Review – AirPods Pro 3

tl;dr – I returned them because I found them uncomfortable, especially in my right ear canal.

Long(er) version

I preordered the AirPods Pro 3 because, on paper, they sounded (pun intended) promising:

• Better ANC
• Better sound/bass
• Better water resistance
• Better battery
• Better fit*

After receiving them on day one, I tested them thoroughly, and I can confirm that ANC, sound, and battery are indeed improved (at least in my … ears). Not by a huge margin, but marginal improvements are still welcome. I’d say ANC is about 20% better, sound/bass around 10%, and battery lasts around 20% longer (for the Pods themselves, not the case). I haven’t tested the water resistance, for obvious reasons, and I haven’t explored other features much (translation, heart rate, etc.).

But now, the fit. Since a picture is worth a thousand words, here’s one:

As you can see, they’ve changed the shape of the tips and the section that leads to them quite a bit. Essentially, the Pro 3 go deeper into the ear canal than the Pro 2. That’s why almost everyone recommends going one size smaller with the tips compared to the Pro 2. It also explains the improved ANC: it’s simply better passive isolation, also thanks to the foam-filled tips.

The problem is that this deeper fit caused painful pressure in my ear canal. I can wear the Pro 2 for as long as the battery lasts, but the Pro 3 became uncomfortable after about 20 minutes. Unfortunately, I lost the “ear lottery” and had to return them. Maybe I’ll have better luck with the Pro 4.