Apple AirPods Pro 3: Heart rate sensor surprisingly more accurate than Powerbeats Pro 2

Just like Apple's older Powerbeats Pro 2, the Apple AirPods Pro 3 (from $249 on Amazon) come with a heart rate sensor, but Apple does not use the same sensor for these two different pairs of headphones. While Beats relies on an optical heart rate sensor that utilizes a green LED and a sample rate of over 100 times per second, the AirPods Pro 3 feature a PPG sensor that uses invisible infrared light and a frequency of 256Hz.

Apple's smallest PPG sensor to date is significantly more accurate than the optical sensor of the Powerbeats Pro 2, as an analysis by DC Rainmaker shows. Under certain conditions, the AirPods Pro 3 may not collect data as frequently as the Garmin Fenix 8 Pro, but the data is exceptionally accurate. Even during demanding interval workouts, Apple’s wireless earbuds provided practically identical results to Garmin's flagship smartwatch in DC Rainmaker's review.

Therefore, the heart rate sensor is accurate enough to track the heart rate during workouts, so users do not necessarily have to wear a smartwatch, a separate chest strap or a smart ring in order to record the intensity of a workout. Since the Powerbeats Pro 2 were quite inaccurate in this regard, it is good to see that Apple was able to drastically improve the sensor in just a few months. More details on AirPods Pro 3 can be found in our corresponding launch article.