Apple has finally unveiled the AirPods Pro 3, a significant upgrade to its premium earbuds. While the AirPods Pro 2 received incremental updates since its 2022 launch, the AirPods Pro 3 boasts a complete overhaul. This includes a refined design, the addition of heart rate sensing, vastly improved active noise cancellation (ANC), and even live translation capabilities—all without a price increase. This hands-on review focuses primarily on the enhanced ANC, offering initial impressions of the new design and hinting at the exciting potential of the additional features.
Refined Noise Cancellation: A Marble-Room Test
My initial testing took place in a challenging environment: the marble room outside Apple Park’s Steve Jobs Theater. This space, notorious for echoing voices, provided the perfect testing ground for the AirPods Pro 3’s ANC capabilities. Switching between transparency mode and ANC was striking. In transparency mode, every voice echoed. Activating ANC, however, resulted in a remarkable silence; the room’s roar was effectively eliminated. Even surrounding voices were significantly dulled, with only the loudest conversations breaking through. This initial test strongly suggests a substantial improvement in noise cancellation compared to previous generations.
More Than Just Noise Cancellation: A Deeper Dive into ANC
The AirPods Pro 3 went beyond simply reducing ambient noise. It effectively neutralized the echoes and reverberations typical of the testing location. While further testing is needed to confirm its efficacy against various types of noise, my brief experience strongly indicated enhanced performance, particularly in blocking environmental noise compared to its predecessor. This level of noise reduction allowed for an immersive listening experience, free from distracting background sounds.
A New Feel: Exploring the Revamped Design
Beyond the improved ANC, the AirPods Pro 3 features a redesigned fit. The foam ear tips, while initially feeling somewhat different from the familiar silicone tips, promise improved comfort during extended listening sessions. This comfort is likely enhanced by the passive noise isolation of the new tips, further contributing to the overall effectiveness of the ANC. A more secure fit could also minimize sound leakage, leading to more impactful noise cancellation.
Early Impressions: Comfort and Future Potential
While my initial hands-on experience focused on ANC, the AirPods Pro 3’s features extend beyond noise cancellation. Heart rate tracking and live translation are both promising additions that warrant further exploration. Although I was unable to fully test these capabilities during this brief demonstration, the noticeable improvement in ANC, coupled with the promising potential of the new features, makes the AirPods Pro 3 extremely compelling.
Conclusion: A Promising Upgrade
The Apple AirPods Pro 3 delivered on its promise of improved ANC, noticeably silencing a noisy environment in my brief testing. The new foam ear tips also offer a promising comfort upgrade. While this hands-on review only scratched the surface of the new features, the initial impressions are incredibly positive. The enhanced ANC alone makes it a considerable upgrade, and the addition of heart rate tracking and live translation add extra value. Further testing is needed to fully assess all aspects of the new AirPods Pro 3, but my initial experience is overwhelmingly encouraging. The combination of improved sound quality, enhanced comfort and groundbreaking features positions these as a highly competitive contender in the premium earbuds market.
