Overview of reviewer consensus on Apple's latest flagship earbuds. Along the way it covers Design & Case Updates, Fit & Durability and Sound Quality, and more. A summary of trade-offs and who should upgrade based on fit, active noise cancellation, and health features.
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Overview of reviewer consensus on Apple's latest flagship earbuds.
On screen: A man continues to speak directly to the camera, with a dynamic, swirling circular graphic behind him on a white background. Red text overlays 'AIRPODS PRO 3' and 'RE:REVIEW' are visible in the top left corner. Some…
Reviewers note the removed charging cable, identical price, taller case without a pairing button, and redesigned earbud geometry.
On screen: A person's hands hold two white AirPods Pro charging cases, one labeled AP2 and the other AP3, which is then opened to reveal the earbuds and a green indicator light.
The new ergonomic shape and foam-infused tips provide a secure seal and comfortable fit, backed by IP57 water resistance.
On screen: A man with dark skin and a short beard, wearing a light-colored t-shirt with a logo and white wireless earbuds, is looking directly at the camera and speaking, gesturing with his hands. He has a black smartwatch on his…
A rebuilt acoustic architecture delivers punchier low end, though some reviewers still prefer the previous tuning.
On screen: Two white Apple AirPods Pro earbuds are laid on a light brown wooden surface, with a text overlay of 'SOUND QUALITY' in a red-bordered black box and '@MACRUMORS' at the bottom left.
Active noise cancellation sees noticeable real-world improvements, while transparency mode remains crisp despite a deeper fit.
On screen: A man wearing glasses and a red polo shirt speaks directly to the camera, holding a white earbud in his left hand, against a backdrop of shelves with various objects and purple-blue studio lighting.
The built-in heart rate monitor proves remarkably accurate in fitness app workouts, despite not broadcasting standard Bluetooth signals.
On screen: A first-person view shows a person holding a light blue smartphone displaying heart rate and distance data while walking on a paved area, surrounded by other pedestrians, then the view shifts to show an Apple Watch on…
Bud battery life increases to eight hours while case stamina drops, and head-gesture controls and translation arrive via software.
On screen: A person's hand holds a black iPhone displaying the 'Languages' settings for AirPods Live Translation, with a blurred background of neon lights.
A summary of trade-offs and who should upgrade based on fit, active noise cancellation, and health features.
On screen: A man wearing a brown jacket and white t-shirt is speaking directly to the camera, with a silhouette of two people dancing or moving energetically behind him, which then transitions to a large graphic of a white earbud…
0:00 Speaker A: These are legitimately awesome. Speaker B: The biggest upgrade the pros have had. Speaker C: These are incredible. Speaker D: These are really good. Speaker D: Slam dunk of an upgrade. Speaker E: Welcome back to RE review where we watch all the reviews so you don't have to. Speaker E: Today we're diving deep into the Apple AirPods Pro 3. Speaker E: They arrived with huge claims but are they clear cut upgrade or are then hidden compromises? Speaker E: Let's dig into what the reviewers found. Speaker F: Big difference here is there's no longer a USB C cable included that is sold separately now.
0:26 Speaker F: But good news is that Apple kept these the same price at $249. Speaker G: Now there were rumors floating around Apple was actually going to be shrinking the size of the case. Speaker G: That didn't actually happen. Speaker G: In reality it actually got a little bit bigger this year, slightly taller than what we were expecting. Speaker F: On the AirPods Pro 2 we had a physical button to pair or repair our AirPods. Speaker F: There is now no more pairing button. Speaker F: If you actually open and simply double tap, as you can see, that will actually reset your AirPods.
0:54 Speaker F: So this right here is actually tack. Speaker C: Down the cutout for the pairing slash. Speaker C: Battery indicator light is, is now gone but the light's still there. Speaker C: It's just behind the plastic now and quite a bit brighter. Speaker C: Clean. Speaker D: The biggest change comes to the earbuds themselves, which is the first ever change for the AirPods Pro. Speaker D: They're now smaller and the tip is angled more down and into the ear than it was before.
