It's been almost three years since Apple updated its AirPods Pro, and all signs point to a new version releasing sometime in 2025. Last year was a bit of a mixed bag: Apple introduced the all-new AirPods 4 and AirPods 4 with Active Noise Canceling, but only gave its AirPods Max a light refresh with USB-C charging and new colors. This year, as companies navigate the impacts of the Trump tariffs, the Cupertino company could throw another curveball. Here are the latest AirPods Pro 3 rumors and what improvements I'd like to see for Apple's flagship noise-canceling earbuds.
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Rumored AirPods Pro 3 release date
Back in February MacRumors spotted a post on X from a tipster called Kosutami who said Apple was planning to launch the AirPods Pro 3 and AirTag 2 in May or June of this year. The "tip" seemed pretty dubious, and sure enough, it was. The more likely scenario is that the AirPods Pro 3 will arrive at the same time as the iPhone 17 arrives in September. That's when Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, who's usually a more reliable Apple whisperer, predicts they'll be announced. He's also said the AirPods Pro 3 will have a new design and feature heart-rate monitoring like Apple's new Beats Powerbeats Pro 2.
More recently MacRumors contributor Steve Moser dug into iOS 26 Beta 1 and discovered that its underlying code references AirPods Pro 3 alongside existing AirPods models. "AirPods Pro 3 must be coming soon," Moser posted on X. "Unfortunately, I couldn't find any other references or hints as to what new features they might have."
That said, on June 9th at WWDC 2025, Apple did announce some new features for the AirPods Pro 2, AirPods 4 and AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) that will officially launch this fall but are available to try now for beta testers if you have a developer's account (public betas are coming soon). These new features include studio-quality audio recording and camera remote features.
Studio-quality audio recording : Apple says that "interviewers, podcasters, singers, and other creators can record their content with greater sound quality, and even record while on the go or in noisy environments with Voice Isolation."
: Apple says that "interviewers, podcasters, singers, and other creators can record their content with greater sound quality, and even record while on the go or in noisy environments with Voice Isolation." Leveraging its powerful H2 chip, Apple is also upgrading voice-calling performance : "User will also enjoy more natural vocal texture and clarity across iPhone calls, FaceTime, and CallKit-enabled apps," it says.
: "User will also enjoy more natural vocal texture and clarity across iPhone calls, FaceTime, and CallKit-enabled apps," it says. The new Camera Remote feature allows you to "start or stop video recordings from a distance with a simple press of the AirPods stem."
allows you to "start or stop video recordings from a distance with a simple press of the AirPods stem." AirPods models with the H2 chip will also be able to detect when you fall asleep and automatically pause what you're listening to.
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