In-depth experience of AirPods Pro 3: The active noise cancellation is really amazing, but this aspect turns out to be a pity.

A year ago, Apple released the brand - new AirPods 4. Leveraging AI computing power, it brought Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) to this semi - in - ear earphone. With decent noise - cancellation capabilities and a relatively low price within the Apple ecosystem, the noise - cancelling version of AirPods 4 won quite good media reviews. In a review, a colleague of Xiaolei even said that "the noise - cancellation effect of the noise - cancelling version of AirPods 4 is almost indistinguishable from that of the first - generation AirPods Pro."

Such excellent noise - cancellation performance naturally makes people curious - what if this noise - cancellation algorithm is applied to the AirPods Pro? In 2025, we finally got the answer. At the recent Apple Fall Event, Apple released the AirPods Pro 3, priced at 1,899 yuan, the same as the previous generation. The main updates are as follows:

• A new customized porous acoustic architecture has been designed to optimize the internal structure and improve the sound quality, such as a wider sound field and clearer vocals.
• To better match the user's ear structure, Apple has redesigned the appearance of the AirPods Pro 3. The overall size is smaller, and it is equipped with new foam - filled ear tips, providing better sound insulation and ear fit.
• The active noise - cancellation ability has been enhanced compared to the previous generation. It is equipped with ultra - low - noise microphones. Combining computational audio technology and new foam ear tips, the noise - cancellation effect of the new model is twice that of the previous generation.

So, what's the actual experience of this new earphone like? Here is the sharing from Lei Technology.

Slight modification in styling, but stronger foreign - body sensation

Different from the significant changes in the iPhone Pro series, the appearance changes of the AirPods Pro 3 are quite subtle: The charging case of the earphones is slightly larger than that of the AirPods Pro 2, and the overall shape is retained, but the charging indicator opening on the front and the pairing button on the back are removed. As for the earphone body, due to the addition of extra sensors, the shape of the earphones has also changed: The top opening is larger, the main part is longer, thinner, and at an angle; the battery stem under the earphone has also slightly increased in volume.

The left one is AirPods Pro 3, and the right one is AirPods Pro 2. Image source: Lei Technology

Due to the appearance adjustment, the charging case of the AirPods Pro 3 is not compatible with that of the AirPods Pro 2. Forcibly closing it may damage the earphones or the charging case, so please pay attention when using them.

So, will the new appearance design affect the wearing comfort and stability of the AirPods Pro? Lei Technology believes that this question needs to be discussed in different cases.

In terms of comfort, Xiaolei believes that the wearing comfort of the AirPods Pro 3 is higher than that of the AirPods 2: Since the main part is narrower, the foreign - body sensation when the earphones are inserted into the ear canal is also smaller. At the same time, the more diverse ear - tip sizes cater to more consumers.

However, in terms of wearing stability, since the AirPods Pro 3 is "longer" than the previous AirPods Pro, if the outer part of your ear canal is narrow, it may happen that only the silicone ear - tip part of the AirPods Pro 3 can be worn stably, and the earphone body and the battery stem will be looser instead. Although this provides higher wearing comfort, the stability is greatly reduced.

You can have a "workout buddy" without wearing an Apple Watch

Compared with the appearance changes, the functional changes of the AirPods Pro 3 are more obvious - the brand - new AirPods Pro 3 incorporates the heart - rate monitoring function into the earphones for the first time: Different from the measurement method of the watch, the blood - flow signal at the ear is more stable and less interfered with, which significantly improves the accuracy of the heart - rate data.

In addition to the more stable blood - flow signal, there is another advantage of measuring heart - rate data with the AirPods Pro instead of the Apple Watch: To ensure comfort, we usually don't wear the Apple Watch tightly on the wrist, which may cause the watch to slide up and down during exercise, affecting the accuracy of heart - rate measurement.

The left one is AirPods Pro 3, and the right one is AirPods Pro 2. Image source: Lei Technology

But the AirPods Pro doesn't have this problem: As long as you don't have an "unusual ear shape" like Xiaolei who can't wear the AirPods stably, under normal circumstances, the wearing position of the AirPods Pro is fixed, and the measurement accuracy will also be improved.

