Apple - Airpod Pro 3

Been using AirPods Pro 2 and now 3 with the setup. I can confirm everything works fine and as it should.

I upgraded from AirPods Pro 2 with lightning so I am happy to have USB C finally. I like the sound profile and they seem louder, the ANC does seem better to me. The fit is very different but still works OK for me. My only real complaint is that case battery runtime is LESS than the Pro 2s and they are BIGGER. To me that feels like going backwards. No big deal though it’s not like the iPhone 17 Pro is thicker too this year… oh wait

My two cents as a regular consumer and someone with no claim to being an audiophile… I am a long time AirPods Pro user, first with the AirPods Pro 2 and now for several years with the AirPods Pro 2. I was very much looking forward to the release of the AirPods Pro 3. Unfortunately, however, I am disappointed with its sound quality. Of course, how we perceive sound and our preferences in music, our individual and our opinions subjective. However, in my opinion, Apple did nobody any favors, changing the sound signature of the AirPods Pro 3.  The increased bass and to a lesser degree, the peak in the treble have produced for me and almost cartoonish sound. Although I had hoped for a little more bass and sub base rumble than the AirPods Pro 2, neither the quantity nor quality of the bass in the new model strikes a positive chord with me. So, seeking more bass than APP2 but keeping the balance of APP2, I I bought the Technics AZ 100. For sound quality it blows both the APP2 and APP3 out of the water. Out of the box, the AZ100 sound pretty good, but with minimal tweaking in the EQ, they sound incredible. Directly comparing them to the new AirPods, the key difference. Is that the bass on the AZ100 is more detailed and less bloated.  On the AirPods, the bass is loud but fails to present any sense of nuance. For lack of a better term, it is thumpy. All drums sound the same. Piano tends to be overly loud. Low notes get smeared together. By contrast, the AZ100 bass is very present. You can hear and feel it. However, it is sharp and detailed. Vocals on the AZ100 are clear and retain a sense of worth and naturalness. Basically, the new AirPods seem to have substituted a thick bass for crispness and detail in bass. The bass seems somehow artificial and overstated. Not so with the AZ100.  Overall, the AZ100 is just more natural sounding and detailed then the new AirPods. If anything, it is like the AirPods Pro 2 but with appropriate bass and more and more clarity. Having said all this, I am seriously torn as to which set of buds to keep. The AirPods Pro 3 ANC is incredible and probably unsurpassed by anything except the new Bose and even then perhaps it’s equal. The AZ100 ANC is excellent, like maybe a 90 out of 100, but Apple is now as close to 100 as one can probably get with today’s technology. Also, being fully enmeshed in the apple ecosystem, the AirPods are seamlessly integrated. Little things like checking the battery level are no-brainers when compared to the AZ100.  As for comfort and fit, I don’t love either of them and wish that Apple had simply kept the fit and tips of the AirPods Pro 2 which for me we’re always perfect and felt like I had nothing in my ears. I hope this helps anyone who might chance to read this.

anyone else has noticed that the ANC isnt working properly? i got them this sunday and the ANC was crazy i felt deaf with no music playing and suddenly now turning it on without music and i can hear literaly everything, like its bad AF, and no adaptive mode is not on

For me ANC on this thing is worth every penny. Total game changer from my perspective. Can’t compare to buds pro. But compared with some Jabras, Samsung beans, B&O, nothing of those come close.

Mine hurt and get too hot after like 10min. Apple made way too many sacrifices in order to be able to market them as the best anc ever! It’s like of course they have the best anc because you have to jam them all the way into your skull. Did they not focus group these at all with people that have the pro 2s? What a disaster

Sound is good. Microphone was really, really bad on pro 2. I mean you were understandable but yeah it was awful. On pro 3 it’s still like meh but definitely better than pro 2. One thing to keep in mind is multipoint won’t work with windows. So no auto switching between apple devices and windows. You will have to manually click connect in windows if it’s not the last device you used your AirPods with.

APP1 both the 2 and 3 are big upgrades to them just for the extra functionality they have - better Noise canceling and transparency as well as hearing aid and heart rate functionality is great. I think the sound is better in the 2's & 3's too. Whether it's worth the upgrade is up to you. If they are working great still and if you dont need the extra functions then there may be no reason to upgrade. I think the upgrade from the 1's to the 2s was bigger than the 2s to the 3s.

