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Apple says that the AirPods Pro 3 is such a huge improvement that its noise canceling is 2X BETTER than the AirPods Pro 2, with better fit, bass response and soundstaging. Today we’re going to find out if that is true with frequency response graphs and sound samples, and whether its microphone pickup and transparency is also better. And just out of curiosity, I’m also going to include the AirPods Max in this comparison, as well as talk about which one you should buy. So buckle up!

Before we get to the tests, here’s a quick rundown of the key differences between the Gen 3 AirPods Pro and Gen 2.

It’s now got a heart rate sensor, and its battery life is now up to 8 hours in the buds instead of 6, but its case contains fewer charges. In fact, Apple rates its total battery as up to 24 hours with ANC instead of 30 - even though its case is a little bigger than Gen 2. It also doesn’t have a pairing button, which has become a touch sensor below the indicator light, similar to the AirPods 4.

Design

For the earbuds, they’ve got a different ergonomic shape which makes them a little smaller, but they plug in better because the new version has an actual nozzle which extends a bit further into the ear canal. If you’re wondering whether the ear tips are interchangeable with the old AirPods, they’re not.

The new eartips are infused with foam so they will also provide better noise blocking, and make the buds feel more like earplugs compared to the super light fit of the previous versions. That’s great, because fit is a problem I had with the previous models.

When my ears get sweaty, they do lose their noise canceling seal quite easily, and they even drop out if I tilt my head. Finally a pair of AirPods that I can use for running (if I run). They’ve also got a new super-low noise microphone that is said to improve noise canceling by up to two times, but is that really the case?

Active Niose Cancelling

Now, when they say 2x, it’s not going to be 2x better in a linear sense. So if the AirPods Pro 2 cancels, say, 35db at 250hz, it doesn’t mean Pro 3 will cancel 70dB. That’s not how it works with sound. Sound is Logarithmic, so 2x more noise canceling energy means 3db more noise canceling.

But looking at these measurements, we can see that it’s actually 3dB more noise canceling on average, because in some areas, noise canceling is at parity with Gen 2, but it is mostly between 3dB to 14dB quieter throughout the noise spectrum from the bass to the mids, and in the upper mids and treble region there’s a deeper level of noise blocking, which is fantastic for blocking noise from renovations, crying babies on the flight.

However, in the region around 1.7kHz there’s actually little to no noise canceling, so that probably evens everything out to around a 3dB noise canceling advantage over Gen 2.

Compared to the AirPods Max, the Pro 3 is pretty much on par or even quieter than the AirPods Max in the highs, and in the bass region also because the Max has an internal resonance issues in the low frequencies. However the Max will still do better at canceling human chatter because it’s quieter in the midrange spectrum.

👉 Have a listen to the ANC quality samples

Transparency Mode

In terms of their transparency mode, all the AirPods, by far, have transparency that’s so transparent, it’s like not wearing earbuds. But as you can see from these measurements, the AirPods Pro 3, probably due to the new earplug design and fit, is a tiny bit less transparent than the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods Max.

But it does overamplify the region around 1.7khz to still give a sense of airiness and clarity. However I can still feel it being a little more occluded than the previous version. That being said, the difference is so small that most people are still going to say this is one of the best for general awareness and verbal exchanges.

Microphone Quality

Microphone voice pickup on iOS and non-iOS devices are different.

But what about vanilla mic pickup, without any special processing from the iPhone? In this case, both Gen 3 and Gen 2 AirPods Pros are quite similar, but I did notice that the noise gating on Gen 3 is a bit more aggressive, that it cuts more into my voice. On the other extreme, the AirPods Max applies very little noise gating so that my voice gets drowned out by background noise.

👉 Have a listen to the mic quality samples

That was recorded on the S25 Ultra so it doesn’t have any special processing from the iPhone. But if you’re using an iPhone updated to iOS26, all the AirPods on their latest firmware will perform way better because of the extra bandwidth capturing more of my voice up to 10kHz, whereas on non-Apple devices, the regular 8khz range is captured along with aggressive filtering.

But, on iOS, it won’t apply noise reduction unless you select voice isolation mode in the dropdown microphone settings. Here’s how the AirPods 3 fares on iOS 26.

👉 Have a listen to the mic quality samples on iOS 26

Sound Quality

The AirPods Pro 3’s new acoustic ports are also said to improve bass response and soundstaging, and A-B comparing them to the Gen 2, we can see in these measurements that the sub-bass region is louder, and upper mids are a little more pulled back which is great, because it tones down the brightness a little.

But there’s also a spike in the 1.6kHz region which has the effect of making vocals lean a bit brighter, but it also increases the loudness of percussions, strings, and transient detail.

This makes music, movies and games sound more visceral, and this is why to me, the AirPods Pro 3 sounds better than Gen 2, which has a more laid back signature. Soundstaging is about as spacious and deep, but I think Gen 2 has a slightly airier soundstage.

As for how it compares to AirPods Max, these being headphones will give a more enveloping sound, transient details are brighter and soundstage is definitely more airy, but it also sounds a bit more hollow in the mids than the AirPods Pro 3.

👉 Have a listen to the sound quality

Conclusion

So overall, the AirPods Pro 3 is a significant upgrade in performance over Gen 2, and it does fit a whole lot better.

But it’s not a big upgrade in terms of features. Some people have criticized its shorter overall battery, that it uses the same H2 chip as before, that it supports Bluetooth 5.3 even though the latest iPhones all support Bluetooth 6, and even the new Live Translation feature will not be exclusive to AirPods Pro 3 - it is going to be rolled out to the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 as well.

But if you want better fit, and if it is a performance upgrade you want, get the AirPods Pro 3.

As for whether to buy the AirPods Pro 3 and the AirPods Max, for most people it’s a pretty easy choice. Something that’s cheaper and far more portable would be the AirPods Pro 3, the AirPods Max will deliver bigger soundstaging, and more immersive spatial audio.

Its mic pickup is also going to be better, and if you need to use it continuously over long flights, you can do that with the AirPods Max with its 20 hours of endurance on a single charge. So you don’t have to charge it every 6-8 hours like the AirPods Pro 3.

But for audiophiles, the main reason to pick the AirPods Max USB-C version over the Pro 3 is Lossless Audio support over cable. For people who are more demanding about file transmission quality and latency, this allows them to connect to various USB Type C sources for things like gaming, and for more demanding purposes like video editing in spatial audio.

I’ve gone in depth in this video about what the quality differences are between Bluetooth and Wired Lossless on the AirPods Max. The AirPods Pro 3, like the AirPods Pro 2 with Magsafe, should also support Lossless audio at the same 24-Bit 48kHz transmission, but only wirelessly, and only with the Vision Pro. There’s no indication yet that the iPhone 17 Pro will support Lossless wirelessly, but if there’s any news about that, I’ll come back to you.

Check latest prices:

AirPods Pro 3 - Link TBA
AirPods Pro 2 - https://amzn.to/3UoeJG8
AirPods Max - https://amzn.to/3Ineida

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