AirPods Pro 3 Review – 6 Months Later
What all the early reviews missed.
By Josh Teder
When the initial AirPods Pro 3 reviews came out, every major reviewer basically said the same thing: the sound quality was excellent, and the noise cancellation was significantly improved from the AirPods Pro 2. But all of them ended up missing the biggest downside I’ve run into with the AirPods Pro 3, which didn’t show up until several weeks after launch. That’s exactly why I review things over the long term, because some issues just don’t show up in two weeks.
The Big Problem Nobody Talked About
A few weeks into using the AirPods Pro 3 constantly, I started to notice weird background sounds while using ANC. It sounds kind of hollow, almost like an ocean-like noise, as if there was some sound leakage problem. I’d notice this with the sound of my own voice when writing at my Mac and reading out scripts, with the noise of typing on a keyboard, or weirdly with a sound like rustling a plastic bag. That’s something that definitely triggers it as well.
All of these were sounds that the AirPods Pro 3 were canceling out fine when I first got them. And even without any active noise cancellation, the background noise you hear at times would just sound slightly echoey or hollow as well.
At first, I thought it might be a fit issue, or maybe the AirPods had gotten dirty. I did the ear tip test, tried a size up and a size down, and the issues still occurred. So it’s clearly not a fit issue. I got the AirPods cleaning kit from Apple and cleaned them following Apple’s instructions. That didn’t fix it either.
Okay, so maybe it was just a software glitch. I unpaired them from my iPhone and other Apple devices and reset them by double-tapping the front of the case continuously, which is how you do it now since there’s no Bluetooth pairing button on the back. That didn’t resolve it either.
At that point, I went to Reddit, and sure enough, other users were complaining of similar issues. But given how many AirPods Pro Apple sells, and even though there were numerous posts about this, I figured perhaps all of these people, myself included, just got faulty pairs. So, a few weeks ago, as any sane person would do, I bought another pair of AirPods Pro 3. I took them out of the case, put them in, and everything sounded great. The noise cancellation was perfect for about 45 minutes, and then there it was: that hollow background noise again.
“It’s very unlikely that I just got two faulty pairs of AirPods that were manufactured months apart from each other.”
At this point, it’s very unlikely that I just got two faulty pairs of AirPods that were manufactured months apart from each other. So I went back to Reddit and realized I had missed a key detail that someone had pointed out. When this hollow noise appears, if you trigger Transparency Mode and then switch back to noise cancellation again, it apparently disappears. And sure enough, that was my experience as well, making it likely that this issue is actually a software problem. Or at least that’s my best guess at this point.
Is This Affecting Everyone?
I can’t just end this post and say I don’t recommend these. It’s actually a little bit more complicated than that.
One, I don’t think this issue is affecting everybody who bought these AirPods. Otherwise, you’d be seeing way more threads and comments about it online. So either this is an issue that is only affecting certain people’s AirPods (maybe the internal mics and different people’s ear shapes are interacting with them differently), or this is an issue that is impacting everybody’s AirPods, but only certain people notice or can hear it. With audio, people perceive things differently. I could see that argument being plausible as well.
What the AirPods Pro 3 Gets Right
The real reason I can’t say I 100% don’t recommend these is that even with the issue I’ve had, I find myself still using them quite often because the highlights are genuinely good.
Noise Cancellation
When ANC is actually working, these buds are quite a bit better than the AirPods Pro 2, blocking out more background noise, especially for higher frequencies. I could actually use them while cooking, which I could never do with the Pro 2 because they didn’t block out enough of those higher-frequency noises.
Overall, I think the AirPods Pro 3 noise cancellation is right in line with my new Sony WF-1000XM6s, which I’m currently reviewing. Given that the XM6s don’t have that degradation issue I’ve had with the AirPods Pro 3, plus they come with all-foam tips that still give you better passive noise isolation overall, I think they remain the better option for noise cancellation.
The AirPods Pro 3 did introduce some foam into their tips, which is part of why their noise cancellation is better than the previous generation, but they still have that classic silicone outer layer. I’ve noticed, specifically after long listening sessions, that my ear canal will have just a tiny layer of condensation. Not beaded water or anything like that, but you can just tell it’s there. That’s something I did not notice as much with my previous generation of AirPods, and something I also don’t get with the Sonys. That could be contributing to this hollow noise, since the condensation appearance often correlates with it. Though, of course, correlation does not necessarily equal causation.
