Apple AirPods Pro 3 review: I didn’t think earbuds could pull off immersive ANC like this

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Apple has taken what is arguably one of its most iconic and widely acclaimed products — the AirPods Pro 2 — and elevated them with a significant upgrade late last year. Since the product has a simple mission, and it didn’t appear that there were a ton of things Apple could do to make them better, it’s always a risk to make big changes. 

And make no mistake, there are major changes in the AirPods Pro 3. 

Also: Best AirPods 2026: I’ve used every pair of Apple headphones and earbuds – these are the winners

I’ve been using them for months since they was first announced in September. And I’m happy — even a little relieved — to report that Apple didn’t ruin a good thing here. In fact, there’s one area where I didn’t realize it was even possible to make them better, but they are. Additionally, new features enhance the product’s usability. Of course, there are also a couple of gaps and blind spots, and we’ll talk about those, too.

But if you’ve had a pair of AirPods or AirPods Pro in the past and loved them, the good news is there’s a great chance you’re going to love the AirPods Pro 3 even more. 

How I tested AirPods Pro 3

I started testing the AirPods Pro 3 on the day they were announced at Apple Park last year. I wore them on a five-hour flight home from California to test the sound quality, active noise cancellation (ANC), and battery life. And I’ve been wearing them daily since then, and comparing them with AirPods Pro 2, AirPods 4 with Noise Cancellation, AirPods Max, Google Pixel Buds Pro, Sony WF-1000XM5 earbuds, and Meta Ray-Bans smart glasses (which I’ve been increasingly using at times when I used to wear AirPods). 

I spent the most time comparing the AirPods Pro 3 to Sony’s XM5 earbuds because those have some of the highest quality sound and active noise cancellation of any earbuds I’ve ever tested — so much so that they are even more expensive than AirPods Pro at $329. 

To analyze sound quality, I played Hans Zimmer’s “Only I Will Remain” from the Dune: Part Two soundtrack because it has a very complex multi-layered set of sounds that include whispers, whooshes, bass-filled booms and rumbles, lilting highs and lows, and a beautiful mixture of loud and quiet flourishes. 

I’ve been an AirPods user since the first version almost a decade ago, even though they didn’t fit my ears at first. With the help of a pair of silicone ear hooks from AhaStyle that I wrote about on CNET, I was able to make them work, and so I would carry both the AirPods and the earhooks in my pocket every day. 

Also: Own AirPods? I changed 3 settings on my iPhone to significantly improve the audio experience

When the first AirPods Pro were announced with silicone eartips in October 2019, I was thrilled for the fit alone and immediately pre-ordered a set and have used a pair of AirPods Pro every day since, including their successors, the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods Pro 2 with USB-C. They fit into my ears much better, and I’ve been very happy with the sound quality — but a little less happy with the ANC, although I figured I couldn’t expect much more from a pair of earbuds. Enter AirPods Pro 3. 

The upgrades in AirPods Pro 3

To start, Apple redesigned the shape of the AirPods Pro in version 3. If the original AirPods Pro design was like a head sitting on a pair of shoulders, then the AirPods Pro 3 design is like someone purposefully sticking their neck out. 

It’s subtle when you first look at them, but they definitely feel different in your fingers when you start putting them in and out of your ears multiple times a day. As a result, the AirPods Pro 3 feel like they sit a little deeper into your eardrum. Some people may not like that sensation at first, but it didn’t bother me. 

The other physical element of AirPods Pro 3 that Apple redesigned was the ear tips, which have switched from pure silicone to foam-infused silicone. In other words, they are foam on the inside and silicone on the outside. This is meant to give the earbuds a better seal inside your ear. And since people’s ears are shaped differently, it’s also meant to contour to various ear shapes. Apple has also added an XXS (extra extra small) set of tips for AirPods Pro 3. 

In my testing, the new ear tips do fit a little bit better than the ear tips in AirPods Pro 2 and were less likely to fall out. However, I’ve recently been using the $25 AZLA XELASTEC silicone ear tips on AirPods Pro 2 and they are honestly even better at staying in my ears and creating a strong seal. When AZLA releases a version for AirPods Pro 3 in October, I’ll likely use those to replace the Apple ear tips.

So let’s get into the rest of the upgrades and what they mean for daily use of AirPods Pro 3.

Sound quality — Do the AirPods Pro 3 sound just as good or better than AirPods Pro 2? That’s one of the most important things you need to know if you’re considering an upgrade. First, it’s important to acknowledge that sound quality can be a very subjective thing because people hear things differently. Apple claims that the AirPods Pro 3 have a redesigned “multiport acoustic architecture with more precise airflow control.” That’s key, because after all, the main thing any speaker does to create sound is move air around. 

In my tests, I found the AirPods Pro 3 to have fuller, deeper, and clearer sound than AirPods Pro 3. It’s especially noticeable when watching movies with big, cinematic soundtracks. In my quality test with Zimmer’s “Only I Will Remain” song, AirPods Pro 3 were again noticeably clearer and fuller than AirPods Pro 2. However, the quality didn’t quite reach the level of Sony’s XM5’s earbuds — I can still hear notes in the Sony’s that I can’t hear in the AirPods Pro 3. But while AirPods Pro 2 were about 70-75% as good as the Sony’s, AirPods Pro 3 were about 90% of the way there.

Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) — This is where the AirPods Pro 3 really shine. Their best feature is a massive upgrade in noise cancellation. And I’ll be honest in saying I’m not quite sure how Apple pulled this off. The AirPods Pro 2 were already about as good at noise cancellation as any earbuds you can buy — although ZDNET previously gave a slight edge to Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds. I use ANC on the AirPods Pro 2 nearly every day, and from the first time I turned on the ANC on the new AirPods Pro 3, I was shocked at how good it was. It seems to defy the law of physics, it’s that good. 

It’s much better than the Sony XM5 earbuds I had on me, which were right up there with Bose and AirPods Pro 2 among the best ANC earbuds — partially because Sony was already using foam eartips. After using AirPods Pro 3 for weeks across a bunch of noisy scenarios to try to find a flaw, I’m convinced the ANC is about 80-90% as good as the AirPods Max and other leading over-ear headphones. It’s so good that on my next cross-country flight, I’m going to leave AirPods Max at home and try only traveling with AirPods Pro 3.

Also: AirPods Pro 3 vs. Powerbeats Pro 2: I tested both Apple earbuds, and the winner is not so obvious

Extended battery life — Another reason I feel comfortable leaving AirPods Pro Max at home and only traveling with AirPods Pro 3 on my next trip is that Apple claims it has increased battery life by about 25%. I haven’t spent enough time testing them yet to say I’m fully confident in verifying that number. However, I easily got through a cross-country flight with more battery life remaining than I’d typically get with the AirPods Pro 2, so I am confident there’s an upgrade in this department.

Heart rate monitoring — Similar to the PowerBeats Pro 2 (Beats is also owned by Apple), the AirPods Pro 3 have added heart tracking as a health feature, which follows the hearing health features added in 2024. Since I wear an Apple Watch, I don’t have much need for the heart tracking feature, but I have several colleagues who are ready to use AirPods Pro 3 to track their workouts instead of Apple Watch. And Apple clearly has no problem with that because you can now use AirPods Pro 3 to start and track certain types of workouts in the Fitness app.

Live translation — I also got to test the new Live Translation feature on AirPods Pro 3 and the best part about it is how easy it is to start — just do a long-press on both earbuds at the same time. The translation itself is at least as accurate as other live translation features I’ve tried with Google Pixel devices and Meta Ray-Bans, which is to say it can be hit or miss. 

I need to do a lot more testing on this and I’m confident that I will this fall and then I’ll report back with a separate article comparing AirPods Pro 3 to the latest Google and Meta live translation upgrades. Also, keep in mind that this feature will work with AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 with Noise Cancellation when they are connected to an iPhone with Apple Intelligence (iPhone 15 Pro or later). 

An upgrade to Find My — The AirPods Pro 3 includes an upgraded Ultrawideband chip (U2) that Apple claims increases the finding distance of the charging case by about 50% using the Find My app. I’m not sure about the 50% increase, but I did have fun trying to find AirPods Pro 3 with FindMy and they did give off a signal that the FindMy app noticed a little farther away than AirPods Pro 2. The coolest part is that this is likely a signal that a new second-generation AirTag powered by the U2 chip will also be coming soon.

Also: I’m not swapping my Apple Watch for the AirPods Pro 3’s heart rate tracking – here’s why

Improved dust and water protection — Apple also upgraded the dust and water protection of the AirPods Pro 3. The AirPods Pro 2 were previously IPX4 certified, which means they offered no dust protection (the X) and level 4 water protection (against sweat and light splashes of water). The AirPods Pro 3 offer IP57 certification, which means they have level 5 dust protection (against minimal amounts of dust) and level 7 water protection (against total immersion and downpours of rain). I did not attempt to test this, but I’m glad to see it. By comparison, the Sony WF-1000XM5 earbuds have an IPX4 rating.

What I’d like to see in AirPods Pro 4

Personalized audio settings — One of the biggest things that has always been missing from AirPods is the ability to personalize your sound settings. Apple claims that “AirPods Pro 3 feature next-generation Adaptive EQ” to match the shape and form of each person’s ears. However, plenty of people would still love to boost the bass themselves, for example. Products like the Sony XM5 earbuds make this easy, but it’s still not possible with any AirPods.

Also: Intrigued by Live Translation? You may not have to buy new AirPods to access it

Temperature sensor — The heart rate sensor in AirPods Pro 3 makes sense since the PowerBeats Pro 2 had already pioneered the feature. However, the health sensor I would have loved to see added to the AirPods Pro 3 was a temperature sensor, since the ear is a great place for taking a person’s temperature, and we’ve seen how smart rings have used this to help alert people when they might be coming down with a virus or an infection. The Apple Watch has a temperature sensor, but I haven’t found it to be very accurate or helpful because of its placement on the wrist. 

ZDNET’s buying advice

Of all the products Apple released at its September event last year, none received more substantial upgrades than the AirPods Pro 3. At the same time, Apple maintained the $249 retail price. As I’ve already mentioned, my favorite Android earbuds, the now discontinued Sony WF-1000XM5, retail for an eye-watering $329 — and they will only connect to two devices at a time while AirPods Pro 3 can connect to your iPhone, iPad, MacBook Air, Apple Watch, and Apple TV and automatically switch between them.

If you are an AirPods user and have always wanted better Active Noise Cancellation, you are the number one candidate to upgrade to the AirPods Pro 3, because the new ANC is by far the product’s standout feature. 

Also: I tried every iPhone 17 model, and my buying advice is different now

If you’d like to track your workouts without wearing a watch or another wrist-based health tracker, you might be the next most likely customer for AirPods Pro 3. 

If you have a pair of AirPods or other earbuds that are wearing out and you need to replace them — or you have a pair with older features and you’re not happy with the sound or ANC quality — I have little doubt that you would be very happy with a pair of AirPods 3, especially if you have multiple Apple devices.