Starting from 1,899 yuan, Apple Watches and Earphones Receive Major Updates: More Features at the Same Price Is the Biggest Surprise

At 1 a.m. on the early morning of September 10th, the Apple Special Event, often referred to as the "Tech Oscars", was held on time. The editorial team of Lei Technology stayed up all night to conduct special reports.

Indeed, this year's Apple Press Conference has attracted a great deal of attention. The main reason is that the iPhone 17 series is more appealing. Its appearance and configuration have been comprehensively refreshed, and the iPhone Air product line has been added for the first time. In terms of price and the extent of upgrades, there are actually quite a few surprises. All models in the series are standard with a 120Hz refresh rate. The imaging system and processor also maintain the consistent high - standard, and they offer more features without increasing the price.

Lei Technology followed up on the 2025 Special Event in real - time. We already have dedicated articles to interpret the iPhone 17 series and iPhone Air. Welcome to search for them across the web. This article focuses on two ecological product lines - Apple Watch and AirPods.

Let's follow Apple's release rhythm and see what updates Apple Watch and AirPods Pro have before the iPhone.

AirPods Pro 3: More features, same price; real - time translation unavailable in China

What Lei Technology didn't expect was that Apple's peripheral ecological devices are leading the way. The latest generation of AirPods Pro (AirPods Pro 3) was officially released.

Let's start with the price. AirPods Pro 3 is another classic example of offering more features without increasing the price. It is priced at $249 (approximately 1,773.3 RMB). According to the official Apple China website, its price is 1,899 RMB, the same as the previous generation.

For the new model, Apple has designed a customized porous acoustic architecture to optimize the internal structure and achieve an improvement in sound quality, such as a wider sound field and clearer vocals. To better match the user's ear structure, Apple has redesigned the appearance of AirPods Pro 3. The overall size is smaller, and it is equipped with new foam - filled ear tips, providing better sound insulation and ear fit.

(Image from Apple)

By the way, Apple has also prepared 5 sizes of ear tips for AirPods Pro 3, which have better adaptability to the ear canal. Moreover, it is the first AirPods Pro to support IP57 certification.

Active ANC has always been the forte of AirPods Pro. Many of our colleagues at Lei Technology have purchased AirPods Pro because of its noise - cancellation ability, which allows them to focus better on their work.

The good news is that the active noise - cancellation ability of AirPods Pro 3 has been enhanced compared to the previous generation. It is equipped with ultra - low - noise microphones. Combined with computational audio technology and new foam ear tips, the noise - cancellation effect of the new model is twice that of the previous generation. Without a doubt, it should still be the benchmark.

(Image from Apple)

The upgrade in functions should be even more significant. AirPods 3 Pro supports two new core features - real - time translation and heart - rate detection.

Let's start with real - time translation. AirPods Pro 3 can, like an AI conference headset, translate what the other person is saying in real - time. During the translation process, it uses computational audio algorithms. It lowers the volume of the other person's voice so that you can hear the translated content from AirPods Pro 3 more clearly.

According to the official introduction, AirPods Pro 3 does not use the traditional word - by - word translation method. Instead, it uses a large AI model to process and optimize the whole sentence before outputting it. You can also display the information (translated) that you want the other person to know on the screen of your iPhone to achieve two - way communication.

(Image from Apple)

Since we are talking about AI capabilities, the real - time translation of AirPods Pro 3 relies on Apple Intelligence. If Apple's AI is not available in China, then this is almost a negligible selling point.

Heart - rate detection does not rely on Apple's AI intelligence. It is achieved through the sensors on the body of AirPods Pro 3. In addition to the heart - rate sensor, there is also an AI model for activity and calorie tracking. However, the calculation does not rely on the earbuds but on the iPhone.

It is reported that with just AirPods Pro 3, you can detect more than 50 types of exercise.

(Image from Apple)

In terms of basic battery life, the new model has also been upgraded. In active noise - cancellation mode, a single full - charge can last up to 8 hours, which is 2 hours longer than the previous generation; in transparency mode, a single full - charge can last up to 10 hours, which is 4 hours longer than the previous generation.

All in all, AirPods Pro 3 is still the familiar "more features, same price". Its functions and battery life have been significantly improved compared to the previous generation. Anyway, for iPhone users, this is the best TWS earbuds you can buy, almost without exception.

(Image from Apple)

The only regret is that due to the absence of the Chinese version of Apple's AI, the real - time translation function of AirPods Pro 3 cannot be used normally. However, from the perspective of our team who often reports on international exhibitions, real - time translation is indeed a quite necessary function for AI earbuds. The colleagues of Lei Technology's reporting team who have just covered the IFA and IAA events also said that more and more AI earbuds are now making real - time translation a standard feature, and there is even a professional AI translation earbud brand, Timekettle, in the industry.

