Apple’s AirPods Pro 2 have held a spot in our edit of the best running headphones since their launch three years ago, thanks to their class-leading noise cancellation that perhaps only falls short to Bose.
Now, the wait for the next generation is over, because Apple has revealed the AirPods Pro 3, with some runner-friendly upgrades including a much-improved IP-rating and new heart rate monitoring. Here’s what you need to know.
Improved ANC
Apple isn’t holding back on the superlatives with the AirPods Pro 3, professing to boast ‘the world’s best active noise cancellation’. According to the brand, the new buds cut out up to twice as much noise as the AirPods Pro 2, and four times more than the originals — though we’ll need real-world testing to see if that holds up.
What everyone's reading
Apple says this is achieved by a combination of ‘ultra-low noise microphones’ and ‘advanced computational audio’, combined with new foam-infused ear tips that promise better passive noise isolation.
An updated design
Apple says it’s used more than 10,000 ear scans to engineer what it claims are the most secure and best-fitting AirPods yet. The redesign includes a smaller internal build, while the external shape now aligns the ear more directly with the body of the bud for added stability. The foam-infused ear tips also come in five sizes — including a new XXS option for smaller ears.
Durability has had an upgrade, too. With IP57 sweat and water resistance, the AirPods Pro 3 should cope better with hard workouts and wet weather.
New heart rate tracking
For the first time, Apple has built a heart rate sensor into the AirPods. The Pro 3 use a photoplethysmography (PPG) sensor, firing invisible infrared light pulses 256 times a second to track changes in blood flow. This looks to be the same heart rate sensing technology as used in the Beats Powerbeats Pro 2, which launched earlier this year. When we tested the Beats Powerbeats Pro 2, we found our Apple Watch's heart rate data tended to override the data from the headphones, and that the data also deviated quite wildly from readings taken from our chest traps, so we're intrigued to see how the AirPods HR sensing performs.
Workout Buddy
Apple is also introducing Workout Buddy, a new AI-powered feature that uses your workout data and fitness history to deliver personalised prompts and motivation mid-session. On paper, it sounds like the kind of nudge many runners and gym-goers could benefit from — though testing will confirm how useful (or annoying) it is in practice.
Battery life
While the Pro 2 could go up to 6 hours on a single charge, the AirPods Pro 3 provide up to eight hours of music playback — much more in line with competitors.
Live Translation
While not a running-focused feature, new Live Translation could prove useful for travellers and anyone navigating multilingual settings. With the AirPods Pro 3, you can hold in-person conversations across select languages, using your iPhone as a live transcription display if the other person doesn’t have AirPods.
When both people are wearing AirPods, the feature becomes more seamless, with active noise cancellation lowering the other person’s voice slightly to make the translation easier to hear while still keeping the natural flow of conversation.
Live Translation will launch with support for English, French, German, Portuguese and Spanish, with Italian, Japanese, Korean and Simplified Chinese arriving later this year.
Sustainability creds
Finally, the buds are made with 40% recycled content, including 100% recycled cobalt in the battery and 65% recycled plastic in the case. Manufacturing now uses 40% renewable electricity from sources such as wind and solar, and the packaging is entirely fibre-based and fully recyclable.
The AirPods Pro 3 launch globally on 19 September 2025. RRP £219.00
