The new AirPods Pro 3 offer noticeably improved noise cancellation and sound quality—but how much do they really differ from the Pro 2? In short: a lot. We've tested both and are here to break down what's new and why it matters.

The most obvious example of why first-party products are worth considering is the AirPods lineup, led by the latest AirPods Pro 3. These headphones offer way more features when connected to an Apple device than when connected to other devices.

The AirPods Pro 3 has a new built-in heart rate sensor—and yes, it’s pretty darn good. It works by shining light into the skin inside your ear canal and analyzing how that light reflects back—a method called photoplethysmography (PPG)—to estimate your pulse.

Rumors for the next model of AirPods Pro are already here, highlighting three unique new changes Apple may have on the horizon.

Apple recently released firmware updates for all AirPods 4, AirPods Pro 2, and AirPods 3 models, and it has since shared release notes for the updates. Unfortunately, Apple merely says the firmware updates include unspecified "bug fixes and other improvements,