AirPods Professional 3 options
Whereas Apple has steadily added new options to AirPods Professional 2 over the previous a number of years, they’re lacking a number of {hardware} options that have been launched with AirPods 4 and the Powerbeats Professional 2. Moreover, rumors recommend some new options could also be coming to the Third-gen earbuds as nicely.
Coronary heart-rate sensor
In February, Apple introduced the Powerbeats Professional 2, which introduced the H2 chip in addition to an optical heart-rate sensor for constantly measuring coronary heart charge throughout a exercise and monitoring all through the day. The function has been rumored for the AirPods Professional 3 way back to December 2024, when Mark Gurman of Bloomberg reported that Apple was engaged on in-ear coronary heart charge monitoring for the AirPods Professional 2. So it’s doubtless AirPods Professional 2 can have the identical sensor because the Powerbeats Professional 2.
Once we reviewed the Powerbeats Professional 2, we famous that battery drain was a problem when utilizing the sensor throughout exercises, the sensor solely tracks exercises with particular apps, and it routinely turns off when an Apple Watch is related. We anticipate Apple will repair these points when the function arrives on AirPods Professional 3.
Temperature sensor
Apple debuted a temperature sensor on the Apple Watch Collection 8, and rumors declare Apple can be bringing it to the AirPods Professional 3 subsequent. Whereas the Apple Watch tracks nightly pores and skin temperature readings to trace menstrual cycles and assist give customers perception into total well-being, an in-ear tympanic temperature sensor may have the ability to take on-demand temperature readings.
H3 chip
Apple launched its H2 audio chip with the AirPods Professional 2 in 2022, and it’s doubtless the brand new mannequin can have an H3 chip. That might allow higher noise cancellation, improved audio high quality, and higher battery life, amongst different options.
The Powerbeats Professional 2 have a built-in heart-rate sensor that may very well be coming to the AirPods Professional 3.
Foundry
IR cameras
In July 2024, Ming-Chi Kuo reported that Apple was growing AirPods with IR cameras for “in-air gesture management to reinforce human-device interplay.” He reiterated the declare in Might 2025, however reported it wouldn’t arrive till 2026, so it’s unclear if it is a function for AirPods Professional 3 or a later mode.
Improved battery life
The Beats Powerbeats Professional 2 provide as much as 8 hours of listening time when lively noise cancellation is lively, in comparison with 5-6 hours for the AirPods Professional 2. The brand new H3 chip probably coupled with a bigger battery, will reportedly carry longer battery life for the AirPods Professional 3.
Stay translation
As a part of the iOS 26 replace, Apple is bringing dwell translation capabilities to the Cellphone, Messages, and FaceTime apps to routinely tranlsale spoken and written textual content in real-time. We first heard aout the function when it was beforehand rumored to be coming to AirPods, so it’s notable that Apple left its earbuds off the listing of appropriate gadgets. Persistent rumors declare that dwell translation can be a marquee function of the AirPods Professional 3. Nonetheless, a 9to5Mac report in September claims the function, whereas nonetheless in growth, may not be prepared for launch.
iOS 26
A number of new options are coming to AirPods Professional with iOS 26 and can be current on the brand new mannequin, together with:
Pause when sleeping: In the event you’re utilizing AirPods and go to sleep, a brand new function will routinely flip off playback so the battery received’t run down.
Studio-quality recording: While you use your AirPods with an iPhone, iPad, or Mac, you’ll have the ability to document in greater sound high quality and luxuriate in clearer calls.
Digicam distant: Customers can press and maintain the AirPods stem to take a photograph or begin and cease a video recording on iPhone or iPad.
