It’s been an absolute torrent of big debuts lately at Apple, with the new M5 MacBooks, $600 MacBook Neo, iPhone 17e, and now the AirPods Max 2 all teaming up to suck all of the oxygen out of the tech news cycle. It makes it easy to forget that the AirPods Pro 3 were the headliners a mere six months ago when they debuted and were quickly acclaimed as Apple’s best buds ever. But as always, yesterday’s news is today’s deal, and now it’s the AirPods Pro 3 taking the 20% price drop at Amazon.
Technically this brings the AirPods Pro 3 into the sub-$200 category, but just by a penny. Regardless of whether or not you decide to round up, it’s a great price for the latest and greatest AirPod earbuds.
Epic Noise Cancellation
The AirPods Pro 3 hit the ground in full sprint, with the mind-blowing advance in Active Noise Cancellation. The Pro 3 removes up to twice the unwanted sound of the AirPods Pro 2 — which were already the standard-setter for in-ear ANC. That’s not the incremental boost you normally see from upgraded models — it’s a full-on game changer. Apple topped that off with a new acoustic architecture that delivers richer bass, sharper instrument separation, and more present vocals. Whether you’re listening on a subway platform or in an open office, the combination of that ANC and the improved audio output is a noticeably different experience than the previous generation.
The AirPods Pro 3 also throw a few curveballs having nothing to do with sound, like the built-in heart rate sensor. The Pro 3 tracks heart rate and calories burned across 50 different workout types — no Apple Watch required. Paired with an iPhone, that data feeds directly into the Move ring, step count, and a new Workout Buddy feature powered by Apple Intelligence.
Brainiac Buds
Another one of those great curveballs that make the AirPods Pro 3 a truly terrific buy at just $200? Live Translation, yet another value-multiplynig Apple Intelligence integration. The AirPods Pro 3 can deliver real-time translation from a variety of languages, so you’re not just packing them into your carry-on bag for the plane ride. That’s also increasing your usage, but the battery life of the Pro 3 is yet another big upgrade — up to 8 hours with ANC on, 10 hours in Transparency mode using the Hearing Aid feature, and many more hours still with the charging case.
The AirPods Pro 3 aren’t just Apple’s best and most advanced wireless earbuds of all, they might also be the best $200 wireless earbuds on the market, period. At least that’s the case they can make during this Amazon deal that drops them to that magic number from their usual $249 price.
