It’s been almost three decades since Apple updated its AirPods Pro, and all indications level to a new variant generating somewhere in 2025. Last year was a bit of a blended case: Apple introduced the all-new AirPods 4 and AirPods 4 with Effective Noise Canceling, but merely gave its AirPods Max a mild refresh  with USB-C charging  and fresh tones. This time, as businesses navigate the effects of the Trump tariffs, the Cupertino company may put another fastball. Here are the latest AirPods Pro 3 stories and what changes I’d like to discover for Apple’s lineup noise-canceling headphones.

Citeşte mai mult: Best mobile earphones of 2025

Reputed AirPods Pro 3 launch date

Back in February MacRumors spotted a blog on X  from a tipster called Kosutami  who said Apple was planning to launch the AirPods Pro 3 and AirTag 2 in May or June of this year. The “tip” seemed quite uncertain, and sure enough, it was. The more likely scenario is that the AirPods Pro 3 may arrive at the same time as the phone 17 arrives  in September. That’s when  Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, who’s often a more trustworthy Apple vehicle, predicts they’ll been announced. He’s even said the AirPods Pro 3 may have a new style and function heart-rate tracking like Apple’s new  Beats Powerbeats Pro 2.

More recently MacRumors source Steve Moser dug into iphone 26 Alpha 1 and discovered that its actual script sources AirPods Pro 3 alongside existing AirPods designs. ” AirPods Pro 3 may be coming immediately,” Moser  postat pe X. ” However, I couldn’t find any additional links or suggestions as to what novel features they might have. “

That said, on June 9th at WWDC 2025, Apple did announce some new features for the AirPods Pro 2, AirPods 4 and AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation ( ANC ) that will officially launch this fall but are available to try now for beta testers if you have a developer’s account ( public betas are coming soon ). These new features include studio-quality music recording and lens remote functions.  

Studio-quality sound tracking: Apple says that “interviewers, podcasters, singers, and another creators can report their information with greater good quality, and even report while on the go or in noisy environments with Voice Isolation. “
• Leveraging its strong H2 device, Apple is likewise upgrading voice-calling efficiency:” User may also enjoy more healthy voice structure and clarity across iPhone calls, FaceTime, and CallKit-enabled apps,” it says.
• The innovative Camera Remote function allows you to” start or stop video audio from a distance with a simple click of the AirPods plant. “
• AirPods designs with the H2 device will also be able to detect when you fall asleep and immediately pause what you’re listening to.  

To repeat, the AirPods Pro 3 are likely to be unveiled this September, but you can usually find critics. MacRumors just reported that Jeff Pu of GF Securities Hong Kong thinks the AirPods Pro 3 does not appear until 2026, forecasting they ‘ll  build alongside the Apple Watch Series 12 and a rejuvenated Vision Pro. Business analyst Ming-Chi Kuo even predicted the AirPods  may not see considerable changes till 2026 and claimed that Apple would launch a lighter AirPods Max in 2027.  

According to AppleTrack, Ming-Chi Kuo has very good track document, with a 72. 5 % accuracy rating over 142 stories articles.  

Did Trump taxes affect the AirPods Pro 3?

The Trump presidency partially spared cellphones, laptops and certain other electrical   from its mutual levies. But headsets weren’t included on that list, but as it stands, the AirPods don’t appear to be free from those more transfer fees.

According to an essay that  Reuters posted on April 4, the AirPods may be content to a 39 % rate hike to handle the tax expenses. But that number is likely lower now because a certain percentage of AirPods are made in India and Vietnam, both of which received a 3-month reprieve from reciprocal tariffs ( although they still face 10 % tariffs ). If those nations manage to continue to avoid the taxes, Apple could possibly change more of its output of the AirPods Pro 3 to India and Vietnam. That might allow Apple to keep the AirPods Pro 3’s list price at$ 250, which is what the AirPods Pro have always cost, though discounts at Amazon and other online retailers typically bring the price down to less than$ 200 and sometimes less than$ 180.

The tax situation remains smooth, so we could see new materials delayed or released in different parts of the world other than the U. S. In the past, the U. S. usually had the best rates for smartphones and other Apple items, but that could change.  

New warmth and heart-rate receptors

With the Powerbeats Pro 2 getting the preceding heart-rate cameras, it now seems more likely that the AirPods Pro 3 will get them, too. I’m never sure how useful that feature is, especially if you currently own an Apple Watch. However, Apple probably has grander plans for its flowers ‘ heart-rate surveillance and is still fleshing all out, using the Powerbeats Pro 2 as a bit of a guinea pig.  

Some software stores picked up on another Gurman statement mentioning the possibility of heat sensors and other biological measurements coming to the AirPods. Both he and  Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo  also reported that Apple was working on adding infrared cameras to future AirPods. Kuo’s report suggested that the IR cameras could be used for everything including in-air hand gesture detection, enhancing spatial audio or detecting environmental changes for software, including  Apple Intelligence. Don’t expect to see any of that camera tech in the AirPods Pro 3, but maybe the AirPods Pro 4 will get it.

