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Live Translation is one of those features that sounds incredible in Apple's keynote but has some real limitations in practice. Let me break down what it actually does and whether it's useful.
Someone speaks to you in Spanish (or another supported language), and you hear it in English through your AirPods Pro 3. When you reply in English, your phone translates it to Spanish and plays it through the speaker for them.
Pretty sci-fi, right?
Older phones can't do this even with the AirPods Pro 3.
Coming eventually: Italian, Japanese, Korean, Chinese
Notably missing: Mandarin and Hindi. You know, just two of the most spoken languages on Earth.
Here's what the reviews actually say:
It's useful for:
It's not great for:
Apple even puts a warning on it: translations "may be inaccurate, unexpected, or offensive." So, you know, maybe don't use it for important negotiations.
If you travel occasionally and just need basic help communicating, this is a cool bonus feature. If you were hoping this would replace learning a language or hiring a translator for serious situations... not quite there yet.
Think of it as a smarter version of holding up your phone to Google Translate, not as a universal translator from Star Trek.
Short answer: Water-resistant, not waterproof. Big difference.
The AirPods Pro 3 are rated IP57. Here's the translation:
This is better than the Pro 2's IP54 rating, where the "4" only meant "splash resistant."
You're fine with:
Don't do this:
If you're doing Ironmans or swimming laps, these aren't the right choice. Look for IP68-rated earbuds specifically designed for water sports.
For everyone else doing normal gym stuff? The AirPods Pro 3 can handle it. Just don't be stupid about it.
Let me give you the honest breakdown on how the AirPods Pro 3 actually sound compared to the Pro 2.
The Pro 3 sound a bit better - more bass, wider stereo image, more "spacious." But it's not a night-and-day difference. If you close your eyes, you might not immediately know which is which.
More bass. Apple redesigned the acoustic chamber and it shows. Bass hits harder, especially noticeable on hip-hop and electronic music.
Wider soundstage. Music feels a bit more spread out, less "in your head." Spatial Audio content benefits from this too.
Better detail. You might notice more texture in reverb and room sounds. Subtle, but there.
Apple uses something called Loudness-Dependent EQ. Translation: the sound profile changes based on how loud you're listening.
At low volumes, they boost bass and treble. If you're a low-volume listener (like listening while falling asleep), you might actually find the Pro 3 sound weird at first - too bass-heavy compared to what you're used to.
No EQ controls. In 2025. On $249 earbuds. Seriously, Apple?
Some $30 earbuds let you adjust bass and treble. AirPods? Nope. You get what Apple decided you should hear.
No high-res audio. Still stuck on AAC. No LDAC, no aptX HD, nothing fancy. Your lossless Apple Music files aren't actually playing losslessly on these.
You'll probably notice the difference if:
You probably won't notice if:
Better? Yes. Worth upgrading just for sound? Probably not. The improvements are real but subtle. The AirPods Pro 2 sound excellent, and the Pro 3 sound... also excellent, just slightly more so.
So you're wondering if those heart rate readings on your AirPods Pro 3 are actually legit? Good news - they're surprisingly accurate for most people.
Apple packed a custom PPG sensor into these earbuds that pulses infrared light 256 times per second to track your blood flow. And here's the cool part - your ear canal is actually a better spot for measuring heart rate than your wrist because it's closer to major arteries and doesn't bounce around as much when you move.
DC Rainmaker (basically the gold standard for fitness tech reviews) was pretty blown away - the AirPods Pro 3 sometimes beat the Apple Watch in matching chest strap accuracy. That's saying something.
But let's keep it real. SoundGuys saw readings that were off by 15-34 BPM in some tests. So your experience might depend on:
If you're wearing both an Apple Watch and AirPods Pro 3, they actually team up. Apple's software constantly checks which device is getting better readings and switches between them automatically. Pretty slick.
These are great for keeping tabs on your heart rate during everyday workouts. But if you're training for a marathon and need clinical-grade accuracy, you might still want a dedicated chest strap for those serious sessions.
For the average person just wanting to see their heart rate during a jog or gym session? The AirPods Pro 3 absolutely get the job done.
The AirPods Pro 3 can actually work as FDA-cleared hearing aids for people with mild to moderate hearing loss. Let me break down how it all works.
You start with Apple's built-in Hearing Test, which takes about five minutes. Before it begins, your iPhone checks that you're somewhere quiet and that your AirPods are fitting properly. Both are important for accurate results.
The test plays tones at different frequencies and volumes, checking each ear separately. It's actually surprisingly comprehensive, covering frequencies from 250 Hz to 8 kHz.
Pro tip: Take the test in a quiet room with freshly cleaned AirPods for the best results.
Once you've got your results, the hearing aid feature kicks in. The H2 chip uses your personalized profile to boost the specific frequencies you struggle with, making sounds clearer in real-time.
You can tweak a bunch of settings:
Here's what you should know before getting too excited:
If you've noticed you're asking people to repeat themselves more often or turning up the TV volume, these could be a great entry point. They're way less stigmatized than traditional hearing aids and you're probably already wearing earbuds anyway.
That said, if you have significant hearing loss, you'll still want to see an audiologist for proper medical-grade hearing aids.
Let's talk battery life, because Apple actually made some interesting choices with the AirPods Pro 3.
The earbuds themselves got a serious upgrade:
Real-world testing backs this up. SoundGuys clocked 8 hours 42 minutes with noise cancellation on. The Pro 2s? Just 5 hours 43 minutes. That's a huge difference if you're wearing these all day at work.
Here's the thing though - the case actually holds less total charge now. You get about 24 hours total with the case (with ANC), down from 30 hours on the Pro 2.
Why? Probably to keep the case the same size while adding new features. The earbuds themselves are doing more (heart rate sensing, better ANC), so they need more juice per charge.
Honestly? Probably not for most people.
Think about it - you're more likely to notice "these last through my entire workday now" than "I can only get 4 full charges instead of 5 before the case dies."
Unless you're going off-grid for a week, the case will keep you topped up just fine.
Pop them in for just 5 minutes and you get an hour of listening. That's clutch when you forgot to charge overnight.
And you can charge via USB-C, MagSafe, Qi wireless, or even your Apple Watch charger. Lots of options.
Apple says the AirPods Pro 3 have twice the noise cancellation of the Pro 2 and four times better than the original AirPods Pro. Sounds like marketing hype, right? But the testing actually backs it up.
SoundGuys measured an average of 90% noise reduction. That's really impressive for earbuds. We're talking:
A few things combined to make this happen:
The seal is better - They redesigned the acoustic chamber and added foam to the ear tips. These foam-infused tips actually mold to your ear canal shape, which helps block more sound before the electronics even kick in.
Smarter algorithms - The H2 chip got updates that are better at identifying what sounds to block. It's particularly good at low frequencies now (think engine noise, HVAC hum).
Faster response - The system reacts quicker to sudden loud sounds while still letting through important stuff when you need it.
Honestly, there are three scenarios where most people will really feel the difference:
All of this only works if you get a good seal. The foam tips help a lot, but you might need to try different sizes. Some people still end up going with third-party foam tips for an even better fit.
If you thought the Pro 2's ANC was "pretty good," the Pro 3 takes it to "actually impressive." If you're coming from non-ANC earbuds, prepare to be amazed.
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