I had a pair of Buds3 Pro with my Pixel. Can't do real time translation without a Galaxy phone. And I was trying not to go back to Apple cause my old Air Pod pros 2? died. In the end I got the Air Pods 3 Pro. Returning the Buds3 Pro today.

Hello everyone, I'm a semi-audiophile (HD6XX and Zero:Red) with the original APP1 from the release date. I have just upgraded to the APP3 today and here is my review thus far! Noise cancellation is amazing, headphone-like quality and comfort. Transparency I have not been able to test out that much but my voice sounds more natural than APP1. The new design is different... it's not perfect IMO though. It feels as if the airpods are going to fall out but stays in there snugly. The shape itself makes it so that the airpod goes in deeper and protudes more out, but the plastic body touches your ear less. The new heart rate sensor has not been tested from me yet... The new eartips feel more "solid/thick" and are one-size up from APP1. APP1 I used small or mediums. On APP3 I need XS. Now for the frequency response: The v-shape is very noticeable coming from the APP1, but I would say the vocals are still really good quality and not as "recessed" as other v-shaped iems or wireless earbuds. I really don't mind the v-shape that much as I am used to the Zero:Red. The Zero:Red is similar but I would say that the bass is more drastic on the APP3. I would say the biggest jump from APP1 is the quality of audio in itself. The treble sounds sparkly, mids sound clear, and bass sounds thumpy. It feels crazy that a wireless earbud this small is able to produce this clear of music. Comparing APP3 to my APP1, the APP1 just sounds more "crackled"/less quality, but the mids definitely do stand out more on the 1's than the 3's. Comparing APP3 to the Beats Fit Pro, the sounds is way better (not v-shaped) and the noise cancellation/transparency feels way more natural. The fit still does feel superior on the Beats though. Overall: Noise cancellation, transparency is a 10/10 New shape is a 9/10 Software features are a 10/10 Sound itself I would give it an 8/10 Extras: the case feels like it is made of a cheaper/thinner material than the APP1. The hinge is still strong but the plastic itself has a flimsy/clacky feeling to it. I hope you enjoy this, and feel free to comment with any questions!

I fully agree. I wouldnt call it V-shaped, the treble is pretty well balanced with the mids in my opinion. The bass is too much though. We really need some sort of EQ with these, graphic EQ would be enough.

Yea I understand the benefit of having 8 hours in the buds themselves and that is awesome, but I am disappointed about the 24 hours of total listening time in APP3 vs the 30 hours of total listening time in the APP2, this doesn’t feel like an improvement in any way, it’s a separate metric and it’s a step back and it makes little sense considering they increased the size of the case in the APP 3.

Have had both, and pro 1’s. Pro 2’s will always be legends for sound. Took 2 weeks and a lot of messing around with tips but i finally can say i enjoy the 3’s more. Disliked the sound at first but have to figure out the perfect tip size or it wont sound right. Also tips seem to break in over a day or 2 so can take time to figure out. Now 3 sound is very enjoyable - just as much as the 2. Fit better And i dont have to mess with the fit at all unlike the 2’s where i was frequently pushing them back in my ear. Anc like 20% better on the 3’s - but only with the right tip size to you ear. Also i lift/run almost everyday - dont worry about sweat theyll be fine. Ive drenched both 2 and 3 and theyre built to handle it

I upgraded for the better fit. It’s a HUGE difference for me. I can wear them all day now.

I dont understand it either. Just give us „sonic styles“ just like we have photographic styles. Someone who enjoys good speakers and neutral headphones wants something like the Airpods Pro 2 (perhaps with a little bit less bass) Some people like a more V-Shaped „intense“ sound like the Airpods Pro 3. Some people just want ALL THE BASS. And they should have it! Just make 3-5 broad styles, that approach will fit 99% of people. The default should be like the Airpods Pro 2, which strike a great balance.

I didnt say that they are not impressive. I said that they are too bassy for me. I understand that some other people may enjoy this type of sound signature, but I do not. i’m

If you’re talking intense workouts, AirPods Pro 3 all day as AirPods Max have no sweat resistance

I'd say the sound is a step back, but if you're fine with that they are better in every other way

I bought the APP3’s yesterday. I only had an older regular version and the mic stopped working. I am very amazed at the ANC. I keep taking them off and putting them back in to hear the difference. Even when you pull them barely out of your ear the ANC still works and then like half an inch out your ear adjusts to the real sound. It’s pretty neat.

