AirPods Pro 3: 7 features that will take Apple’s buds to the next level

The AirPods Pro 2 are great, but there’s still room for improvement.

- BY MAHMOUD ITANI

The AirPods have come a long way. When the first iteration launched in 2016, it featured a chunky build and mediocre specs. Since then, Apple has actively developed its wireless earbuds, introducing multiple tiers, more compact designs, longer battery life, and advanced integration with the wider Apple ecosystem.

Today, customers can pick from models that start at $129 and go all the way up to $549—catering to different budgets (fave.co/35Pdsmd) and expectations.

The AirPods Pro 2 (fave.co/3ZWX6QO) happen to be my favorite model. They're the perfect balance between portability and immersion, offering support for ANC and Dolby Atmos in a miniature shell. And they get regular boosts from software updates, such as the recently introduced hearing health features. Nevertheless, there are some shortcomings that I'd like to see Apple address when it launches the AirPods Pro 3 (fave.co/4kfbThx), likely in September.

Here are the seven upgrades I hope we'll see from the next version of the AirPods Pro.

1. ACTUAL INTELLIGENCE

In an era dominated by AI, the world's most valuable tech firm still struggles (fave.co/46k0wBF) to deliver a reliable personal assistant. With this in mind, Apple baked ChatGPT into iOS 18, improving users' experience until it figures out how to fix Siri.

While I can instruct Siri to ask ChatGPT a question using my AirPods Pro 2, the task fails most of the time. It either asks OpenAI's chatbot an entirely different question or ignores my explicit ChatGPT request and offers generic web results. Curiously, I only encounter this issue when summoning Siri with my AirPods—the ChatGPT integration works just fine when initiating it from my iPhone.