Honestly, I didn’t think Apple could do much more with the AirPods Pro. The second-gen version already felt like the peak of what you could cram into a tiny white plastic shell. But then the new Apple AirPods Pro 3 showed up, and it’s clear the company is moving away from just being an "audio company" and is leaning hard into being a "health company."
If you’ve seen the latest specs, you know the vibe. They look almost identical to the old ones, but the internals have been completely gutted and replaced.
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The Heart Rate Sensor Is Actually Real
Everyone thought the heart rate rumors were fake. It sounds like something out of a sci-fi movie—tracking your vitals through your ear canal? But it’s here. Apple tucked a tiny photoplethysmography (PPG) sensor into the underside of the bud. It pulses invisible infrared light 256 times per second to measure your blood flow.
I’ve spent the last few weeks testing these against an Apple Watch Ultra 2. Surprisingly, the data is almost a perfect match. For runners who hate wearing a watch or just want a second data point, this is huge. It doesn't just track your heart rate; it feeds that data directly into the Fitness app on your iPhone. If you’re doing a "Workout Buddy" session, the AirPods will literally whisper in your ear when you're hitting your target zone or if you need to pick up the pace.
Why the H3 Chip Matters
Most people don’t care about the name of the silicon inside their headphones. I get it. But the H3 chip is the reason the new Apple AirPods Pro 3 can do stuff the older models can't.
- Better Noise Cancellation: Apple says it’s twice as good as the Pro 2. In my experience? It’s more like a massive leap in how it handles "unpredictable" noise. It’s easy to block out a plane engine. It’s hard to block out a crying baby or a siren. The H3 processes sound at 48,000 times per second to kill those sudden spikes.
- Live Translation: This is the flagship "cool" feature. Using the Translate app, you can have a conversation with someone speaking French or Japanese, and the AirPods will lower the speaker's volume while playing the translation in your ear. It’s a bit jarring at first, sort of like having a tiny interpreter living in your head, but for travel, it's a total game-changer.
- Battery Gains: We finally moved past that 6-hour wall. You get 8 hours of juice now with ANC turned on. If you're using them in "Hearing Aid" mode with Transparency on, they’ll actually last 10 hours.
This Isn’t Just About Music Anymore
Let's talk about the hearing aid feature because that's where the value really sits for a lot of people. The new Apple AirPods Pro 3 are officially FDA-authorized as over-the-counter hearing aids for mild to moderate hearing loss.
You take a five-minute hearing test on your iPhone—it plays tones, you tap the screen, basically like a real audiologist's office. Once it’s done, it creates a custom "Hearing Profile" that boosts the specific frequencies you struggle with. If you find yourself asking "what?" five times at dinner, these are basically a $249 medical device that also plays high-fidelity music.
The Design Tweaks (What’s Different?)
Apple looked at something like 10,000 different ear scans to refine the shape. The "nozzle" (the part that goes in your ear) is angled slightly differently. It feels deeper. For me, that meant they stayed in better during a sweaty gym session.
They also added an XXS eartip. If the previous Pros always felt too big and kept popping out, this is the fix. The tips also have a new "microsphere" foam layer. It’s not full memory foam, but it’s squishier than the old silicone, which helps the seal.
What Most People Get Wrong
There's a misconception that you should only buy these if you have the original Pros. Kinda wrong. If you have the Pro 2 (USB-C version), the jump in audio quality is noticeable but maybe not "drop $249 today" noticeable.
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However, if you're still on the Lightning version of the Pro 2 or the original Pro 1, the difference is night and day. The new Apple AirPods Pro 3 are rated IP57. That means they aren't just "sweat resistant"—you can basically dunk them in three feet of water for 30 minutes. I wouldn't go swimming in them, but if they fall in a puddle or you get caught in a literal monsoon, they’re fine.
Practical Steps for New Owners
If you just picked up a pair or you're about to, do these three things immediately to get your money's worth:
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- Take the Hearing Test: Even if you think your hearing is 100%, the "Media Assist" feature uses your results to tune your music. It makes everything sound way more "crisp" and tailored to your specific ears.
- Toggle the Case Hidden Button: There’s no physical button on the back of the case anymore. To pair them with a non-Apple device, you have to tap the front of the case three times. It’s a capacitive sensor now, which is cleaner but confuses everyone at first.
- Check Your Fit in the App: Go to Settings > Your AirPods > Ear Tip Fit Test. With the new deeper nozzle, you might actually need a different size tip than you did on the old models.
The new Apple AirPods Pro 3 are less of a "gadget" and more of an essential tool at this point. Whether you're using the heart rate tracking for zone 2 cardio or the hearing aid mode to actually hear your friends at a loud bar, the value is definitely there. Just make sure you actually take the time to set up the health features, or you're just paying for very expensive earplugs.