Măriți imaginea

AirPods case with touch screen display

The rumored feature I find most intriguing is an interactive touch display in the AirPods Pro 3’s charging case that acts as a remote control. With Apple filing a patent for it back in 2022, the rumor has been kicking around for a while, and several AirPods knockoffs with touchscreens have shown up on Amazon in recent months. Also, last year JBL released three new Live 3 earbuds, including the Live Beam 3, as a follow-up to 2023 ‘s  Tour Pro 2  earbuds, which featured a color touchscreen in their case. All the new Live 3 models feature a 1. 5-inch LED touch display in their charging cases, so the feature appears in competing earbuds.

I don’t know what the odds are that the AirPods Pro 3 will get a charging case with a touchscreen, but some changes to the charging case are likely, with some saying the case may shrink a bit. If nothing else, the physical Bluetooth pairing and reset button should get swapped out for a hidden touch-capacitive “button” like the one found in the AirPods 4’s case.

Given that Apple made two versions of the AirPods 4, I could see it making two versions of the AirPods Pro 3– a more premium model with some extra features like a touchscreen in the charging case and a step-down version that cuts them out.

Măriți imaginea

Improved AirPods Pro 3 performance with H3 chip

The AirPods Pro 2, AirPods 4 and Powerbeats Pro 2 are all powered by Apple’s H2 chip. Rumor has it that the AirPods Pro 3 could get the new H3 chip, presuming Apple sticks with its current earbuds/headphones chip nomenclature. Adding a more powerful, energy-efficient chip along with tweaks to the design of the buds ‘ acoustic architecture and microphones could lead to several performance improvements, including enhanced sound quality, upgraded active noise canceling and better voice-calling performance. We could also see slightly better battery life.

I don’t expect a huge jump in performance, but the AirPods Pro 3 could sound a little clearer with better bass definition than their predecessor. Their noise canceling may be more proficient and able to muffle a wider range of frequencies. Also, when it comes to voice calling, the buds will likely do an even better job of picking up your voice while reducing background noise.

The AirPods Pro 2 and Powerbeats Pro 2 are ultralow-latency and can even do lossless audio when paired with  Apple’s pricey Vision Pro headset. From what I’ve been told, the reason the AirPods Pro 2 and Powerbeats Pro 2 are able to do true lossless audio with the Vision Pro headset is that the buds and headset sit only a few inches apart, making for an extremely short wireless connection that can reliably transmit lossless audio. There’s been talk of Apple coming up with a solution to bring lossless audio to next-gen AirPods when paired with your iPhone. I hope the AirPods Pro 3 has a lossless audio option when connected to the latest iPhones, iPads and Macs, but I’m not counting on it.  

Live translation feature for AirPods Pro 3 ( and maybe AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 )

Lately I’ve encountered several no-name Chinese earbuds on Amazon with live translation features, so it wasn’t a huge surprise when Bloomberg recently reported that the AirPods Pro 3 may be adding live translation via Apple’s Translate app with the release of iOS 19 this fall. The iOS Translate app already has fairly robust translation capabilities, but the report talks about how Apple plans to simplify the translation experience with the feature built into its earbuds, as well improve the iOS Translation app. ( For those who can’t access Bloomberg’s content behind its paywall, MacRumors has a synopsis of the report ).

Since this is more of an iPhone/iOS 19 feature, with the translation of what you say played through your iPhone’s speakers for others to hear, live translation seems pretty likely to come to the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4, both of which are equipped with Apple’s H2 chip and have plenty of processing power. Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 might also get the live translation feature.          

My AirPods Pro 3 wishlist: Better sound quality and one key feature 

I don’t care too much about some of these rumored extra features, like heart-rate monitoring and temperature sensing. I’m more excited about any enhancements to the buds ‘ design and performance upgrades across the board.  

I’ve previously written about how I’d like to see all new AirPods get a case that turns into a Bluetooth transmitter to wirelessly stream the audio from inflight entertainment to the buds. A few true wireless earbuds, including the Jabra Elite 8 Active Gen 2 şi Elite 10 Gen 2,  Bowers & Wilkins Pi7 S2  and Poly Voyager Free 60 Plus, have charging cases that act as Bluetooth transmitters. With the included cable, you simply connect the case to the 3. 5mm port in your seat’s console or armrest and you’re good to go. I don’t expect the AirPods Pro 3 will get this feature, but I sure wish they would.

Măriți imaginea

I’d also like to see Apple add a set of extra large eartips. I barely get a tight seal with the AirPods Pro 2’s current large tips and could really use an XL tip for my left ear, which is slightly different from my right ( I have tested a variety of third-party foam tips ). When Apple released the AirPods Pro 2, it added a fourth extra small ear tip for those with smaller ears. The challenge to adding a fifth XL tip is that the charging case would have to be able to accommodate a slightly larger ear tip. Since getting a tight seal is so important for optimizing sound quality and noise-canceling performance, it would behoove Apple to offer that fifth XL tip for those who require bigger eartips for that reason.  

Citeşte mai mult: The One Feature I Wish Apple Would Add to All New AirPods