1:20 Speaker E: Unanimously, the most praised update is the fit. Speaker E: A new ergonomic shape and foam infused tip seem to have solved the long standing problem for many users. Speaker H: The new version has an actual nozzle which extends a bit further into the ear canal. Speaker H: Finally, finally a pair of AirPods that I can use for running if I run. Speaker B: Apple rotated the tip geometry and added foam infused tips. Speaker B: They now come in five sizes including a new extra extra small.
1:47 Speaker B: So more ears are getting a stable seal for workouts and commuting. Speaker C: These the first AirPods that have ever stayed in my ears. Speaker C: It's been years and generations of airpods that have always slightly wiggled out over time, but these actually stay and that's a game changer for me. Speaker F: But I wanted to show you an ear tip test. Speaker F: You ready? Speaker F: Three, two, one.
2:15 Speaker F: They don't fall. Speaker F: What else do you want me to do like jump? Speaker F: They're not falling. Speaker F: They're still in my ear. Speaker A: I don't find AirPods Pro to be uncomfortable. Speaker A: I just find app 3 to be a little bit better for long term wear. Speaker A: But they didn't stay in my ear all that well when playing sports. Speaker A: I'd still want the hooks from Powerbeats 2 for that. Speaker E: That improved fit is also backed by a major upgrade in durability, making these the toughest AirPods Pro yet.
2:41 Speaker I: One of the things that Apple touted is increase from IP54 to IP57. Speaker I: Now in the IP numbering, the first number is basically around dust protection. Speaker I: The second number however is among waterproofing and that one increased from 4 to 7. Speaker I: So in the past it was basically protected against splashes and whatnot. Speaker I: And then now at 7 it's protected against 1 meter deep for 30 minutes. Speaker C: And turns out this case is also IP57 rated as well, which is nice. Speaker J: So if you accidentally run it through the washer, your chances of it being safe is much better.
3:09 Speaker J: Or if you drop it into a sink or somewhere else, you should be good, which is really nice. Speaker E: Apple rebuilt the acoustic architecture and most reviewers heard an improvement, describing a sound as more dynamic and punchy. Speaker G: The low end is definitely more punchy than before, but not in like a muddy or overpowering way. Speaker G: It just packs more weight and presence compared to the AirPods Pro 2. Speaker H: This makes music, movies and games sound more visceral.
3:36 Speaker H: And this is why to me the AirPods Pro 3 sounds better than Gen 2, which which has a more laid back sound signature. Speaker E: But the new sound profile wasn't a universal win for some different didn't necessarily mean better. Speaker A: Whenever I would listen to music and then pop in the old App 2S AirPod Pro 2S, I preferred the sound from AirPod Pro 2. Speaker A: We both consistently prefer the sound from App 2.
4:03 Speaker A: The sound of App 2 just sounded more natural, but on App 3 it sounded like the tracks were stretched artificially to just to give them like a an artificial sense of like extra detail. Speaker F: And while there were some improvements, this isn't the same leap I heard going from the AirPods Pro 1 to the AirPods Pro 2. Speaker F: If you're upgrading just for the audio improvements alone, then I wouldn't do it. Speaker E: Apple made a bold claim World's Best Active Noise Cancellation While the marketing might be exaggerated, the real world performance is undeniably impressive.
4:35 Speaker D: Sitting at a table with a few other people with one person talking, I flipped on ANC and the entire route room went silent. Speaker D: I could still see the lips moving, but the sound was gone. Speaker D: It almost looked fake. Speaker H: Now when they say two times better noise canceling, it's that is simply not how it works with sound because sound is logarithmic. Speaker H: So 2 times more noise canceling power means that there is 3 decibels more noise canceling compared to before but from my frequency measurements I'm thinking that is actually three DBs on average.
