I’ve tested stunning new AirPods that translate languages & track your heart too

I’VE been secretly wearing the new Apple AirPods Pro 3 to test them out.

And I’m genuinely stunned by these swish wireless earbuds, which were announced at last week’s 2025 Apple event and won’t drop in stores until Friday, September 19.

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They’re an evolution on the Apple AirPods Pro 2 from 2022 (and the 2023 USB-C version), with some serious upgrades.

Let me be very clear: these are the best headphones in the world.

Of course there are headphones out there that sound better. There might be some that fit better for exercise. And you might prefer how another pair looks.

But as an all-in-one package at this price (£219/$249), this is a tour-de-force of audio greatness. It’s got some huge upgrades you’ll definitely want to check out.

Apple AirPods Pro, £219

Let’s get into it.

APPLE AIRPODS PRO 3 DESIGN

The new AirPods Pro look largely similar to the old model, which is fine. Don’t fix what’s not broken.

They look good. They’ve got the small buds that are instantly recognisable as AirPods Pro.

The case is slightly upgraded with a hidden light that is only visible when the LED is active. It gives it a smoother appearance.

And Apple says it did more than 10,000 “ear scans” to make the iPhone accessory fit better than ever.

In fact, the new AirPods come with five different ear tip sizes, so pretty much anyone should get them in comfortably. That includes a new XXS size.

It means you should also get a decent fit for working out. I had no trouble keeping them in my ears.

APPLE AIRPODS PRO 3 FEATURES

It’s the feature-packed nature of the AirPods Pro that makes them so good.

You’ve still got the classic AirPods features.

That includes one-tap pairing to your device, instant switching between Apple gadgets, and the ability to share audio with multiple AirPods.

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Plus you’ve got noise-cancelling, a Transparency mode to draw sound in, an Adaptive Mode that adjusts to your surroundings, head-tracked Spatial Audio, and Siri support.

As far as upgrades go, one of the big boosts is for active noise cancellation (ANC), which is now even better.

Not that it was bad, but it’s now extremely impressive.

Apple says it’s twice as good as the old AirPods Pro and four times better than the original AirPods Pro.

Part of that is thanks to increased passive cancellation because Apple has infused the ear tips with foam.

Music and movies sound fantastic. Bass, treble, and overall clarity are exceptional.

And because the ANC is now so good, you can easily shut out the outside world. Airplane noise vanishes easily. But so does the sound in a crowded street where noises are more unpredictable – and therefore harder to cancel.

The headphones also have heart-rate tracking in for the first time.

And it works in both earbuds, so if you take one out, the other will still do it.

For a start, this means that you can track your heart rate without wearing an Apple Watch.

But it will also give you more consistent heart rate coverage even if you’re wearing a watch.

It’s a nice change that opens Apple’s health features to more people.

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Probably the headline change is Live Translation, which translates foreign languages in real-time. It’s the blockbuster upgrade.

And of course! Why wouldn’t it be? It sounds like something from a science fiction movie.

It’s the sort of Jetsons-style thing that you’d imagine promised for the future like flying cars and robot butlers.

The AirPods Pro will live-translate a foreign language being spoken to you.

You hear a voice in your ears relaying the translations in real-time after each phrase is spoken.

At the time of writing, it works in English, French, German, Portuguese, and Spanish.

But we’re expecting Italian, Japanese, Korean, and Chinese by the end of the year.

I don’t know about you, but I certainly can’t speak English plus eight other languages.

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I know enough German to comfortably find my way to some beer, and sufficient French to say…I can’t speak French.

So this Apple trick is jolly good news for me.

I tried listening to a French speaker tell a story, and it relayed her words perfectly – in clear English – after each phrase.

It’s a phenomenal idea, and I can’t wait to actually use it for a practical reason instead of just for testing.

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Battery life is better at eight hours versus six now.

Though I rarely – if ever – managed to run down the Apple AirPods Pro 2.

After all, you’ve got the charging case (which can still be wirelessly charged) to keep them topped up.

APPLE AIRPODS PRO 3 VALUE – SHOULD I BUY THEM?

Like I said earlier, the Apple AirPods Pro 3 are the best headphones in the world.

The way they integrate with your Apple gadgets is so simple, intuitive and effective.

They’re small, deliver powerful audio and noise cancellation, and have brilliant battery life.

The pricing is reasonable for this calibre of headphone.

And they’re totally fine for leisure use, as business headphones for calls, or for exercise. I wear AirPods every time I run or cycle, and they work a treat.

Of all the Apple headphones out in the wild, it’s the AirPods Pro that I use the most. By far.

Of course, you do have other AirPods options.

The cheaper options are the AirPods 4 (£119/$129) or the AirPods 4 with ANC (£169/$179).

You could also go up to the AirPods Max (£499/$549), but they’re over-ear headphones, so a very different category.

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The AirPods 4 are great value for money and get you a lot of the perks (like head-tracked Spatial Audio, voice-isolation, and Siri).

But they’re missing ANC, which I think is too good a feature to miss.

The more premium AirPods 4 with ANC will get you the noise-cancelling, but you’ll lose out on the ear tips (they’re one-size-fits-all). And the ANC and audio just aren’t as good as on the AirPods Pro 3.

I think the AirPods Pro 3 are the best buy of the lot, especially as you’ll get years of joy out of them.

But if you’re on a strict budget, you might be better off with an entry-level option.

The Sun says: The Apple AirPods Pro 3 are as close to perfect as wireless earbuds come. Once again, the best headphones in the world. 5/5

Apple AirPods Pro, £219

All prices in this article were correct at the time of writing, but may have since changed.

Always do your own research before making any purchase.

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