The iPhone 17 might have taken centre stage at Apple Park, but it wasn’t the only new device being unveiled. Alongside the Apple Watch Ultra 3, Series 11 and Apple Watch SE 3, Apple also revealed the long-awaited AirPods Pro 3, the first major upgrade to its premium wireless earbuds in three years.
The AirPods Pro 3 are the tech giant’s most fitness-focused earbuds ever released. They boast a new design with Apple’s smallest custom-built heart rate sensor, allowing the buds to track your pulse and calories burned during workouts. They can log more than 50 different exercise types in the Fitness app, and the tech giant’s new “Workout Buddy” feature uses Apple Intelligence to give you personalised feedback and motivation as you move.
Noise cancellation has had a big upgrade too. Apple says the AirPods Pro 3 block up to twice as much sound as the AirPods Pro 2, and four times more than the original model. The buds themselves are smaller, fit more securely, and come with foam-infused tips in five sizes, including a new XXS option for a more stable in-ear fit.
They also boast a slimmer charging case, a refined design and longer battery life, up to eight hours with ANC turned on, and as first teased at WWDC, live translation is finally here. Available to pre-order now, the AirPods Pro 3 cost £219 in the UK and will launch on 19 September.
Apple AirPods Pro 3: £219, Apple.com
Beyond fitness and noise-cancellation, Apple’s earbuds now have an IP57 rating, meaning they can withstand sweat, water and dust, which is a first for the AirPods. Apple also says the improved seal will help with passive isolation, making music and calls sound clearer in noisy environments.
Transparency mode will also last up to 10 hours on a single charge, and the conversation boost feature, which automatically amplifies voices in busy places like restaurants, will now kick in without needing to be toggled, and the hearing protection feature will be rolled out in the UK.
Live translation is also finally arriving in iOS 26. It’s a feature that lets two people hold a conversation in different languages. Apple says it currently supports English, French, German, Portuguese and Spanish, with Italian, Japanese, Korean and Chinese promised by the end of the year.
Surprisingly, Apple’s AirPods Pro 3 are available to pre-order now for just £219 in the UK, undercutting the AirPods Pro 2’s price by £10. They officially launch next week on 19 September.
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