Forget the new AirPods Pro 3, I’d stick with your smartwatch for heart rate tracking

Apple’s newest AirPods Pro 3 arrive with sleek design upgrades and plenty of hype. What caught my attention, though, was a pair of earbuds creeping into fitness tracking territory. This isn’t the first attempt. We’ve seen brands shove heart rate sensors into shoppers’ ears before, and by all means, shoot your shot. Sure, I’d be fairly weirded out if someone took my pulse in my earlobe, but earbuds with built-in sensors sound futuristic, and frankly, convenient. Unfortunately, they’re not about to dethrone your smartwatch for dedicated workout tracking.

On paper, it seems like an easy win: music in your ears, heart rate data in your fitness app. In practice, ear-based tracking is notoriously fickle. A little sweat, a loose fit, or the simple act of dropping into downward dog can turn your readings into gibberish. Relying on an earbud to collect your data is like asking a toddler to take your photo; you’ll get something, but it will probably be blurry, crooked, or missing half your head. In this case, you’ll likely have missing stats, shaky data, and dropouts. Chest straps remain the gold standard for accuracy, and for most of us, a smartwatch is the sweet spot between convenience and reliability. After all, it’s already on your wrist and adequately strapped down.