Apple AirPods Pro 3 Review

Of the sweeping product line updates Apple unveiled this fall, the award for “most improved” may go to the AirPods Pro 3.

I’ve been lucky enough to test out a variety of high-end audio products geared toward gaming, and grown accustomed to certain tried-and-true accessories in my daily life and occasional travel. To boot, since high school, I’ve put faith in the “bigger is better” theory of headphone selection—happily sacrificing convenience and bag space to bring the big headphones and properly engulf my ears in sound. I didn’t expect that in-ear headphones could come close by comparison.

And now the AirPods Pro 3 have proven me wrong.

The earbud line is essentially the last frontier of Apple products for me; despite being an iPhone user since the iPod days, I’ve always brought my own earphones to the party. Now I realize that I may have been missing out, although the newest iterations brought a lot of innovation to the table.

The AirPods Pro 3 have been redesigned right down to the “acoustic architecture that precisely controls the airflow that carries sound into the ear”—not only improving the general sound, but also enabling and empowering Apple’s suite of bells and whistles that cater sound to your own ears. The buds themselves are a little smaller and come with five different sizes of tips, so users can pick the right size for their ears.

“The AirPods Pro 3 never slipped on me in the slightest, be it during a long day’s commute, doing chores around the house, or anything else I put them through—and they remained comfortable the entire time.”

Swapping out these tips was an easier affair than I expected at first, although it was hard to guess which size to try out. After a little trial and error, a couple of helpful tools in the settings helped ensure the AirPods Pro 3 were set up properly: a fit test, to ensure sound wasn’t “escaping” from a bad seal, and a Spatial Audio test to fine-tune this personalized surround-sound mode for the shape of my ears. (The latter requires a fairly awkward camera test, but it gets results.)

One of the reasons for my earbud skepticism is the chance that either bud may slip loose and fall into oblivion at some point in my daily routine. Even the best earbuds I’ve used in the past had some close calls in this department. Yet, I can honestly say that the AirPods Pro 3 never slipped on me in the slightest, be it during a long day’s commute, doing chores around the house, or anything else I put them through—and they remained comfortable the entire time.

It feels counterintuitive that earbuds could both fit securely and comfortably, like customers should be happy that they got either one. Yet, after a day’s commute to and from Toronto, they hadn’t budged, nor begun to irritate my ears (while listening at a responsible volume, anyway). I almost couldn’t have forgotten they were there, and that’s all more than I can say for any other personal listening device I’ve ever used—even my most reliable “old faithful” headsets would eventually get a little irritating after prolonged use.

If you do forget you’re using them, there’s a good chance it’s because you’re using the upgraded Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) features. Apple claims the noise cancellation on the AirPods Pro 3 has doubled from the previous-generation AirPods Pro 2 and quadrupled from the original generation, becoming the world’s best ANC. While this is a tough comparison to pull in a vacuum without access to all three generations, the new ANC is certifiably fantastic in itself.

When using the Noise Cancellation setting and listening to music at about a 30% volume, the world outside is noticeably diminished—shielding out the sound of a clacking keyboard, passersby, or anything that isn’t deliberately loud for a very good reason. If you want to shut the outside world out for focus, these are quite likely the closest thing you’re going to find to a personal island.

The real star of the AirPods Pro 3, in terms of audio modes, is the Adaptive mode that balances out Noise Cancellation and Transparency. Most products do either of these modes really well, but Apple shines in this department by melding the two approaches. Realistically, this is the mode you probably should be using in your daily commute—a dash of ANC to keep your focus tight, but adapting to your surroundings so you can speak to others if you need to.

In Adaptive, the volume automatically dips if the device detects you’re speaking, and the results were pretty accurate. I found it’s still a little disorienting to talk to a clerk while using this mode, but it’s a huge step in the right direction… from a technological perspective, anyway, as it still feels rude to me to speak over my own personal audio. (Just don’t use Adaptive if you’re the type to sing along with your music, especially with Apple Music’s convenient karaoke option.)

