Apple AirPods Pro 3 ZDNET's key takeaways The AirPods Pro 3 bring several design updates and a bunch of new or upgraded capabilities to a product that was already among the best headphones.
Apple kept the retail price at $249, and this product tends to get discounted during holiday sales.
AirPods Pro 3's leading feature is active noise cancellation that now rivals over-the-ear headphones, which surprised me in real-world testing. $249 at Amazon $249 at B&H Photo-Video $249 at Crutchfield more buying choices
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Apple has taken what is arguably one its most iconic and widely acclaimed products -- the AirPods Pro 2 -- and elevated them with a significant upgrade for 2025. Since the product has a simple mission and it didn't appear that there were a ton of things Apple could do to make them better, it's always a risk to make big changes.
And make no mistake, there are major changes in the AirPods Pro 3.
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I've been using a pair for two weeks since they were first announced at the Apple Event. And I'm happy -- even a little relieved -- to report that Apple didn't ruin a good thing here. In fact, there's one area where I didn't realize it was even possible to make them better, but they are. And there are new features that make the product more useful. Of course, there are also a couple gaps and blind spots, and we'll talk about those, too.
But if you've had a pair of AirPods or AirPods Pro in the past and loved them, the good news is there's a great chance you're going to love the AirPods Pro 3 even more.
How I tested AirPods Pro 3
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