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The successor to the AirPods Pro 2 are here, and they're an impressive release from Apple. The AirPods Pro 3 debuted with several upgrades over the Pro 2, including in-ear heart rate monitoring, an upgraded ultra-wideband chip for device tracking, and an additional two hours of continuous battery life. They are also the first waterproof AirPods.
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However, the AirPods Pro 2 may still be a better option for you. Now that the AirPods Pro 3 are on the market, the AirPods Pro 2 are often discounted, with prices ranging from $169 to as low as $139 during major sales like Black Friday. Although I've been wearing the AirPods Pro 3 since their release, I've revisited the AirPods Pro 2, as they were my daily driver for several years.
So, you may wonder if buying them is still a good idea in 2025. The short answer is yes, under specific circumstances, and not just for the sale price. Here's why.
Apple hasn't ditched the AirPods Pro 2. Why should you?
A tell-tale sign that a company is phasing out a product is when it becomes incompatible with the latest software updates. However, the AirPods Pro 3 share the same H2 audio chip as the AirPods Pro 2, which is responsible for processing advanced software features. As a result, the two models have many of the same software features. Like the AirPods Pro 3, the AirPods Pro 2's features include Head Gestures, Hearing Aid mode, sleep detection, Conversation Awareness, Live Translation, and Adaptive Audio.
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Software-wise, the major difference between the two AirPods is that the Pro 3 have in-ear heart rate monitoring, which natively integrates with your iPhone's Fitness app. Apple's H2 chip is also responsible for audio processing, powering the earbuds' noise-canceling features. Both earbuds have excellent noise cancellation, but the Pro 3's redesigned earbud shape allows for a tighter in-ear seal, enhancing their noise-canceling abilities.
With the H2 chip powering the AirPods Pro 3, any future software upgrades should also be compatible with the AirPods Pro 2. Additionally, the USB-C version of the AirPods Pro 2 were released in 2023, so Apple should offer them a few more years of software longevity.
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