Are AirPods Pro 3 worth buying? The verdict first: they cost 1,899 yuan in China and $249 on Apple's US site. If you use an iPhone and commute, meet and work out every day, noise cancellation, heart-rate sensing and live translation together are worth the price. If you use an Android phone, or just want new earbuds for listening to music, hold on: the biggest highlight, translation, will not work for you at all.
Is live translation a real strength, or a gimmick?
Live translation is the most interesting new feature of this generation, but the requirement comes first: it needs an iPhone that supports Apple Intelligence, running iOS 26; the earbuds alone cannot do it. According to Apple, it supports Mandarin Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese and Spanish: in a face-to-face conversation, the translation plays straight into your ear, which suits business trips, travel and receiving foreign guests. Two things to note: the feature is still in beta, and it is unavailable in some regions and languages. Translation quality is also sensitive to accent and background noise; long sentences and technical terms should be double-checked yourself, and it cannot replace a human interpreter.
Noise cancellation, fit and battery
Noise cancellation is the Pro line's long-standing strength, and this generation is stronger still: low-frequency noise on the subway and on planes is suppressed more cleanly, and in Transparency mode you can talk to people without taking the earbuds out. According to Apple's figures, battery life is up to 8 hours on a single charge with noise cancellation on, and up to 24 hours with the charging case — basically enough for a day of heavy use on one charge. Heart-rate sensing only works during exercise: it logs your pulse while running or cycling, not the rest of the day. The earbuds are rated IP57 for dust and water resistance, so sweat and rain are not a big worry. They remain in-ear buds with silicone tips, and people with small ear canals should try them on first: if they do not sit securely, even the strongest noise cancellation is wasted.
Before buying, match yourself to a group. Three kinds of people should buy: heavy iPhone users who wear earbuds more than three hours a day; people who travel often and talk with foreign colleagues, for whom live translation will genuinely be used; and people who work out and want heart rate logged without wearing another watch. Three kinds should not: Android users, for whom translation and Siri features do not work at all, meaning they would pay a premium for ordinary noise-cancelling earbuds; owners of Pro 2 who rarely translate and would barely notice the upgrade; and anyone on a tight budget, who can look at AirPods 5 from 999 yuan, which also have active noise cancellation and are perfectly adequate for music and commuting. If you cannot wait, buy now; if you can, wait for a price drop, since Apple earbuds usually get cheaper through retail channels a few months after launch.