Sound Quality
Apple gave the AirPods Pro 3 a new multiport acoustic architecture that helps precisely control the airflow carrying sound into your ear, plus next-generation adaptive EQ. Together, those give the AirPods Pro 3 a slightly wider soundstage compared to the Pro 2. You’ll also notice a bit more detail in your music, and at the low end, the bass is a bit better as well, though not overly heavy or muddy.
Mic Quality and Transparency Mode
Mic quality is excellent, as is Transparency Mode. Apple just seems to be able to do better than anybody else in this category. If you’ve only ever used AirPods, it is really easy not to appreciate just how good this Transparency Mode is compared to a lot of the competition. It doesn’t even sound like you’re wearing earbuds. The only giveaway is just feeling the pressure in your ear. Otherwise, the audio you’re hearing sounds exactly like your voice sounds when you’re not wearing earbuds. It’s crazy good.
Fit
Fit is another highlight. In the past, I found the AirPods Pro to not be the most comfortable earbuds, but they’ve really improved things here. Apple changed the location of where the ear tips stick out of the bud, so less of the bud actually has to go into your ear canal. That’s why I’ve been able to wear them for hours without any discomfort, which is certainly something I could not do with the original AirPods Pro or even the AirPods Pro 2, which could make my ears sore after a long listening session.
Battery Life
Another improvement Apple made with the AirPods Pro 3 is battery life. They have noticeably better battery life at 8 hours with ANC on compared to the 6 hours I got with the AirPods Pro 2, and I haven’t had any issues with the battery life so far.
Find My and Precision Finding
One feature I’ve loved about these buds is the Find My integration and the precision finding feature, where you can use your phone and the U1 chip to locate the AirPods using Ultra Wideband. It is so useful, works so reliably, and is so good. If you’ve only ever known AirPods, it’s easy to not appreciate how good this feature is compared to other buds. And the fact that the case has a speaker in it makes them so much easier to actually find.
Features I Haven’t Used Much
There are a few more features worth mentioning that I haven’t had much opportunity to test in my daily life.
First is heart rate monitoring. It’s great for those who don’t want to wear a watch to track their heart rate during a workout, but because I do wear an Apple Watch, it’s not something I’ve really utilized. The live translation feature got a lot of headlines, but it’s still in beta and is limited in the languages it supports. That’s another feature I haven’t been able to test in my day-to-day life.
The Downsides (Beyond the ANC Issue)
“Because it is so glossy, the case can be a little slippery, and it scratches so easily it almost forms a kind of used patina.”
The one other downside I still have with AirPods is the case. Because it is so glossy, it can be a little slippery, slip out of your hand or pocket, and it scratches so easily. It’ll scratch within like the first day you have it in your pocket, and so much so that it almost forms a kind of used patina on it. That doesn’t bother me all that much personally, but if you don’t like seeing a lot of scratches on your tech products, it could definitely bother you.
Should You Buy the AirPods Pro 3?
Given the fairly major issues I’ve had with the AirPods Pro 3, if I had known about that going in, would I have still bought them? And would I recommend that you get a pair?
If you’re specifically looking for AirPods, I still would recommend them. Even with this annoying bug that I run into from time to time, usually after wearing them for an extended period (maybe 45 minutes to an hour or so on average), I do still find myself wearing them constantly. That’s because even with this issue, I like their fit, sound quality, how easy they are to connect to my Apple devices, and the great spatial audio you get when paired to an Apple TV or other Apple device.
For the times I want to use AirPods, out of all the AirPods I could potentially reach for, the AirPods Pro 3 are still the ones I pick up every time. They just sound better. They’ve got better noise cancellation, a better fit, and longer battery life. Yes, I wish they were more perfect than they actually are, but their downsides haven’t led me to not actually want to use them. So if you’re looking for AirPods that aren’t headphones, they still ultimately get my recommendation.
If you’re deciding between these and the AirPods 4 with ANC, I’ve done a post specifically comparing those two that’s worth a read before you decide.
And if you’re looking for earbuds in general, I’d still look at the Sony WF-1000XM6s, which have really great sound and excellent noise cancellation, though for me a slightly worse fit.
For deals on Apple products or specifically AirPods, check out our shop page. Search Apple deals or AirPods deals to see if any of the products we recommend have currently gone on sale.
