AirPods 5 vs. AirPods Pro 3 – Which Should You Buy?

By Josh Teder

AirPods 5 vs. AirPods Pro 3: comfort, noise cancellation, battery life, sound quality and which one to buy

I’ve been using the AirPods Pro 3 for well over 6 months. And now that the brand new AirPods 5 with ANC are out, I wanted to take you through who I think should get them over the AirPods Pro 3, and when I think it’s worth it to go with the AirPods Pro 3 given their higher price.

Why Get the AirPods 5 Over the AirPods Pro 3?

First, because you don’t like having stuff in your ear canals. Those people are going to find the fit of the AirPods 5 to be much more comfortable. I mean, hell, it barely feels like there’s anything in your ear to begin with.

The downside here, though, is they’re not going to feel as secure as the AirPods Pro 3. So, for things like working out, depending on your ears, it could be a little dicey.

Now, are the AirPods Pro 3 just not as comfortable as the AirPods 5? That really depends on you, your ear shape, and what kind of buds you like. For me, my answer to that question is no. I’ve been able to wear both just as comfortably throughout the workday with no issues.

Noise Cancellation

How good is the active noise cancellation on the AirPods 5? Well, it’s actually pretty impressive for the type of earbuds they are. Apple claims it’s 50% more than the previous generation. And yeah, it’ll take out things like road noise, some city noise, and stuff in the distance.

However, when you compare them to the AirPods Pro 3, well, there’s really no comparison, because the AirPods Pro 3 just have way better noise cancellation.

There’s really no comparison, because the AirPods Pro 3 just have way better noise cancellation.

That’s because they sit further into your ear and their tips create a seal which blocks out noise passively. Apple also infused the tips of the AirPods Pro 3 with foam to net even better passive noise cancellation than the AirPods Pro 2.

This better passive noise cancellation then in turn helps the active noise cancellation not have to work as hard to block out all noises. It does better with things like blocking out typing on my keyboard, or even when I talk to myself when I’m writing scripts. The AirPods 5, with that more open design which lets in more noise, just have to work harder.

Wind Noise

One more thing: because the AirPods 5 are more open, they do allow in a lot more wind noise than you might be expecting. On a windy day, like when we had storms coming through here, it makes it really hard to actually hear if you’re playing a podcast or music. Also, the noise cancellation for cars specifically almost went like bump bump bump bump when the tires went by.

Battery Life

That’s not the only advantage the AirPods Pro 3 have. The second big advantage is their better battery life, and this is a big one. If you want your next pair of AirPods to be able to last you on an entire cross-country flight or throughout your workday, the AirPods Pro 3 are the clear winner.

They have eight hours of battery life with ANC on versus five hours with the AirPods 5 with the wireless charging case. And the regular AirPods 5 have just four hours with ANC on.

The AirPods Pro 3 also have 24 hours in their case and 22 in the AirPods 5 with wireless charging case, which yes, is quite surprising given how much smaller that case is compared to the AirPods Pro 3 case.

Sound Quality

I’d say the AirPods Pro 3 are slightly better than the AirPods 5, though that’s mainly due to the better noise cancellation and seal, which nets you a bit better bass, plus the ability to hear all of a track in a noisy environment.

But in terms of sound signature, to me, they sound almost identical, which I guess isn’t surprising given Apple gave the AirPods 5 a new multiport acoustic architecture, just like the AirPods Pro 3 got when they were released.

Precision Finding

Another big advantage with the Pro 3 is the second generation Ultra Wideband chip in the charging case, which allows you to use Apple’s Precision Finding feature in Find My to find them. The AirPods 5 just rely on their Bluetooth signal in Find My to give you their approximate location.

It’s obviously not as good as the Precision Finding feature. And that’s exactly why, if you go with the AirPods 5, you do want the version with the wireless charging case, because that case has built-in speakers that emit a loud sound when you’re trying to locate the buds.

Mic Quality and Transparency Mode

Another benefit I found with the AirPods Pro 3 is that I thought both their transparency mode sounded better, as well as their mic quality when recorded on my Mac via QuickTime. I recorded a mic test of each one in my studio, and you can hear both in the video. Let me know which one you thought sounded better in the comments.

Other AirPods Pro 3 Features

A few other advantages you get with the AirPods Pro 3 are heart rate sensing for workouts, which is especially nice for those who don’t carry around a fitness tracker.

Only the AirPods Pro 3 case has MagSafe, which just means it has magnets to attach to Apple’s MagSafe charger, though the AirPods 5 case with wireless charging will charge on these chargers as well.

And only the AirPods Pro 3 have that clinical-grade hearing aid feature.

Hearing Protection

Speaking of hearing, another feature the AirPods Pro 3 get that the AirPods 5 doesn’t have is hearing protection. What this feature does is when you wear the AirPods Pro 3, it’ll translate sound signatures around you up to 110 dBA and actively reduce those louder sounds coming into your ears. Plus, the passive noise cancellation that you get with the tips will also naturally help dampen the sound that reaches your ears.

And if you wear an Apple Watch, it’ll actually tell you how much sound is being reduced when you have your AirPods Pro in.

What’s the Same

What about things like the chip in these AirPods, water resistance, and controls? All of that stuff is exactly the same between the AirPods Pro 3 and the AirPods 5 with the wireless charging case. The regular AirPods 5 don’t have the volume swipes.

Which AirPods 5 Should You Get?

Now I guess that begs the question: if you’re still leaning in the direction of getting the AirPods 5, should you go with the version with that wireless charging case? For $20 more, you get a case with a speaker for Find My, 5 hours of battery life versus four, 22 hours in the case versus 20, and volume controls on the stems of your AirPods.

	AirPods 5	AirPods 5 with Wireless Charging Case	AirPods Pro 3
Price	Check current price	Check current price	Check current price
Battery life (ANC on)	4 hours	5 hours	8 hours
Battery life with case	20 hours	22 hours	24 hours
Volume swipes on the stems	No	Yes	Yes
Case speaker for Find My	No	Yes	Yes
Precision Finding (Ultra Wideband)	No	No	Yes
MagSafe magnets in the case	No	No (charges on MagSafe chargers)	Yes
Heart rate sensing	No	No	Yes
Hearing protection	No	No	Yes
Clinical-grade hearing aid feature	No	No	Yes

That feature alone is worth the $20 in my opinion. So, yes, if you go with the AirPods 5, absolutely get the version with the wireless charging case.

And you never know, you might even find it on sale.

Which Should You Buy?

So overall, which ones do I recommend for most people? My recommendation really hasn’t changed. I would still recommend getting the AirPods Pro 3. I think they do just have so many advantages over the AirPods 5 that for $100 more, I think it’s worth it. Especially if you can find them on sale, though. Typically here in the US, you’re able to find them on sale for around $180. If you can get them for that price, I’d say yeah, it’s definitely worth it.

You can see more of my thoughts on the AirPods Pro 3 in my 6 Months Later review of them. For more Apple coverage, check out our Apple content or Apple deals on our shop page.

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