- AirPods Pro 3 expected to be unveiled this week
- New sensors, smaller case, but not the 'more significant' update we want
- That's IR cameras, which are tipped for next year – in the AirPods Pro 4
Apple's big iPhones 'n' everything event is just hours away, and the launch of AirPods Pro 3 has gone from being a rumor to what seems like a dead cert. But if you're hankering for the best AirPods ever made, you might want to channel The Hitch-Hiker's Guide To The Galaxy's Deep Thought: the supercomputer, supposedly the best computer ever made, told everybody that the smart thing to do was to wait for the next version.
Apple pundit Ming-Chi Kuo is this week's Deep Thought, reporting that the AirPods Pro 3 are indeed imminent. But the AirPods 4 will apparently be "more significant" and are currently planned to launch next year.
What to expect from AirPods Pro 3 and AirPods Pro 4
According to Kuo, the big upgrade in the AirPods Pro 4 will be the long-rumored infra-red camera that would recognize hand gestures and could also help enhance spatial audio with better head and movement tracking. TR's Audio Editor Becky Scarrott has picked up on the feature (and how it is too soon for inclusion in the Pro 3) noting how beneficial the feature could also be from a safety perspective.
The rumored changes in the AirPods Pro 3 are smaller – literally. The charging case is reportedly getting slimmed down slightly. The AirPods Pro 3 are also expected to get the same heart rate monitoring feature we've already seen in the Powerbeats Pro 2. And there are rumors that they may also get temperature sensing.
Even if the AirPods Pro 3 are making your credit card twitch in anticipation, you may want to hang on for a bit: while Apple will no doubt wax lyrical on AirPods Pro 3's new features during its big event, some of those features, such as Live Translation, may not go live until some time after launch. And of course, the longer you wait after launch, the more likely you are to get at least a modest discount on the sticker price.
That's why for now I'm sticking with my AirPods Pro 2: while the AirPods Pro 3 will no doubt be better, the current model are still among the very best earbuds you can get for your iPhone, iPad, Apple TV or Mac.
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