AirPods Pro 3 Review: My New No. 1 Earbud

THE SCORECARD

How the AirPods Pro 3 scored

• Comfort

  8/10

  The foam-backed tips need time to soften, but I can wear the earbuds all day with minimal suction and pressure.

• Security of the fit

  8/10

  They can slowly budge while I talk or exercise, but they have not fallen out of my ears.

• Case and battery life

  9/10

  Apple rates them for 8 hours with ANC on and 24 hours in total, while the thin case adds precise Find My support.

• Controls

  8.5/10

  Squeeze and swipe controls, always-on Siri and microphone muting work great on Apple devices, but customization is limited.

• Connectivity

  7/10

  They are seamless within Apple’s ecosystem but lack true multipoint and are far less convenient on Android.

• Call quality

  9/10

  They excel in a quiet room and handle echo well, though some higher-ranked earbuds do slightly better with noise and wind.

• App customization and extra features

  8.5/10

  There are loads of extras, including heart-rate monitoring and hearing-aid support, but still no savable band EQ.

• Noise cancelling

  10/10

  ANC is neck and neck with Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) in my gym comparison, provided you get a proper seal.

• Transparency mode

  10/10

  Transparency sounds essentially identical to the AirPods Pro 2 and remains the closest to my natural hearing.

• Sound quality

  9/10

  The tuning is balanced and detailed, with stronger sub-bass and crisper treble than the AirPods Pro 2.

The Pros and Cons

Are AirPods Pro 3 comfortable and secure?

I scored comfort and fit security at 8 out of 10. Apple now includes five tip sizes, including an extra-extra-small option. The tips are still primarily silicone, but foam inside them helps the ANC and creates a deeper fit than the AirPods Pro 1 and Pro 2.

At first, the foam-backed tips felt less even in my ear canal. It took me roughly 10 hours of non-stop wear for them to soften, after which I got a more comfortable and more natural seal. Give them some time before judging the fit.

For me, they slowly move out of place if I’m talking on the phone or doing certain exercises, so I need the occasional adjustment. They have not fallen out, though. The deeper fit also produced slightly less body-borne noise than the Pro 2 while running. Fit is always a lucky dip, so try them at an Apple Store if you can.

What battery, case and controls do AirPods Pro 3 have?

Apple advertises 8 hours on the earbuds and 24 hours total with the case, with ANC on. That is 2 more hours in the buds, but less total battery life, so you will need to charge the case more often. A 5-minute charge gives 1 hour of playback, while transparency or hearing-aid use is rated at 10 hours.

The case is slightly larger than the Pro 2 but 6 g lighter. It remains one of the thinnest cases in my ranking and is easily pocketable. There is no pairing button now: double tap the indicator light to enter pairing mode. The new case chip also makes Find My more precise.

Controls are unchanged from the Pro 2: squeeze controls, swipe volume, skin detection, head gestures and microphone muting on calls. They are close to a 10 out of 10 experience on Apple devices, but Android users lose features such as wearing detection and always-on voice assistance.

Should Android users buy AirPods Pro 3?

I gave connectivity 7 out of 10 because the experience depends massively on your device. Within Apple’s ecosystem, switching between devices is seamless. Outside it, there is no true multipoint, so connecting to an Android device requires manual reconnection.

The H2 chip supports Bluetooth 5.3, SBC and AAC. On my Nothing Phone 3a Pro, AAC produced terrible latency even for video. Turning AAC off forced SBC, which reduced sound quality ever so slightly but substantially improved latency for videos and gaming. On an Apple device, latency is among the lowest you can get.

AirPods Pro 3 call quality and extra features

I scored call quality 9 out of 10 after quiet-room, crowd-noise and windy-city simulations recorded through an iPhone 15 Pro phone call. The Pro 3 and updated Pro 2 are basically identical here, and both do an excellent job of removing room echo. OnePlus Buds 4, HUAWEI FreeBuds Pro 4 and Technics AZ100 perform slightly better with noise and wind.

The feature list is packed. Both earbuds have a heart-rate monitor, which worked in my quick gym test. There is also hearing-aid support, personalized volume, conversation awareness, adaptive audio, loud-sound reduction, sleep detection and a control option for taking a photo or starting video.

Live Translation did not work when I tried setting it up on my iPhone 15 Pro, even after downloading the languages. The biggest omission is still band EQ customization that can be saved to the earbuds. Apple is now the only brand that does not offer it, and it is terrible.

How good is AirPods Pro 3 noise cancelling and transparency?

Noise cancelling earns a 10 out of 10. In my gym test, switching back and forth against the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen), I could not consistently pick a winner. Loud gym music, fans and nearby treadmills were no problem for either pair. Both are top tier.

Apple’s automatic wind reduction is still the best. When wind hits the microphones, ANC strength drops gradually and then returns almost instantly. You can also use one earbud with ANC while the other stays in the case, and there is barely any EQ shift between ANC, off and transparency.

Transparency also gets a 10. Despite the foam-backed tips blocking more external sound passively, it sounds essentially the same as the AirPods Pro 2 to me. Occlusion is low, white noise is minimal outside a silent room, and adaptive transparency is particularly useful around the house when a loud appliance starts up.

How do AirPods Pro 3 sound?

I measured maximum volume at 114 dB, slightly louder than the Pro 2. You should not need to go past roughly 70% volume, which is where you are getting into hearing-loss territory. They also retain rich bass and boosted treble at low volumes.

Sound quality is 9 out of 10, half a point above the Pro 2. The bass stays balanced and punchy, but sub-bass has more presence for electronic music, rap and hip-hop. Mids remain a standout, giving vocals excellent clarity. Some lower male vocals sit ever so slightly further back because of the extra bass, but upper mids and female vocals sound about the same as the Pro 2.

The clearest upgrade is the slightly brighter, crisper treble. Hi-hats, crashes, strings and synths gain detail without becoming harsh or fatiguing. It also opens the soundstage slightly. I would score them even higher if Apple offered proper band EQ.