5:10 Speaker E: On the flip side, Transparency mode also saw refinements though one reviewer felt it was tiny. Speaker E: Step back. Speaker B: This transparency mode is so clean I can't wait for you guys to try it. Speaker H: The AirPods Pro 3, probably due to the new earplug style and fit, is a tiny bit less transparent than the AirPods Pro 2. Speaker H: I can still feel it being a little more occluded and than the previous version.
5:36 Speaker H: In Transparency mode, the major new hardware. Speaker E: Addition is the heart rate Sensor, turning the AirPods Pro into a surprisingly capable fitness tracker. Speaker B: You do not need an Apple watch to get workout Data, only your AirPods now pair these with your iPhone and you can start up to 50 different workout types in the fitness app. Speaker I: The real test would be this interval workout I did this morning on the track and as you can see here, it's astonishing. Speaker I: Like that is really really good. Speaker I: Apple went from being Dumpster fire eight months ago to now being like the gold standard with in ear heart rate sensing headphones.
6:07 Speaker F: After walking a quarter mile my heart rate was reading about 110 and then my Apple Watch was reading 109 and went to 110 so the accuracy was much better. Speaker I: The AirPods Pro 3 do not broadcast a clean Bluetooth heart rate signal to other devices. Speaker I: That's something the Powerbeats 2 Pro did actually do. Speaker I: For example, if you have a Peloton bike, you cannot go ahead and connect to your heart rate from the AirPod Pro 3s down to the Peloton bike.
6:33 Speaker E: With all these new features, there's good news and bad news for battery life, along with some important context. Speaker D: On paper it's eight hours with active noise cancellation turned on. Speaker D: That is up from six hours from the previous generation. Speaker D: And this is the first time I've ever been able to fly from Seattle to New York and not have my AirPods Pro die. Speaker J: The new case is actually different and in regards to battery life, it now supports a total of 24 hours of battery life compared to 30.
7:03 Speaker J: So that's the downgrade. Speaker A: This is now a three year old product for me. Speaker A: I got this very close to when it launched. Speaker A: This barely gets 4 hours of battery at this point. Speaker A: Degradation is very real on these things. Speaker A: The batteries are tiny, so I wouldn't be surprised if they just degrade aggressively. Speaker E: Reviewers also highlighted that many of the new software features, like a few fun tricks, aren't exclusive to the Pro 3. Speaker B: You can also use head gestures to nod and respond to Siri if you want to answer calls or notifications.
7:29 Speaker H: And even that new shiny Live Translation feature? Speaker H: Well, that's not going to be exclusive to the AirPods Pro 3. Speaker H: It is also going to be rolled out to the AirPods Pro 2 and the AirPods 4 as well. Speaker E: So what's the verdict on the Apple AirPods Pro 3? Speaker E: The consensus is that it's a huge upgrade in performance, but not necessarily in features. Speaker E: The positives are significant. Speaker E: The new fit is genuine game changer for comfort and stability, the active noise cancellation is top tier and the heart rate sensor is astonishingly accurate, transforming the earbuds into a legitimate fitness device for everyone struggling with fit or seeking the absolute best noise isolation.
8:09 Speaker E: These upgrades alone are compelling. Speaker E: However, the trade offs are real. Speaker E: The sound quality, while more dynamic, may not be preferable for everyone's taste, with some finding the older model more natural. Speaker E: The charging case holds less power, a clear step back from the previous generation. Speaker E: And crucially, the many of the most exciting new software features like Live Translation are also coming to older models, diminishing the incentive to upgrade for software alone.
8:34 Speaker E: So who should upgrade? Speaker E: If you have the original AirPods Pro or the non Pro model, this is a massive leap forward. Speaker E: If you already own the AirPods Pro 2, it's a tougher call. Speaker E: As one reviewer put it, if you're gunning for better fit and a tangible performance Upgrade, get the Pro 3. Speaker E: But if you're happy with your current audio and don't need the fitness tracking, you might want to hold on to your money. Speaker E: That's it for our ultimate roundup review of the AirPods Pro 3. Speaker E: Find links to the full videos down below and subscribe for more re reviews where we watch older reviews so you don't have to.