Adaptive Audio is also key to Live Translation, one of the AirPods Pro 3’s biggest innovations (which, admittedly, is now available on the previous generation as well). Using the earbuds, Apple Intelligence can translate select languages and play them back in your own ears; used in concert with your iPhone, you can reply in your own language and have your response translated in real-time on the screen.

“…the AirPods Pro 3 may have shaken the definitive hold that big headsets have had on me for most of my life.”

This may just be one of the most important features of Apple Intelligence, and it’s off to a solid start… but the process is a little cumbersome out of the gate. As this piece was being written, Apple rolled out a large new batch of language options, beyond the initial small batch. I didn’t get the chance to test these as extensively as I would’ve liked with natural speakers, and the setup was buggier than I’d expect from Apple hardware, but I will definitely have my eyes on this feature as it evolves.

Another big addition to the AirPods Pro 3 is the heart rate sensor, which can monitor your BPM without using an Apple Watch. It’s nice to have the option, which also enables the use of the Workout Buddy through Apple Intelligence. By the same token, if you need a hearing aid, these buds can fulfill that function, seamlessly integrating Conversation Boost in louder environments—much like some features on the latest Watches, a welcome addition for those who can benefit from them.

Fortunately, the AirPods Pro 3 have the battery to back up their capacity for all-day application. Depending on the modes and features you’re using, they’re rated for up to 8 hours of listening on a single charge, with ANC enabled—an increase of 2 hours over the previous Pro 2s, and double the AirPods 4 revealed last fall. Surprisingly, Spatial Audio doesn’t tap into that lifespan as much as the heart rate sensor in workouts. In a pinch, a few minutes back in the case can quickly top up another hour of listening

This does come at a bit of a trade-off, as the AirPods Pro 3 case itself has been reduced from 30 hours of listening time (without ANC) to 24 hours (with ANC). Given that the earbuds themselves can hold a full standard working day’s charge, and the case still holds a full calendar day’s charge, it should prove a decent compromise for all but the most extensive AirPod users, perhaps necessitating a little more diligent charging practice. For lighter users, however, this battery life is terrific.

For better or worse, the AirPods Pro 3 are tied pretty closely to Apple Intelligence. This can be as inobtrusive as having Siri narrate your messages when you’re unable to check your phone—which has mixed results, depending on the enthusiasm of the people messaging you; Siri kept up with bursts of messages from the CGM Slack channel, for example, but tripped over some banal pronunciations.

Apple Intelligence is more prominent in the AirPods Pro 3’s Spatial Audio mode. On the one hand, this feature is quite impressive. The sound quality on these earbuds is great, without it, depending on the source of your audio, but the Spatial Audio, where applicable, can elevate it even further. For example, songs in Apple Music that are available in Dolby Atmos can be enhanced by Spatial Audio, making certain elements stand out, or responding to the movements of your head—sometimes you can turn to one side and feel the sound shift, as though you’re at a concert and turned to look at a different band member.

Although, because it’s using Apple Intelligence, there are also instances where the sound doesn’t quite work. It was rare, but there were definitely points where the balancing was unnatural or bizarre, altering the sound of a certain guitar in an undesirable way or elevating an unusual refrain. While I appreciate the boost Spatial Audio brings to some games, adding environmental ambience to sound effects like gunfire, I think I’d be happier with straight-up Dolby quality surround sound in some instances. Be sure to check out Apple Music’s curated Spatial Audio playlists to get a sense of how this feature works in practice.

And if you’re the one-ear-in, one-ear-out type, some of these features just don’t work without both ears in. Noise Cancellation can be enabled with one AirPod in the Accessibility menu, but Spatial Audio inherently depends on having both. This isn’t necessarily a dealbreaker, but it is something to consider if you like keeping one ear open, even with the Transparency mode available.

All told, I thought I’d seen pretty much all that earbuds could offer, but the AirPods Pro 3 may have shaken the definitive hold that big headsets have had on me for most of my life. I’m still not entirely sold on some of the more Apple Intelligence-dependent features, but even without them, these earbuds offer a mighty sound and complement busy lifestyles. I could easily see these becoming a must-have tool in my daily routine.

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