September 9, 2025 – According to a post by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman on X today, Apple is set to unveil the new AirPods Pro 3 wireless earbuds at an event themed “Awe Dropping”. However, contrary to some earlier rumors, there won’t be significant improvements in active noise cancellation (ANC) and sound quality.
Gurman pointed out that although the AirPods Pro 3 is equipped with the next – generation H3 chip, it fails to make major breakthroughs in ANC and audio quality. Different from the previous rumors of a “substantial boost in noise – reduction performance”, Apple has shifted its focus for this upgrade to health – monitoring features. For the first time, heart – rate tracking technology is being introduced to the AirPods series.
As described in the post, heart – rate monitoring is achieved through an LED optical sensor. The principle is to emit light pulses into the blood vessels in the ear canal and then calculate heart – rate data based on changes in blood flow.
This technology was previously used in the Powerbeats Pro 2 earbuds, and the new AirPods Pro 3 will continue with this approach. The monitored data can be automatically synced to Apple Health and third – party fitness apps. It should be noted that due to the accuracy limitations of measuring blood oxygen saturation in the ear, this function does not support blood oxygen detection for now.
In terms of appearance, reports suggest that the AirPods Pro 3 features a redesigned earbud structure. Adjustments have been made to the curved surface angles and material distribution to enhance the fit when worn, but the specific details of these design changes have not been made public.
Even though the H3 chip generally implies an improvement in audio performance, Gurman stressed that this upgrade mainly focuses on sensor data processing and energy – efficiency optimization. Analysts believe that Apple may slightly enhance the noise – reduction effect through future firmware updates. But at the hardware level, no new sound – emitting units or improved microphone arrays have been adopted. This strategic shift indicates that Apple is transforming its TWS (True Wireless Stereo) earbuds from pure audio devices into health – wearable devices.
