Once upon a time, the gap between AirPods vs AirPods Pro was huge. The latter had noise reduction, water resistance, custom earplugs, adaptive EQ, wider sound image and spatial sound support, while the former did not.
However, the arrival of the AirPods 3 solves almost all of these issues and puts the two models on a more even parity.
That said, instead of nearly a dozen differences between the two, we are only down to just four – meaning the decision can ultimately be made much faster than before, especially if price and active noise reduction are still your main concern. .
The choice will still be different for everyone. But to help you understand which model is right for you, we have broken down the main differences below.
Difference # 1: Only AirPods Pro has active noise reduction
The main reason you would choose AirPods Pro over AirPods 3 is that Pro has built-in active noise reduction. It allows you to take them out into the world and not be disturbed by outside noise. They are our favorite travel companions for that reason, and do wonders on your commute when you just need to zone out for a while.
Now, even if you do not choose the powerful active noise reduction option, the basic AirPods will give you a level of what we call passive noise isolation coming from the knobs that block part of the ear canal. This is nowhere near as powerful as proper ANC, but you should know that you will at least get some sort of noise reduction from both buds.
Difference # 2: AirPods Pro has silicone earplugs for a better fit …
While there is not a huge difference in design between the two earplugs, there is one significant difference that is worth pointing out: the AirPods Pro comes with replaceable earplugs that help facilitate a tighter and more comfortable fit.
A tighter fit may sound more uncomfortable at first, but more snug-fitting earplugs actually provide the best bass response, as no sound is wasted by escaping the ear. Because the tips are made of squishy silicone, it does not hurt that they are in the ear canal. In fact, we find that regular AirPods are more uncomfortable because the tips are made of inflexible plastic that does not always sit completely comfortably on the outer part of the ear canal
Difference # 3: … but AirPods 3 have longer battery life
There is one very clear area where AirPods 3 is better than AirPods Pro and that is the battery life. AirPods 3 are not exactly class leaders with their six-hour listening time, but it is a significant improvement over the Pro’s 4.5-hour battery life. Luckily, both pairs of earphones have an additional 24 hours of charging in the case, so it’s a draw there.
So why do the supposedly superior earphones have such a short battery life? It all comes down to the active noise reduction that drains battery life. It turns out that not having that capability is what helps AirPods 3 save battery life and last longer.
Difference # 4: AirPods 3 are cheaper (sometimes)
If you just base this on their MSRP or RRP, AirPods 3 is the clear winner here. They’ve just launched at $ 179 / £ 169 / AU $ 279, which is significantly cheaper than the AirPods Pro’s fixed price of $ 249 / £ 249 / AU $ 399.
However, there is a catch. Because AirPods Pro has been on the market for a long time, we’re starting to see some great deals on them that bring them down to the price of AirPods 3. That will not always be the case every single day, of course, but if you shop at a of the major holidays like Black Friday or Cyber Monday, it can very easily be the case that the two earphones have exactly the same price.
Verdict: You should probably buy AirPods Pro
It’s not exactly cut and dry, but we’ll say that for the vast majority of iOS users, AirPods Pro is the better genuine wireless earphone.
For sale, they should be almost as cheap as the AirPods 3, and features like active noise reduction and interchangeable earphones make them more comfortable and functional than their newer counterparts.
That said, you can make the case for the AirPods 3 as they have many of the same features as the Pro (minus the two we just mentioned) and come at a slightly lower price.
Hopefully this helps clarify things, but if not, you can read our review of both earphones elsewhere on the site or see our guide to the best genuine wireless earphones for more options.