Earbuds that cancel noise, play music, and take calls have existed for years. Earbuds that monitor heart rate across 50 workout types, translate languages in real time, function as an FDA-recognized hearing aid with automatic Conversation Boost, and remove 2x more noise than the previous generation are a different category of product entirely. The AirPods Pro 3 are down to $179, off Apple’s $249 standard price and the lowest they have ever been sold for. No Prime membership required, and Apple’s official store remains at $249.
Heart rate sensing, hearing aid capability, live translation: earbuds that do what earbuds haven’t done
The heart rate sensing in AirPods Pro 3 tracks heart rate and calories burned across more than 50 workout types, integrating with the Move ring, step count, and the new Workout Buddy feature powered by Apple Intelligence on iPhone. That’s a fitness tracking capability that was previously exclusive to Apple Watch, now available from earbuds that most people already wear during workouts. The data feeds into the same Health app ecosystem, which means AirPods Pro 3 add a second health monitoring point alongside a watch rather than duplicating it.
The Hearing Aid feature with automatic Conversation Boost is the capability that separates the AirPods Pro 3 from every other earbud on the market at any price. FDA-recognized hearing aid functionality means the AirPods Pro 3 can amplify and clarify speech for people with mild to moderate hearing loss, with Conversation Boost automatically increasing the volume and clarity of the person speaking directly in front of the wearer. A hearing test taken from the iPhone sets the personalization, and active Hearing Protection limits exposure to loud environmental noise in situations where the hearing aid function isn’t active. For anyone managing early hearing changes, these earbuds replace or supplement a dedicated hearing aid from a pair of earbuds that also plays music and cancels noise.
Live Translation powered by Apple Intelligence handles real-time language translation through the earbuds, which covers conversations across language barriers without requiring a phone to be held between speakers. The world’s best in-ear active noise cancellation removes up to 2x more unwanted noise than AirPods Pro 2, next-generation Adaptive EQ customizes the sound signature to the specific geometry of the wearer’s ear in real time, and the new acoustic architecture delivers transformed bass and clarity that the previous generation couldn’t produce.
Apple’s $249 price, Amazon’s record low, no explanation needed
Apple has sold AirPods Pro 3 at $249 since launch and has not moved that number. Amazon’s record low at $179 is the result of a pricing decision Apple didn’t make and can’t control, which is the pattern that produces the best AirPods deals that exist anywhere. The $70 difference between Apple’s price and Amazon’s is the largest discount the AirPods Pro 3 have ever received, and at a product launch price of $249 that Apple considers final, Amazon’s movement here is the only movement that exists.
Five ear tip sizes provide a more secure, personalized fit than the previous four-size system, which improves both audio performance and noise cancellation seal for a wider range of ear geometries. The 8-hour battery life with ANC active extends to 10 hours in Transparency and Hearing Aid mode, USB-C charging covers both wired and Qi wireless charging, and automatic switching handles seamless transitions between Apple devices without manual input.