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Apple’s AirPods Pro 3 are formally right here, they usually debut with upgrades like refined design adjustments, improved noise cancellation, and longer battery life. The AirPods Professional 3’s most vital improve, nevertheless, is their onboard coronary heart charge sensor, a welcomed characteristic for individuals who wish to put on AirPods whereas they train.
When you’ve got AirPods Pro 2, they’re wherever from two to 3 years previous, relying on their charging connector. In case your AirPods Professional 2 are nonetheless in mint situation, are the Professional 3 actually value one other $250 buy?
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Each premium Apple earbuds assist Reside Translation, listening to safety options, Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity, spatial audio, and run on the corporate’s H2 audio chip. The extra palpable variations between the 2 earbuds are largely within the smaller {hardware} upgrades. Regardless of being small, they make an actual influence in your person expertise. This is what you must know.
Specs
| AirPods Professional 3 | AirPods Professional 2 | |
| Chip | H2 | H2 |
| Battery life | 8 hours (as much as 24 hours with charging case) | 6 hours (as much as 30 hours with charging case) |
| Audio modes | ANC, Transparency Mode, Adaptive Audio, Dialog Mode | ANC, Transparency Mode, Adaptive Audio, Dialog Mode |
| IP ranking | IP57 | IP54 (USB-C model) |
| Listening to Help mode | Sure | Sure |
| Coronary heart charge sensor | Sure | No |
| Reside translation | Sure | Sure |
| Bluetooth model | 5.3 | 5.3 |
| Worth | $249 | $249 |
You should purchase the AirPods Professional 3 if…
1. You need all of the well being options
Apple fitted the AirPods Professional 3 with its suite of listening to well being options, together with Listening to Help mode, which turns your AirPods into an over-the-counter listening to assist. These AirPods additionally assist listening to safety options, at-home listening to take a look at compatibility, and automation dialog increase when the earbuds are in Listening to Help mode. The AirPods Professional 2 are suitable with the identical listening to well being options.
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Along with listening to well being, the AirPods Professional 3 have a coronary heart charge sensor, permitting each earbuds to trace your coronary heart charge, burned energy, and time spent exercising when the earbuds are engaged in an lively exercise by the iPhone’s Health app.
2. You need extra water resistance
The AirPods Professional 3 sport an IP57 mud and water resistance ranking, in comparison with the AirPods Professional 2’s (USB-C) IP54 and the AirPods Professional 2’s (Lightning) IPX4. Should you’re nonetheless rocking the Professional 2 (Lightning), this sturdiness improve is substantial. The Professional 3 earbuds are higher protected against efficiency points because of mud ingress from being in your pocket or bag in comparison with the Professional 2 (Lightning).
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When you’ve got the Professional 2 (USB-C), the Professional 3 earbuds are higher protected against water, performing because the wrongdoer of efficiency points. The Professional 3’s water resistance improve from 4 to 7 means the earbuds and charging case can survive submersion in water as much as three toes for as much as half-hour.
Though I do not suggest dunking your AirPods and their charging case in water, the charging case’s enhanced sturdiness is spectacular, contemplating Google, Samsung, Bose, and Sony’s premium earbuds’ charging circumstances usually are not formally rated for any water safety.
3. You need all-around improved efficiency
Though Apple gave the AirPods Professional 3’s coronary heart charge monitoring characteristic a lot of the airtime throughout the {hardware} occasion’s keynote, the Professional 3 earbuds acquired a facelift, however all the small print weren’t as newsworthy.
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The Professional 3 earbuds have a refined earbud form, two extra hours of steady playtime, upgraded 10.7mm drivers, and new acoustic structure, a deeper bass response, new eartips, and improved noise cancellation and transparency mode.
The Professional 3 even have Apple’s up to date U2 ultra-wideband chip (UWB). When you’ve got an iPhone 15 or newer, your iPhone additionally has the U2 chip. When each gadgets’ U2 UWB chips talk, you need to use your iPhone to search out your AirPods with extra precision over higher distances.
You should purchase the AirPods Professional 2 if…
1. You need the cheaper possibility
On this case, cheaper does not imply lesser, because the AirPods Professional 2 are nonetheless a strong pair of premium AirPods. They work seamlessly together with your Apple gadgets, and share the identical software program options, apart from in-ear coronary heart monitoring.
Additionally: I’ve used my AirPods Pro 2 since 2022 – here’s why they’re still legit in 2025
Throughout sale seasons, the AirPods Professional 2 will be bought for as little as $179, and I anticipate their costs to be decrease now that the brand new mannequin is obtainable. The one caveat is that you would be able to not buy them immediately from Apple; you may should get them at retailers like Finest Purchase or Amazon.
2. You do not want the extras
The AirPods Professional 2 are completely succesful earbuds. Actually, they may be greater than sufficient for most individuals, particularly for those who solely want your earbuds for listening to music, speaking on the cellphone hands-free, and for his or her noise cancellation.
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The AirPods Professional 2 and Professional 2 share Apple’s H2 headphone chip, and, on paper, the Professional 2 aren’t too far behind the newcomers. The Professional 2 earbuds nonetheless present nice sound, ample noise cancellation, and loads of software program options.