We’re a week away from Apple’s annual iPhone event, and leaks are still slowly dripping in. This time, it’s back to the AirPods Pro 3, which, according to 9to5Mac, may have some good and bad news for Apple audio fans. The good news, according to an anonymous leak to 9to5Mac, is that Apple’s next generation of pro wireless earbuds will actually have a rumored pair of health sensors that expand them beyond audio.
Per an anonymous tipster to 9to5Mac, those sensors are allegedly a rumored heart rate sensor that can monitor your cardiovascular health in real time—a feature that was previously projected by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. That feature, while new to AirPods, may actually be borrowed from Powerbeats Pro 2, though Beats’ version notably can’t monitor your heart rate and play music at the same time. That quirk makes the health feature less than ideal from a usability perspective, so I’m curious to see if AirPods Pro 3 manages to solve for that inconvenience. In addition to heart rate sensing, 9to5Mac suggests that AirPods Pro 3 will also be able to monitor your body temperature. Temperature monitoring isn’t the most groundbreaking feature, but if you’re at all interested in AirPods as a health wearable, it’d be nice to have.
So, that’s the good news. The not-so-good news is that the AirPods Pro 3 may be lacking one rumored next-gen feature… at least at first. According to 9to5Mac, a previously rumored live translation feature may not arrive on the active noise cancellation wireless earbuds right away, instead coming as part of a “later software update.” If that sounds eerily familiar, it’s because that’s the same tactic Apple took with some Apple Intelligence features, including the now-very-delayed next-gen Siri. I’m not saying the live translation will befall the same fate—if it is a real feature and/or slow-rolled on its release—but it’s certainly not a great look for Apple in terms of convincing everyone it’s on top of pushing out AI features.
As 9to5Mac notes, there’s also a chance that Apple releases a live translation feature in beta with a more official launch down the line. One thing that is (almost) for sure is that Apple seems to be intent on turning its AirPods into an Apple Watch-esque health wearable and a vessel for some of its more ambitious AI features. I, for one, am looking forward to that philosophical shift. At this point, there are only so many ways to evolve a pair of wireless earbuds for the future, and health sensors feel like a significant upgrade. I mean, if they’re in your ears all day anyway, they might as well be doing something more productive than distracting you with another two-guys-talking-about-stuff podcast, right? So long as they’re nothing like the Oso AI Earbuds, though… ChatGPT and a cute robot face on the charging case’s display can’t save those overpriced wireless earbuds.
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