Apple Watch: Three models launched simultaneously - healthier and longer battery life

After the release of AirPods Pro 3, Apple updated all the product lines in the Apple Watch family at once, including Apple Watch, Apple Watch SE, and Apple Watch Ultra.

Let's start with the price again. There are a total of three new Apple Watch models this time, and the prices have also been updated on the official Apple China website:

• Apple Watch Series 11: Starting from 2,999 RMB
• Apple Watch SE 3: Starting from 1,999 RMB
• Apple Watch Ultra 3: Starting from 6,499 RMB

There are quite a few products, so let's look at them one by one.

First, the Apple Watch Series 11. The official claims that this is the thinnest Apple Watch to date. Although the official has not released specific data, from a visual perspective, the thickness of the watch case and the bottom case seems to have been reduced to some extent. In theory, the wearing experience should be improved.

In addition, Apple Watch Series 11 is equipped with more durable Ion - X glass, and its scratch - resistance is twice that of the previous generation.

(Image from Apple)

This generation does not upgrade the processor but is equipped with a new set of detection sensors, including two types of heart - rate sensors and a wrist - temperature sensor. It also supports high - blood - pressure risk detection and will alert you to potential high - blood - pressure risks.

Apple says that although "it cannot accurately predict all high - blood - pressure risks", it is enough for many people to detect and treat the problem early.

In addition, Apple Watch Series 11 introduces a sleep - scoring mechanism. It combines indicators such as your total sleep time, the proportion of deep and light sleep, and the time you wake up to give users a sleep score. Similar functions are quite common in domestic smartwatches, and even smart bracelets that cost a few hundred yuan have them. So, it's nothing new.

(Image from Apple)

It is equipped with a new battery pack, and the battery life has been extended to 24 hours. It also supports fast charging. The official claims that it can be used throughout the day, but compared with domestic smartwatches, it still lags behind.

Apple Watch SE 3 finally supports the always - on display function that was previously only available on the digital series and Ultra. At the same time, it has upgraded to the S10 chip and supports the gesture control that was first introduced on Series 10. The official also says that when you don't have your AirPods with you, you can use the speaker on the watch to listen to media music. However, it's not very useful.

(Image from Apple)

Looking on the bright side, Apple Watch SE has added the always - on display function, allowing people with a limited budget to buy more features of the Series series at an entry - level price. That's a good thing. The battery life of Apple Watch SE 3 is 18 hours (with the always - on display turned on). It also supports fast charging for the first time, and the charging speed has been doubled compared to the previous generation. You can use it for 8 hours after charging for 15 minutes.

Apple Watch Ultra has also received its third - generation update. The most prominent upgrade is the screen. It is equipped with Apple's most advanced wide - viewing - angle OLED and LTPO3 technology. Even when viewed at a large angle, the screen still has good brightness.

The black border of the screen is narrower. Without changing the size of the watch body, Apple Watch Ultra 3 has a larger screen. Moreover, in the always - on display mode, it can achieve a higher screen refresh rate. Even without tapping on the screen, you can still observe the animation details on the watch face.

(Image from Apple)

The satellite - communication function has been upgraded in this generation. Apple has redesigned the antenna and radio of Apple Watch Ultra 3. The signal strength has doubled, and it can connect to more distant satellites. It supports sending distress signals via satellite or using the Find function to send messages and share locations. Obviously, this feature is probably not available in China.

In terms of battery life, Apple Watch Ultra 3 still has the longest battery life in the entire Apple Watch family, up to 42 hours. In many cases, people are willing to spend a few thousand more for a longer battery life.

Finally, all three new Apple Watch models support 5G cellular data connection, sleep scoring, and wrist - temperature detection. At least, Apple has aligned several core selling points of the Apple Watch.

(Image from Apple)

Regarding materials and craftsmanship, Apple is more focused on environmental protection. For example, it has redesigned the internal structure to reduce the use of raw materials. We won't go into details here. Combined with the latest WatchOS 26, there are new watch faces and animations, and the design style is in line with iPhone's iOS 26.

The absence of Apple's AI in China is a regret, but more features at the same price is a pleasant surprise

After looking at the new products of these ecological devices, Lei Technology believes that there are both regrets and pleasant surprises.

On the one hand, there is still no news about the launch of the Chinese version of Apple's AI that everyone has been looking forward to. After the release of the iPhone 17 series, Apple ended the live -