So, if I want to 3db less bass, do i set +3db or -3db in my audiogram?? It is also constantly giving me a "your results are not detailed enough" or whatever. EDIT: I got it to work, but its barely doing anything, even when setting my audiogram to -20db or +20db. This is not a replacement for normal EQ at all IMO.

I use transparency mode a LOT for reducing environmental volume around me but still letting in audio so I can hear my surroundings… and the Pro 3’s sound… different. Muffled, kinda? It’s hard to describe. Definitely not better. It’s unnerving for someone who wears them throughout the day!

Nah fam they still sound like garbage for violin . It's unfortunate

I guess I’m still deciding how I like mine. I’ve had all 3 AirPods Pro and I’ve loved them all. To be honest the noise cancellation doesn’t seem all that much better in the 2’s than the 3’s. What I am noticing more is that the transparency seems a little better though. I am wondering if anyone is having a better experience with the noise cancellation mainly because of the redesign of the eartips? Maybe they are fitting better in some people’s ears now? For me they are fitting just as well as the 2’s did though and it doesn’t seem radically different to me. I should probably do more comparing of the two but for me they are at least on par with the AirPods Pro 2.

Yep, Im afraid that these lean too much into a v-shapes sound signature.

Never had the APP2; only the APP3, bought specifically because so many people on the internet stated they really liked the fit of the latest version. I imagine scores of people would be satisfied with them but APP3 just didn't fit well for me.

I like bass, but I hate it wenn the bass dominates the music for most genres. Im not listening to techno 24/7. The APP3 have so much bass, that you can barely hear the midrange - where all the actual music happens - at times. I wanna hear instruments, I wanna hear people sing. Thats the primary part of music for me. I dont want hear a gigantic bassline with everything else 10 meters in the background.

I have it and the ANC is insane. I will ditch my AirPod Max now.

The twos have really nice extended bass into the low ranges with no bass boost in the 150-250 hz range. I think they are amazing. Big improvement over the 1s. The 3s scare me because reports are the bass is boosted and imo airpods need no more bass than the 2s provide.

Agreed. For me it’s the sound, the new ones just sound so much more clear and immersive

I have used the Airpods 4 without ANC and I currently use the Airpods Pro 3. To the average person, both will sound very similar. The Airpods Pro 3 have more bass but when looking at the price, the Airpods 4 is more worth it. For me I also found the Airpods 4 more comfortable than the Airpods Pro 3 but the ANC and bass is making me want to keep it.

I don't necessarily think that they do overcharge. AirPods are excellent. I've had a pair of AirPods Pro for six years, and AirPods Pro 2 for three. I also had Sony WF-1000XM4s and XM5s, which have better noise cancellation than those, but are significantly more expensive. Apparently the AirPods Pro 3 have even better noise cancellation than the Sonys. If you're someone with an iPhone, MacBook or iPad, the AirPods are even better. If you don't use any Apple products, I wouldn't even consider them.

Came to say this. Incredible piece of engineering.

My microphone is dead because of that debri getting in the holes. Sucks, still like them thoughå

You comparing apples with oranges here. Around ear vs in ear. What’s your use case? You plan to workout a lot? APP3! For ex. “A truly finished product isn’t one that can’t be improved — it’s one that no longer needs to be.” The AirPods max are an incredible device and I prefer them before the APP3.

I just returned my pro 3s… after a day of having them. Pre ordered them, got them on the 19th, super excited. Never had AirPods before. Have been with Sony, and latest Bowers and Wilkins Pi5. Sound quality is atrocious, no bass, too bright. Hate Apple Music, won’t convert. YouTube music for the win. Anyway, i really tried to like them…. ButI ordered the Bowers and Wilkins Pi7 S2 and they are on the way. Couldn’t be more excited knowing how great my Pi5s sound. I don’t need the features of the AirPods, I just wanted to give it a shot because people were saying how great the Pro 2s sounded and Apple claiming the Pro 3s are even better. What matters to me is the sound, the depth, the bass. Very disappointing that these are the apples flagship earbuds…