AirPods Pro 3 Rumored to Feature 'Much Better' Active Noise Cancellation

While there have been many rumors about the upcoming AirPods 4, a leaker has now shared an alleged upgrade planned for the AirPods Pro 3.

AirPods Pro Second Generation
In a post today on social media platform X, the previously-accurate leaker known as Kosutami claimed that the AirPods Pro 3 will feature "much better" active noise cancellation compared to the AirPods Pro 2, which launched nearly two years ago. However, the leaker did not provide any specific details about this alleged upgrade.

Apple already advertises the AirPods Pro 2 as featuring "up to twice as much" active noise cancellation compared to the original AirPods Pro, so the AirPods Pro 3 would be even more improved in this regard.

Apple is expected to announce both low-end and mid-tier AirPods 4 models during its September 9 special event. Kosutami claimed that the AirPods Pro 3 are also coming "soon," but it is unclear if this information is accurate, as Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has previously reported that Apple planned to release redesigned AirPods Pro in 2025.

Both the low-end and mid-tier AirPods 4 are rumored to feature a revised design with better fit in the ear, improved sound quality, and an updated charging case with a USB-C port. The mid-tier AirPods 4 are also said to feature active noise cancellation, and a speaker in the charging case that can play a sound for Find My location tracking.

AirPods Max are also rumored to be updated later this year, but the only change expected is a USB-C charging port instead of Lightning.

Kosutami is known as a prototype Apple product collector, but he has occasionally shared accurate information about Apple's future plans, including details about FineWoven accessories before they launched last year. Kosutami also said that iPhone 16 Pro batteries will have a metal enclosure, and this change was later corroborated by other sources.

Related Roundup: AirPods Pro
Buyer's Guide: AirPods Pro (Caution)
Related Forum: AirPods

Popular Stories

iOS 18

Apple Expected to Release iOS 18.3 Next Week With These New Features

Thursday January 23, 2025 6:41 am PST by
iOS 18.3 should be released to the public next week, following beta testing since mid-December. While the software update is a relatively minor one, it still includes a handful of new features, changes, and bug fixes for iPhones. Below, we recap everything new in iOS 18.3. Notification Summary Changes Examples of inaccurate Apple Intelligence notification summaries Apple Intelligence...
iOS 18

5 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18.3

Friday January 24, 2025 1:55 am PST by
Apple is set to release iOS 18.3 next week, bringing further refinements to Apple Intelligence features, a couple of neat new capabilities to iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 devices, and bug fixes. While not quite as packed with new features as Apple's preceding iOS 18 point releases, iOS 18.3 still introduces capabilities that aim to make your iPhone smarter and more intuitive. Below, we've...
Generic iOS 18

iOS 18.4 Beta Coming Soon With These New Features for Your iPhone

Friday January 24, 2025 8:16 am PST by
iOS 18.3 is expected to be widely released next week, and that means the first iOS 18.4 beta for iPhones should be just around the corner. Apple has previously implied that iOS 18.4 will be released in April, as that is when it promised to make Apple Intelligence available in even more languages. Below, we outline what to expect from iOS 18.4 so far. Apple Intelligence for Siri Siri ...
Apple Pay Walmart Feature

Walmart Stands Firm on Why It Doesn't Accept Apple Pay in the U.S.

Thursday January 23, 2025 7:32 am PST by
Walmart still does not accept Apple Pay or other NFC payments at its more than 4,600 stores across the U.S., and it stood firm on its reasoning for that today. A spokesperson for Walmart today informed MacRumors that its position on contactless payments has not changed since we last reached out about the matter in 2022. The big-box retailer said it remains focused on its own convenient...
apple tv 4k new orange

New Apple TV Launching This Year With These New Features

Wednesday January 22, 2025 6:01 pm PST by
A new Apple TV is expected to be released later this year. In this article, we recap rumored features and changes for the device. The next Apple TV will be equipped with Apple's own combined Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. He said the chip supports Wi-Fi 6E, which would be an upgrade over the current Apple TV's standard Wi-Fi 6 support. Wi-Fi 6E extends the...
iOS 18

Here Are Apple's Full Release Notes for iOS 18.3

Tuesday January 21, 2025 4:31 pm PST by
Apple provided developers and public beta testers with the release candidate version of iOS 18.3 today, and with it comes release notes confirming what's new. While we knew about several of the features that are in the update, there are some lesser known tweaks and bug fixes. The update adds new Visual Intelligence features for iPhone 16 models, it tweaks Notification summaries on all...
iPhone 17 Pro Dual Tone Horizontal Single Feature

Kuo: iPhone 17 Models Won't Have Smaller Dynamic Island

Friday January 24, 2025 9:09 am PST by
The upcoming iPhone 17 models that Apple plans to release this year will not feature a smaller Dynamic Island, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said today. On social media, he said that he is expecting the size of the Dynamic Island to remain "largely unchanged" across the iPhone 17 lineup. His statement is contrary to prior rumors that we've heard about planned changes for the iPhone 17 models. ...
iPhone 16 Apple Store Levels

Gurman: Apple Stores Receiving 'Merchandise' Updates Next Week

Saturday January 25, 2025 5:07 pm PST by
Apple's retail stores will be rolling out "merchandise/floor marketing updates" next week, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Gurman did not explicitly say if the store updates are related to any upcoming product announcements, but he did mention that next week is around the time that Apple rolls out its annual Black Unity watch band for the Apple Watch. In each of the past four years, ...
apple power beats pro 2

Apple's First Product Announcement of 2025 is Imminent

Thursday January 23, 2025 2:48 pm PST by
It's also time for Apple's first product announcement of the year. Last year, Apple said it would be launching Powerbeats Pro 2 in 2025, and the wireless earbuds are expected to launch very soon. Powerbeats Pro 2 images found in iOS 18 code In his Power On newsletter last weekend, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said the Powerbeats Pro 2 are "due imminently." In addition to Apple filing the...

Top Rated Comments

icanhazmac Avatar
22 weeks ago

Were you expecting this?..
Sadly no, but with all the enviro-bluster that comes from Apple one can dream can't one?

I'm sure mother nature does not approve of AirPods.



Attachment Image
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
alexandr Avatar
22 weeks ago
Man, I already love the current state of ANC, but if it gets even better — take my money!
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
alexandr Avatar
22 weeks ago

No replaceable batteries? Hard pass.
Were you expecting this?..
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
IJBrekke Avatar
22 weeks ago
The Achilles heel of the Pro 2s is the microphone quality, it’s pretty substandard. Hope they are able to address this, I have no issue with the current noise cancellation tech.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
icanhazmac Avatar
22 weeks ago
No replaceable batteries? Hard pass.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Jashar7 Avatar
22 weeks ago
AirPods Pro 2nd Gen honestly it’s the best product I’ve ever bought for that price point, man it’s incredible how such small piece of tech is able to produce such sound as well as the noise cancellation is just ridiculous how good it is also the battery is amazing even tho they charge so fast I never have to worry about it lol.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)