Apple treated the human ear as a construction site, mapping thousands of scans before design began. That data shaped AirPods Pro 3, where hidden geometry and micron-level precision unlocked new room for fit and health features. The project started with a deceptively simple brief: fit more ears, add meaningful health value, and keep the silhouette unchanged. Kate Bergeron, Apple’s VP of Hardware Engineering, described it as the kind of challenge her team thrives on. “Trying to improve both features and fit and comfort in a very small volume product is a challenge the engineering team loves,” she said. The constraints shaped every design decision, from geometry to materials to hidden electronics.
Designer: Apple
Using those scans, Apple simulated bud geometry and ear tip interfaces virtually, placing structures only where anatomy allowed. The new AirPods Pro look deliberately familiar from the outside, a calculated design choice that masks profound internal changes. The most sophisticated engineering advances live within invisible spaces. Here, material science, optical engineering, and antenna design converge in ways that redefine what’s possible in such constrained volumes. Each component placement required micron-level precision, transforming limitations into opportunities for breakthrough innovation.
AirPods Pro 3 ear tip design and ANC performance
Geometry came first. Apple reduced the bulb volume so the buds could fit more ear types, then used tens of thousands of ear scans to validate the shapes before tooling. Bergeron explained that the team relied on its “really large tens of thousands of participants’ ear database” to optimize both bud geometry and ear tip interfaces virtually, before moving into physical testing.
Seal stability is critical in real use, whether you’re talking, chewing, or biking. Apple’s approach is systematic: model in simulation, then validate in hardware. This avoids chasing ergonomic problems after the fact and turns design into a predictive process instead of trial and error.
New tip system and material shift
The most visible change is the tip itself. Apple redesigned the material composition, combining silicone with foam-infused elements on a smaller attachment mechanism. “The change of material from a performance and engineering perspective, I would say, yes, is necessary,” Bergeron noted. Pro 2 tips simply would not fit the reduced hardware, and the combination creates better passive attenuation that enables the 2× ANC improvement, working alongside algorithmic advances.
Airpods Pro 3 (left) + AirPods Pro 2 (right)
Firmer tips demand more sizes to keep comfort in balance. Apple expanded to five options, including XXS, and encourages users to mix sizes left and right when necessary. This ensures more people can achieve a proper seal without forcing the bud deeper into the canal.
What it solves: A better seal means less algorithmic effort for ANC, improved silence on planes, and greater stability during movement. Firmer tips can feel less forgiving for some ears, especially compared to the softer Pro 2 material. Bergeron emphasized that Apple expanded to five tip sizes to help more people find a proper fit. She also acknowledged that extended ANC use “for some people can be fatiguing, right? Like there’s this psychoacoustic thing,” and said Apple would be monitoring long-duration feedback as more users adopt the new design.
Airpods Pro 3
Airpods Pro 2
AirPods Pro 3 heart rate sensor innovation
Adding health tracking inside such a small form required both space creation and precise placement. After redesigning several components (driver, battery, and in-ear sensor) to reduce volume, Apple’s team worked through 16 candidate sensor locations, used ear scan heat maps, and refined placement down to hundreds of microns to land the final site. “We actually started with 16 candidate locations and through simulation, tried to find the best one,” Bergeron explained.
The optics follow ear geometry. The emitter and detector surfaces curve to match the canal, hidden behind an IR window that keeps the touch surface comfortable. Because the window reduces energy, Apple plated the inside of the microcylindrical wells to create complete internal reflection. The result: a fifteen percent signal boost in a cavity measured in microns.
The payoff is a heart rate sensor “massively smaller” than watch versions, yet accurate against chest strap comparisons. For many users, the ear proves a more reliable site than the wrist, since it moves less and avoids interference from tattoos or arm motion.
AirPods Pro 3 antenna and electronics design
The stem conceals one of the most elegant design moves. Previous approaches often parked a flex antenna along a wall, which stole volume from microphones or sensors. Apple’s solution integrates the antenna directly with the SIP. “We worked on a technology to pad print the antenna geometry onto the outside of the SIP surface,” Bergeron said. The team then laser-drilled vias into the electronics and plated a conduction path to the ground plane.
The outcome is simple to describe but difficult to execute: the antenna “literally take up no space.” It shares the same surface as the electronics, fixes its position relative to the body, and preserves the bud’s clean profile. This consistency keeps radio performance steady without compromising thickness or microphone placement.
Cultural architecture of wearables
AirPods are not just tools. They are cultural signals seen essentially everywhere, the ultimate everyday carry. Their success depends on adding function without disrupting their social presence. The Pro 3 design extends function (health tracking, hearing features, translation) while preserving the familiar form.
Apple knows wear behavior goes beyond specs. Bergeron acknowledged that extended ANC sessions can be fatiguing for some. The company studies real-world usage to refine materials and software accordingly. Quiet design here means more than aesthetics. It is about creating a socially acceptable, all-day wearable that feels invisible in daily life.
The bottom line
AirPods Pro 3 are designed from the inside out. Foam-infused tips turn seal into structure. Optics curved to the body, boosted with plated wells, enable continuous heart rate. A printed antenna shares space with the SIP to free volume for other systems.
Each move treats space as a design material instead of a limit. The result is an everyday object that behaves like architecture at thumb scale: practical, elegant, and nearly invisible – an everyday architecture, worn as naturally as keys or glasses.
The post Kate Bergeron explains how Apple redesigned AirPods Pro 3 from the inside out first appeared on Yanko Design.