If Apple ’s most popular product is the iPhone , its most iconic merchandise is its AirPodswireless earbuds . The instantly recognizable whitened bud have become ubiquitous since their debut well-nigh 10 years ago . Apple ’s premium version is theAirPods Pro 2 .
These earbuds received a mild update in 2023 , include the plus of MagSafe charging and USB - C compatibility , but we have n’t see a substantial climb since thesecond generation was released in 2022 .
This go many , ourselves included , to believe that a true third - gen mannikin is follow before long . Here ’s everything you demand to know about what Apple might have in fund for its next flagship radio earbuds .
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When will the AirPods Pro 3 be revealed?
Some have suggested Apple will announce the AirPods Pro 3 as early as June 2025 , which would coincide with the company’sannual WWDC software upshot . If Apple update the AirPods Pro with a slew of new feature that are design to be leveraged by third - political party app developers , that timing would make sense .
However , Apple has historically kept all of the AirPods Pro ’s functionality tightly moderate and only managed via place setting within its own software . simulate this trend continues , a fall 2025 announcement alongside that ofthe next iPhoneseems more potential .
AirPods Pro 3: What the rumors say
Speculation among Apple watchers , including Mark Gurman and Ming Chi - Kuo has centered around one key AirPods Pro 3 area : sensors .
The prevailing belief is that Apple will incorporate a fresh sensor entourage capable oftracking temperature and heart rate , at a lower limit . Applefiled a patent for this in 2017and given that the Apple - ownedBeats Powerbeats Pro 2have heart rate sensing element , this seems like a fairly safe wager .
However , one of the wilder rumors suggests that the AirPods Pro 3 could also getsome kind of embedded photographic camera . Not so much for taking photos and video ( though that would be intriguing ) but rather , for real - clip hand gesture tracking , perhaps as an alternative to using the earbuds ’ onboard control , or as an alternative to using Siri for command procedure on an iPhone . This rumor finger less likely — at least for the third - gen AirPods Pro . Perhaps it may come to blow over on the 4th generation .
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Still others point to an Apple patent that detail a design fora charging lawsuit with a built - in touchscreenas a sign of what ’s to do on the AirPods Pro 3 . Could Apple do it ? Certainly . JBL has already impart this feature to several wireless earbuds models , include theTour Pro 3 . Will Apple do it ? That ’s less certain .
TheAirPods 4andAirPods 4 with ANCboasted one of the smallest charging cases on the marketplace . little cases and touchscreen are somewhat reciprocally exclusive , so if Apple wants to shrivel the AirPods Pro 3 case too , a concealment is a lot less potential .
It ’s also ill-defined if people actually find JBL ’s touchscreen useful , despite the many functions it permit you get at .
Simon Cohen / Digital Trends / Digital Trends
The biggest reasonableness for a touchscreen charging case is to reduce the need to apply your phone . Since there are only a few scenarios where hoi polloi use earbuds without their phones , Apple may not see the benefit .
Speaking of the charge pillow slip , it ’s almost a give that the AirPods Pro 3 will ditch the physical Bluetooth pairing button in favour of the capacitive touch variant used on the AirPods 4 and AirPods 4 with ANC .
Bloomberg believes that vocalization translation will be available on the AirPods Pro 3 via an update to the Translate app iniOS 19 . Not only does this feel on - sword for Apple as a company , there are many products that already offer something alike , including from Apple ’s biggest competitor , Samsung , which add it to theGalaxy Buds Pro 3 .
Finally , most observers concord that we can expect better sound caliber andfurther improvementsto Apple ’s already superb active noise canceling and transparence technologies .
What we’re hoping for on the AirPods Pro 3
extra sensors on the AirPods Pro 3 make sense . Apple is already all - in on health and fitness via the Apple Watch , and having additional wellness data via the AirPods will make that tracking more accurate and useful .
However , I ’m expect for improvements to the AirPods Pro ’s original wireless medicine mission .
My wishlist starts with longer battery life . I say this every meter because while the current six hours is enough , we bonk from other companionship that it can be much longer . And who ever said , “ no thanks ” when offered longer battery life-time ?
I want to see Apple dramatise trueBluetooth multipoint . At the moment , you may alternate quite easily between your Apple products thanks to iCloud , but if you happen to use a Windows laptop computer for body of work , there is no way to keep the AirPods Pro connected to your iPhone and your computer at the same time . It ’s high metre Apple conjoin the Multipoint existence — at this point , the AirPods family unit is one of the only product lines that does n’t support this ready to hand applied science .
In a similar vein , I want Apple to supply the AirPods Pro 3 with access to BluetoothAuracastbroadcasts . It could opt to do this within iOS and/or on the earbuds themselves . Either would be fine with me .
Apple tease us when it suppose the AirPods Pro 2 with USB - C could do wirelesslossless audio . It was n’t a Trygve Halvden Lie , but it amount with a monster caution : It only works with Apple ’s Vision Pro AR headset . I desire Apple to move forward with this feature so that ( at least ) it works with iPhones . If there ’s a good caliber benefit to lossless audio recording ( which many music fans would agree with ) , it should n’t be book for the Vision Pro .
Speaking of USB - C , Apple could give us the selection of punch the AirPods Pro 3 rouse case into a 3.5 mm analog audio source , and use the charge case as a wireless transmitter . This would n’t be an origination . Bowers & Wilkins , LG , JBL , and Jabra have all supply this feature on current and premature wireless earbuds . The AirPods Pro 2 charging case already contains an ultra - wideband ( UWB ) wireless transmitter for the Find My feature film , and UWB would make an excellent pick for wireless transmission to the AirPods .
When will AirPods Pro 3 be available, and how much will they cost?
Assuming that Apple indeed foretell the AirPods Pro 3 in the autumn along with the next iPhone , we can expect them to be available for preorder within hours of the annunciation , and they ’ll in all likelihood start shipping 10 - 14 24-hour interval after that .
Apple has herald all three previous AirPods Pro versions at a regular price of $ 249 . There are , of course , no guarantees in life — particularly in the current economical clime of knocker - for - tat tariffs — but it ’s a reasonable guess that the company will keep up this Mary Leontyne Price for the AirPods Pro 3 .