resistance, up from IP54. This rating applies to both the earbuds and the case.
One new feature is a heart rate monitor, similar to that found in the Apple-made Powerbeats Pro 2. This allows the AirPods Pro 3 to be used for workout tracking for 50 different exercise types, via Apple's Fitness app.
And while not exclusive to AirPods Pro 3, Apple announced a new live translation feature for its earbud range. When speaking to someone who's talking in another language, the AirPods will lower the volume of the person speaking and play a translation in your ears.
This requires an iPhone 15 Pro or newer, and will also work with AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods with ANC. Initial languages supported include English, French, German, Portuguese, and Spanish.
The AirPods Pro 3 will cost $429, which is a $30 price bump over the AirPods Pro 2. Pre-orders start today, ahead of a September 19 release day.
Alex Choros
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