In terms of actual experience, I think that in terms of heart - rate monitoring and sports data recording, the AirPods Pro and the Apple Watch are actually complementary. In scenarios such as cycling and playing ball, where intense exercise is involved and GPS data needs to be recorded at the same time, the Apple Watch is obviously a better sports - recording device. However, in indoor training scenarios such as aerobic and strength training, the Apple Watch on the wrist may affect our strength exertion. In this case, using the AirPods Pro as an alternative is indeed a better choice.

Therefore, in the view of Lei Technology, the AirPods Pro 3 doesn't aim to completely replace sports earphones, but it provides users with a new option: For those who don't like wearing watches but need heart - rate data, this pair of earphones can not only be used for daily music listening but also take on the task of health record - keeping.

Sound leans towards Beats, and noise - cancellation is significantly enhanced

After talking about the "off - duty" sports - recording function of the AirPods Pro, let's discuss the main job of the AirPods Pro - sound and noise - cancellation performance.

In terms of the overall sound experience, I think the sound of the AirPods Pro is shifting towards the style of Beats, but it doesn't reach the "dynamic" level of the Beats Powerbeats Pro 2. Compared with the AirPods Pro 2, the AirPods Pro 3 has more "characteristics" while maintaining a neutral positioning.

Image source: Lei Technology

This significant change in sound characteristics may come from the harder silicone ear tips or the acoustic calibration of the earphones themselves. If you usually listen to a lot of pop music, the sound style of the AirPods Pro 3 should suit you well. In terms of resolution, the sound of the AirPods Pro 3 sounds a bit "messy". Especially in classical music or tracks with complex elements, the stacking of elements in the AirPods Pro 3 is more obvious, and it seems a bit overwhelmed overall.

However, for most tracks with simple arrangements and not too complex post - production, the resolution of the AirPods Pro 3 is still sufficient. The sibilance of vocals is clear, and the overall sound is very transparent.

In terms of noise - cancellation, the performance of the AirPods Pro 2 was already very good, and the AirPods Pro 3 takes it a step further. Even the subtle background noise in the office can be cleanly eliminated by the AirPods Pro 3. Additionally, the wind - noise problem that the AirPods 4 encountered has also been solved in the AirPods Pro 3.

Image source: Lei Technology

However, the AirPods Pro 3 also has its own shortcomings in noise - cancellation: The harder ear tips bring better isolation ability to the AirPods Pro 3, but also a stronger "foreign - body" feeling. For this reason, Apple has also prepared smaller - sized ear tips. But as mentioned before, if your ear shape is not suitable for the AirPods Pro 3 and you have to use the ear tips to hold the earphones in place, the smaller ear tips of the AirPods Pro 3 will make the earphones go deeper into the ear, and the foreign - body sensation will be even stronger.

Secondly, the stronger noise - isolation ability causes a relatively obvious ear - pressure balance problem for the AirPods Pro 3. Even if the earphones are adjusted to the adaptive mode or the transparency mode, the discomfort of ear pressure can only be slightly relieved. It will still be uncomfortable after wearing them for a long time. However, in the context of traditional audio brands sacrificing noise - cancellation ability for comfort, the sound and noise - cancellation performance of the AirPods Pro 3 still ranks among the top in the true - wireless earphone market.

Summary: Comprehensive performance improvement, but experience varies from person to person

As usual, we use the Lei Technology evaluation template to summarize the AirPods Pro 3.

Advantages:

1. Stronger noise - cancellation performance;

2. Integrated heart - rate monitoring and sports - recording functions.

Disadvantages:

1. Poor wearing comfort;

2. The AI translation function is not available in China.

After using it for some time, I think the attempt of the AirPods Pro 3 to "broaden the capabilities of earphones" is quite successful. After the technology verification of the Beats Powerbeats Pro 2, the AirPods Pro 3, in the form of earphones, brings a product experience of "1 + 1 > 2". For those who don't like smart watches but need sports - recording functions, the AirPods Pro 3 is indeed a good alternative.

The left one is AirPods Pro 2, and the right one is AirPods Pro 3. Image source: Lei Technology

However, in terms of product details, I think the AirPods Pro 3 still needs some additional "polishing". If you already have a smart watch and don't have high requirements for noise - cancellation ability, or if you are a user of the AirPods Pro 2, I think it doesn't make much sense to upgrade to the AirPods Pro 3.

But if you don't like over - ear earphones and have extremely high requirements for the noise - cancellation ability of earphones, the brand - new AirPods Pro 3 is indeed a good choice.

This article is from the WeChat official account "Lei Technology". The author is Lei Technology. It is published by 36Kr with authorization.