Two reliable analysts recently predicted that the AirPods Pro 3 release date won’t come before the end of 2025.
Apple is reportedly loading the next generation of its high-end wireless earbuds up with new features, and that’s apparently taking some extra time. All the way to 2026.
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AirPods Pro 3 release date: 2026
AirPods are a massive hit for Apple. Look around, and when you see someone wearing earbuds, they’re probably AirPods. Part of the reason they’ve been successful is Apple keeps building more features into successive generations. There’s no better example than AirPods Pro 2 getting upgraded into hearing aids, plus other features like head gestures and voice isolation.
But the wait for the next version will seemingly require patience. Jeff Pu, a respected analyst with GF Securities Hong Kong, reportedly just predicted the AirPods Pro 3 release date will be in 2026. In mid-May, Ming-Chi Kuo, an analyst with TF International Securities, said the same.
Even though a reference to the upcoming earbuds showed up in the first iOS 26 beta, anyone who needs a new pair of AirPods now should seriously consider AirPods Pro 2, as the replacement is likely at least six months away.
AirPods Pro 2 are a fantastic pair of earbuds for your iPhone, delivering terrific sound quality, excellent ANC, and advanced features like Personalized Spatial Audio.
- Fab sound quality
- Excellent ANC
- Hearing Health features let them double as clinical-grade hearing aids and active hearing protection
- USB-C wireless charging case
- Hard to come up with one
What to expect from AirPods Pro 3
With the release still a long way away, a definitive list of AirPods Pro 3 features has not yet emerged.
Still, heart rate monitoring seems a safe bet after it appeared in Powerbeats Pro 2. Maybe extra time will help improve the feature before it goes into the AirPods version.
More of a stretch is IR cameras for controlling the earbuds with hand gestures.
Ed Hardy has been writing full-time about tech for 25 years, and using it for much longer than that. His intro to Apple was a Macintosh Classic II (which he still has), but now he uses a 13-inch iPad Pro as his primary computer. He’s written for NotebookReview, TabletPCReview, and Brighthand, as well as other sites.
