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Apple's new AirPods Pro 3 has been named one of TIME magazine's top inventions of 2025, praised for features that push headphone technology beyond sound — from live translation to heart-rate monitoring.
Why TIME put AirPods Pro 3 on the 300-invention list
TIME expanded its annual inventions roundup this year to include 300 breakthrough products and ideas across robotics, AI, design, health and accessibility. Among the consumer electronics highlighted, the AirPods Pro 3 stood out for combining advanced audio performance with health and communication tools not typically found in earbuds.
John Ternus, Apple’s senior vice president of hardware engineering, described this generation as "a step change in headphone technology." The nod from TIME reflects how Apple has blended hardware, software and on-device intelligence to broaden what earbuds can do.
More than noise cancellation: translation, heart sensing, and hearing support
Beyond improved active noise cancellation, the AirPods Pro 3 uses a photoplethysmography (PPG) optical sensor to read heart rate. That opens new uses for wellness tracking while on the go. When conditions require, the earbuds can also act like hearing-assist devices — an accessibility boost for users with mild hearing needs.
One of the headline features is Live Translation. Powered by Apple Intelligence, the system translates conversations between speakers in real time for English, Spanish, Portuguese, French and German. Apple plans to add Italian, Japanese, Korean and Chinese by year-end, widening the earbuds' utility for travelers, multilingual teams and everyday conversations.
What else made the cut?
The AirPods Pro 3 appears alongside an eclectic mix of gadgets and tools in TIME's list, including the 70mai Dash Cam 4K Omni, the Antigravity A1 camera drone, Belkin's Stage PowerGrip and Switch 2 dual charging case, and Biwin's high-speed Mini SSD. The selection highlights how innovations now blend hardware design, AI features and accessibility improvements.
Whether you're a tech enthusiast, frequent traveler or someone who values health-aware devices, the AirPods Pro 3 signals a shift: earbuds are no longer just audio accessories, but multimodal tools that connect, translate and monitor in real time.
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