AirPods Pro 3 Review: Early Impressions Burst with Excitement

Less than a week after their unveiling, the first reviews of the AirPods Pro 3 are now available from journalists who had early access to these new earbuds. Although they will officially be available this Friday, initial reviews are already out, and they are overwhelmingly positive.

Ear Fit and Comfort

At The Verge, there’s excitement about the improved fit of these new models. “The new earbuds and tips are more angled, naturally fitting into your ear canal. You can twist them for a more secure hold, whereas the previous AirPods Pro would come loose if not inserted correctly.” While this may not apply universally to all ear shapes, many reports suggest that they generally hold much better.

Apple now provides five sizes for the ear tips, including an XXS size, and they now feature a thin foam layer inside their silicone shell, which is intended to enhance acoustic performance. Engadget mentions that this contributes to both the improved fit and enhanced passive noise isolation: “the new tips are quite different and isolate the ear canal better than the silicone tips of the Pro 2″… provided that you choose the right size of tips: “I usually wear medium-sized tips, but these felt too tight. After switching to the small ones, I began to appreciate why Apple keeps boasting about this new fit.”

Sound Quality

The AirPods Pro 3 feature a redesigned audio system that aims to improve sound quality. While sound perception is highly subjective, feedback has been generally positive. According to CNET, “the bass is more defined and extensive – it hits harder and deeper – and the earbud’s sound is clearer, more natural, and more open, with brighter trebles.” The Verge noted, “the improvement is subtle, but definitely there. I particularly noticed it while listening to the K-Pop Demon Hunters soundtrack. The multi-voice vocal harmonies in songs like ‘Golden,’ ‘Your Idol,’ and ‘What It Sounds Like’ are more audible, while the bass lines are more impactful.”

Noise Cancellation

Apple claims that the active noise cancellation technology of the AirPods Pro 3 is twice as powerful as that of the AirPods Pro 2. While this claim is hard to verify, CNET is satisfied with the improvements: “I tested their noise-canceling capabilities on a flight compared to the AirPods Pro 2 and noticed a significant difference: the Pro 3 reduces cabin noise to a slight hum. The AirPods Pro 2 did a good job, but the Pro 3 have further reduced the noise level.”

Similarly, 9To5Mac reports: “My wife is upstairs herding a herd of elephants (or so it seems). I put on my AirPods Pro 2, and they nearly blocked the noise. Then I switched to my AirPods Pro 3 and was immediately transported to a leaden silence. Again, it’s not a major improvement, but where the AirPods Pro 2 might have blocked the noise by 90%, the Pro 3 reach 98%.”

Battery Life

Not everyone focused on battery life, but 9To5Mac notes that Apple did not exaggerate when boasting about a battery life of up to eight hours with noise cancellation enabled, up from six hours for the previous AirPods Pro 2. In fact, “I found that the AirPods Pro 3 meet, and sometimes exceed, this promise, with regular battery life ranging from eight to nine hours per charge.” However, the charging case now integrates a less capacious battery: it allows for a total of 24 hours of listening, compared to 30 hours for the previous models.

The U2 Chip and Geolocation

The case of the AirPods Pro 3 is now equipped with the U2 chip, which increases the precision geolocation range of the Ultra Wideband by 50%. CNET appreciates this advancement which is always handy when you misplace your case at home, but notes that this feature only concerns the case: the earbuds themselves cannot be located in this way.

Heart Rate Monitoring

The AirPods Pro 3 are Apple’s first earbuds to include a sensor that can measure heart rate. From a purely technical standpoint, The Verge compared the figures from the AirPods Pro 3 with those from a competing device, and the measurements were generally the same. 9To5Mac also noticed that the measurements from the AirPods Pro 3 were perfectly similar to those provided by the Apple Watch. Both note, however, that the earbuds must be properly placed in the ear. The Verge adds: “Crucially, the AirPods can also serve as a secondary heart rate data stream when used with the Apple Watch. Apple has now introduced an algorithm that analyzes which of the two heart rate data streams has the strongest signal for a given activity, and favors that one.”

Live Translation

The live translation feature based on Apple Intelligence is not specific to the AirPods Pro 3: it is also compatible with the AirPods 4 and the AirPods Pro 2, and it is important to note that it is not yet available within the European Union. Reviewers still mention it, finding the feature impressive despite the approximations and translation errors that are inherent in all translation technologies and are not related to their real-time operation on the AirPods.

For The Verge, which held a conversation in English and German between the AirPods (translating audio) and the iPhone (translating the response in the form of dialogue): “If it worked this well every time, I’d cry tears of joy.” For 9To5Mac, “Live translation is still in beta and has some bugs. Several times, the live translation lagged and never managed to keep up with what the interlocutor was saying. Despite these small issues, live translation is already reliable enough for me to rely on when traveling.”

Conclusion

For CNET, the AirPods Pro 3 “are about as comprehensive as possible: excellent noise reduction, high-quality voice call performance, and sound quality worthy of the best. Few earbuds excel in these three areas, and the Pro 3 manage it while incorporating many additional features.” The Verge is convinced: “I am satisfied with my AirPods Pro 2 but let’s be honest, now that I’ve tested the AirPods Pro 3, I can’t go back. I’ll order a pair as soon as I return these test samples.” The final word for 9To5Mac: “The AirPods Pro 3 are the cheapest $249 you can spend at Apple today, and they mark a turning point in what we expect from this segment in the future.”

The AirPods Pro 3 are sold for €249 at Apple, and they are also available at various official retailers like Amazon, Boulanger, CDiscount, Darty, and Fnac.

To discover more about the AirPods Pro 3, here are some videos made by the usual YouTubers: