AirPods Pro 3 Review | Macworld

Price when reviewed

£ 219

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AirPods Pro 2 is one of Apple’s best products in the last decade. They were large when they were released three years ago and have only gotten better with one software update after the second addition of useful new options.

AirPods Pro 3 seems like just a minor update at first. They changed ear tips? The shape of the “knob” part is just a little different? It measures the heartbeat now (which my Apple Watch already does)?

More like AirPods Pro 2.5, am I right?

But despite having used the same H2 chip as AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4, the thought -provoking changes to Apple’s best earplugs make them significantly better without raising the price tag. I hesitate to recommend them as an upgrade to AirPods Pro 2 users, but it’s easy to see Apple has another big winner on their hands.

Can’t get it out of my head

I have a love hatred relationship for AirPods. The convenience and ease of use are so desirable, but ever since the very first couple, they just haven’t looked after my ears very well. AirPods Pro 2 is closest to being set and feeling comfortable, but I still have to adjust them from time to time during a workout or risk losing one.

My go-to solution has been aftermarket foam tips that make a night-and-day difference. They are more warm and comfortable and enhance the sound quality by blocking more outside sound.

So imagine my curiosity when Apple announced that AirPods Pro 3 is using “foam-infused ear programs.” And they even come with five sizes – that new XXS size might just be the thing for my pretty small ears! Is it as good as my beloved AirPods Pro 2 foam tips?

Foundry

Yes. While they still see and act more or less like the well -known silicone flanges, there are probably foam buried in to create the same warm and comfortable fit I am used to with the aftermarket tip. They remain set, feel good and block more outside sound. And these XXS tips are just my size.

Oh, and try not to use AirPods Pro 3 tip on AirPods Pro 2 – Apple changed the connection to be more secure so that the tips do not jump out when you pull out the earplug. This makes them incompatible.

A change would make you good

Unless you get really close, you won’t see the difference between AirPods Pro 2 and 3.

When you hold one next to the other, you can see the shape of the “knob” part changes slightly: flatter here, rounder there. Eartips are angled inward much more – pointing more to the middle of your head than in front of you – and it really gives a much better fit.

Foundry

The result of this fine tuning along with the new foam -infused ear tips is the first pair of AirPods that actually remains in my ears, even through intense activity. I could achieve this with aftermarket foam ear tips before, but now it works out of the box.

Apple has also changed the venting system, which is said to result in clearer bass and a wider audio scene. You can see that it is just a little bigger if you look closely and I have definitely noticed better bass response, although it could also be down to the new ear tips and their steeper angle.

We got the beat

The other major change with AirPods Pro 3 is heart rate monitoring. Along with iOS 26, you can now open the Fitness app on your iPhone and start one of 50 different exercises (basically the Apple Watch training list minus a few as a swimming that requires an Apple Watch).

Your heartbeat is read from both earplugs, and your Apple Watch, if you have one, with iOS choosing what it thinks is the most accurate every five seconds.

Foundry

I usually train with my Apple Watch on and I can’t say that I noticed a significant difference in results between the clock, AirPods and AirPods + Watch Combo. I suppose it’s a good thing.

Pulse monitoring, limited to training, is a necessary restriction on the life of the battery; Apple Watch is more useful with its periodic heart rate controls. And it’s hard to imagine that there are millions of potential AirPods Pro 3 customers who are interested in this feature but don’t have an Apple Watch yet. If you are the person this is a nice feature to have and acts as advertised.

Good vibrations

The sound quality of AirPods Pro 3 is definitely better than AirPods Pro 2 and more or less at the level of AirPods Pro 2 when reinforced by good aftermarket foam tips.

If you really focus, you can convince yourself that you hear a slight improvement of noise reduction, transparency (already a strength for AirPods Pro) and bass response compared to AirPods Pro 2 and foam ear tips. Compared to Stock AirPods Pro 2 Eartips, the difference is more obvious.

That said, I can’t help but be disappointed that there are no obvious major sound technology improvements here. No H3 -CHIP, no LE -sound with its superior LC3 -Codec, no lossless sound, just AirPods Pro 2 with some smart changes.

Foundry

In addition, the life of the battery is a little better. Apple’s estimate of eight hours (with noise reduction) works exactly after several days of on-and-off testing. In two separate times long workouts with noise -canceling and heart rhythm monitoring activated, drained the battery approx. 17 percent, so it looks like you get almost six hours in that scenario. AirPods Pro 2 lasts a few hours less (six hours of noise reduction), but its charging case has another 24 hours, while the AirPods Pro 3 case has only 16 hours of charging.

Since AirPods Pro 2 is one of our favorite Apple products in the last decade, and while AirPods Pro 3 is by no means a revolutionary change, they still manage to improve fit, comfort, sound, battery life and add heartbeat monitoring everything without raising the price. Apple has another home drive here.

If you are an AirPods Pro 2 customer, especially one with Apple Watch, spends $ 20 on foam ear tips and you will enjoy most of the AirPods Pro 3 benefits. For everyone else, AirPods Pro 3 is easy to recommend, and we can only hope to soon find them for sale soon for the same steep discounts that we have often found AirPods Pro 2.