AirPods Pro 3 are coming later this year, and out of all the rumored new features, the single best upgrade may prove itself a gift that keeps giving: Apple’s H3 chip.
Apple’s history with new AirPods Pro features
By all appearances, AirPods Pro 2 have been very successful for Apple.
Most of the time, when a product does well, it sparks a successor before too long.
But Apple’s update cadence with AirPods Pro has been surprisingly slow.
The first AirPods Pro debuted in 2019, and AirPods Pro 2 followed in 2022. Now version 3 is coming in 2025.
During this three-year wait, however, Apple has continually made AirPods Pro 2 better.
How? With new features powered by its H2 chip.
H2 enabled several great upgrades right at launch, but years later, its actual benefits included many later additions:
- Adaptive Audio
- Conversation Awareness
- Automatic Switching improvements
- Voice Isolation
- Nonverbal Siri interactions
- Hearing Aid, Hearing Test, and more
In short, the H2 chip’s true value wasn’t revealed at launch.
And AirPods Pro 3 will likely follow the same pattern.
New H3 chip will debut in AirPods Pro 3
Mark Gurman says Apple has a new H3 chip ready for AirPods Pro 3.
And this H3 will, I’m sure, offer several immediate benefits to AirPods Pro 3 buyers. Upgraded noise cancellation is one, and perhaps iOS 19’s live translation feature will be another.
But beyond whatever initial improvements it provides, the H3 chip’s true value likely won’t be revealed until it’s been around a year or two.
Like with the H2, Apple will undoubtedly have H3-exclusive upgrades coming to AirPods Pro 3 in iOS 20, 21, and so on.
Some of the H2’s later additions are among my all-time favorite AirPods features.
What could the H3 have in store for the years ahead? It’s impossible to know.
But if Apple’s track record is any indication, the H3 chip should easily prove itself the single biggest AirPods Pro 3 upgrade over time.
What new AirPods Pro 3 features could you see an H3 chip enabling? Let us know in the comments.
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