After months of speculation Apple has announced the upgraded, premium version of its AirPods.

Apple AirPods Pro (formerly known as AirPods 3) are the first true wireless earphones from the manufacturer to feature active noise cancellation.

They sport a new design that enables them to fit more snugly in your ears - needed to help the ANC technology work effectively. While two external microphones combine with proprietary software to block out and cancel ambient noise. And, they are sweat and water resistant.

Apple claims its tech scans and adapts the external sound signature 200 times a second.

AirPods Pro also come with adaptive EQ technology, that re-tunes the audio to match low and mid=frequencies to a user's ear. While the driver in each bud is capable of deep bass level response, down to 20Hz.

A transparency mode is included to switch ANC off so users can hear their surroundings - ideal for crossing a road, say, or needing to hear a station announcement and the like.

Apple has used its latest H1 chip in the AirPods Pro, which is more energy efficient than the W1 chip on former AirPods. It also handles Siri hands-free requests, audio processing and more.

Battery life is claimed to up to five hours on a single charge, while the wireless charging case is capable of extending that up to 24 hours in total.

The Apple AirPods Pro are available for pre-order now for shipping on Wednesday 30 October. They are priced at £249 in the UK, $249 in the US.