By Manas Tiwari

Copyright timesnownews

Most people look at the iPhone and think it’s Apple’s safest bet — the product that always delivers and drives sales. But have you ever thought about the AirPods? They’re arguably Apple’s most flawless piece of tech. Even without major updates, AirPods continue to dominate the global earbuds market. I still know plenty of people happily using the first-generation AirPods Pro and for good reason. That said, Apple has found ways to make an already great product even better. The new AirPods Pro 3, launched alongside the iPhone 17 series last month, do exactly that. They improve on nearly every aspect of the previous model: from noise cancellation and battery life to sound quality and water resistance. At the same time, they also add new capabilities like heart-rate sensing. All this while keeping the pricing almost steady. The new AirPods Pro 3 are priced at Rs 25,900 in India, just Rs 1,000 higher than the previous generation, which is a small bump for a noticeably better experience. Given that I have already established that these are the best pair of earbuds you can buy right now, I will approach this review a bit differently, focusing on what has improved since the previous generation of AirPods Pro and also taking you through everything that’s the same. All That Remains Same As expected, Apple didn’t go for a major design overhaul with the AirPods Pro 3 and understandably so. This is one of Apple’s most instantly recognisable products and changing its look would be a risky move. The design has become iconic, and clearly, Apple doesn’t want to fix what isn’t broken. Plus, the company seems to be going more aggressive with its Beats-branded true wireless lineup, leaving the AirPods Pro to retain their clean and familiar identity. Even on the inside the AirPods Pro 3 are powered by the H2 chip, same as the AirPods Pro 3 and Beats Powerbeats Pro 2. There were a bunch of rumours suggesting that Apple may turn towards a new H3 chip but I guess that’s reserved for later. The rest of the hardware is also familiar. There are no new color options, with white remaining the only choice, and the Bluetooth standard stays at version 5.3. The MagSafe charging case also remains unchanged. It supports USB-C and wireless charging, though Apple still doesn’t include a USB-C cable in the box. The overall look, feel and experience of the AirPods is still more or less the same. Now, let’s move on to the improvements or things that got better. All That’s New While the overall design has remained the same, Apple has refined the shape a but with a slightly altered bud angle that helps them sit more comfortably and securely in the ear. This means that the AirPods now sit marginally deeper in your ears, leading to better fit and improved isolation. Apple has also reduced the weight of the earbuds to 5.3 grams from 5.55 grams on the previous model. The ear tips have also been updated, now made of foam-infused silicone for a better seal and improved comfort. Apple even added a new extra-extra-small size, ensuring a more precise fit for a wider range of users. Inside, the upgrades are more significant. The AirPods Pro 3 now come equipped with heart-rate sensors, much like the Beats Powerbeats Pro 2, enabling basic wellness tracking directly from your earbuds. Apple also claims twice the noise-cancellation performance compared to the AirPods Pro 2 which is a combination of improved microphones and new multiport acoustic architecture. The AirPods Pro 3 still use the same 10.7mm drivers as the previous generation AirPods but those have been enhanced to move more air through the buds, resulting in richer and more detailed sound. I took a 34-hour-long flight from New Delhi to Hawai, using the AirPods almost throughout the journey and here are some quick observations: – The in-flight announcements were inaudible at 100 pct volume. They were not clear at 50 pct volume as well, suggesting clear improvements in ANC. – The sound of plane was efficiently cancelled out. Even at 60 pct I could only feel the vibration but not the noise. – The woman sitting next to me was having crackers from a plastic pack. I couldn’t hear any sound of it while using the earbuds. The audio performance was equally impressive. There seems to be a newfound sense of openness to the soundstage. Everything feels a bit more alive on the AirPods Pro 3, as vocals sit cleaner at the center, instruments have better separation and the overall balance feels more refined. The bass, which could sometimes feel a touch overprocessed on the AirPods Pro 2, now has more depth and texture without overpowering the mids. It’s punchy but controlled. The content watching experience was also satisfactory. I watched a whole season of Platonic on the flight. The dialogues were clear, crisp and even the background music was impactful. Apple’s adaptive EQ continues to do an excellent job of tuning the audio in real-time to your ear shape and listening environment. Where the AirPods Pro 3 truly shine, though, is in how immersive they sound. The improved noise cancellation works in tandem with Transparency Mode and spatial audio to create an almost cinematic sense of space. There is also a new Live Translation feature which allows real-time language translation. This can be activated by squeezing both of the buds at once. Then, Apple Intelligence will listen to the speaker in front of you and translate what they are saying in realtime. The support is limited to English, Spanish, German, French and Portuguese but should be expanded to more languages soon. It’s a useful feature while travelling or for households with multilingual people. The other two improvements are across battery and durability. The AirPods Pro 3 are rated for up to 8 hours with noise cancellation on and as much as 10 hours in Hearing Aid mode with transparency active. The earbuds now carry an IP57 rating, making them resistant to both dust and sustained water exposure. This is a step up from the IPX4 splash resistance of the previous model. My Two Cents Let me wrap up with a very personal experience — I lost my 2nd Generation AirPods Pro last year at the San Francisco airport. Since then I have used three different earbuds over the last 12 months. All of these were premium pair of TWS and were excellent in all aspects. Yet, none of them offered the polish and seamlessness of the AirPods Pro. Switching back to the Air Pods Pro 3 felt like such a major change of lifestyle. It added the ease and reliability that was missing for a while. Apple’s subtle design tweaks and new foam-infused tips make long listening sessions effortless. Once the music starts, you notice the audio improvements immediately: cleaner vocals and tighter bass. Add to that heart-rate sensing, live translation and longer battery life, and you have earbuds that quietly do more without trying too hard. Yes, these are not cheap at Rs 25,900 but the AirPods Pro 3 are premium and the most efficient pair of TWS money can buy.