AirPods Pro 3 Bring Health Sensors, Translation Might Be Delayed

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Key Takeaways:

Health-Tracking Sensors in AirPods Pro 3: The upcoming AirPods Pro 3 will feature new sensors for in-ear temperature and heart rate monitoring, enhancing health tracking capabilities when paired with Apple’s ecosystem.
Improved Accuracy with Ear-Based Temperature Sensing: Temperature sensing in the ear offers more accurate and instant readings compared to wrist-based sensors, making AirPods Pro 3 a more useful health companion.
Delayed Launch of Live Translation Feature: The highly anticipated live translation feature won’t be available at launch and is expected to arrive later via a software update, leaving its release date uncertain.
Design, Performance, and New Features: The AirPods Pro 3 will likely maintain a familiar size with a new front-facing capacitive touch panel, a hidden LED, and a new H3 chip for better noise cancellation and audio quality.
Broader Role in Apple’s Ecosystem: With new health sensors and performance improvements, the AirPods Pro 3 aim to position themselves as part of Apple’s broader health and wellness ecosystem, despite the delayed translation feature.

Apple’s AirPods Pro lineup is about to get smarter and healthier. The upcoming AirPods Pro 3, expected to launch at Apple’s September 9 “Awe Dropping” event alongside the iPhone 17, are said to include new health-tracking sensors. But one much-hyped feature, live translation, won’t be ready at launch.

Health Features Take the Lead

Leaks suggest that the AirPods Pro 3 will debut with two new sensors: one for in-ear temperature and another for heart-rate monitoring. Bloomberg had already hinted at Apple working on these sensors in a December 2024 report, and heart-rate tracking recently appeared in Beats’ Powerbeats Pro, which makes its arrival on AirPods Pro almost certain.

Temperature sensing could be particularly impactful. Unlike the wrist-based temperature tracking on Apple Watch, which is limited to long-term trends, the ear is a far better spot for accurate and instant readings. This could make AirPods a more useful health companion when paired with the Health app and Apple Watch.

Live Translation Slips Past Launch

Another big rumor was live translation directly through AirPods. The concept has even shown up in iOS 26 beta imagery. Here’s how it’s supposed to work: your iPhone detects foreign speech, translates it, and sends the result straight to your ears, while also speaking your response back in the other language. It could make multilingual conversations far more seamless, especially for travelers.

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But according to 9to5Mac, the feature isn’t ready yet. Apple is expected to ship it later via a software update, though no firm timeline is known. This follows a familiar pattern: Apple often teases features at launch events that arrive months later, and translation appears to be another one in that category.

Design and Performance Tweaks

Beyond sensors, the AirPods Pro 3 are rumored to feature a familiar-sized charging case, not the smaller design once speculated. Apple is introducing a new front-facing capacitive touch panel in place of the old rear pairing button, along with a hidden LED, borrowing design cues from the AirPods 4. Inside, they could run on a new H3 chip, promising stronger noise cancellation, better audio, and improved efficiency. Other changes, such as firmware updates via iOS 26, are expected to roll out across the Pro lineup.

With health sensors locked in and translation delayed, the AirPods Pro 3 seem set to strengthen Apple’s pitch of AirPods as not just earbuds but part of a broader health ecosystem. Whether the delayed translation feature ends up being worth the wait, we’ll find out later this year. For now, all eyes are on Apple’s September 9 event.

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