Apple has unveiled the highly anticipated AirPods Pro 3, now capable of tracking heart rate. The earbuds also include a calorie counter, an AI-powered Workout Buddy, and other enhancements such as twice the ANC performance, extended battery life, and a refined design.
The new AirPods Pro 3 feature advanced built-in sensors that track your heart rate, viewable in the Fitness app. Apple explains that this is achieved “using a custom photoplethysmography (PPG) sensor, which emits invisible infrared light pulsing 256 times per second to measure blood flow absorption.“
This data is processed by on-device AI models on your iPhone to provide an accurate heart rate reading. Beyond heart rate tracking, the AirPods Pro 3 can monitor 50 different workouts using built-in accelerometers, a gyroscope, and GPS sensors. They also include Workout Buddy, an Apple Intelligence-powered feature designed to motivate you throughout your fitness journey.
In addition to the fitness features, the AirPods Pro 3 can perform live translations in five languages: English, French, German, Portuguese, and Spanish. Apple plans to expand support to Italian, Japanese, Korean, and Simplified Chinese by the end of the year.
The AirPods Pro 3 also offer improved sound quality, with noise cancellation twice as effective as the AirPods Pro 2 and four times better than the original model. They provide a better fit and longer battery life up to 8 hours with ANC on and 10 hours in Transparency mode.
