AirPods Pro 3 vs. AirPods Pro 2: Should You Upgrade?

When they first launched last September, Apple's AirPods Pro 3 only saw minimal discounts. But now their price regularly dips as much as $50 on Amazon, making them more enticing to folks who already own the AirPods Pro 2. The big question is whether it's worth upgrading, even at a lower price.

In my full review of the AirPods Pro 3, I spent a good chunk of it discussing the differences between the two models. I concluded with this advice: "Several new features, such as Live Translation, will be available for the AirPods Pro 2, so many AirPods Pro 2 owners won't feel the need to upgrade right away. But if you've been using AirPods Pro 2 for a while, it might be worth passing them on to a friend or relative and upgrading to the Pro 3s."

Note that the AirPods 4 with active noise canceling are also being substantially discounted (they're $119 or $60 off). If you're considering those more affordable AirPods, check out my analysis of the AirPods Pro 3 versus the AirPods 4, which discusses the pros and cons of each model, including the entry-level AirPods 4 without noise canceling.  

Read more: Are the AirPods Pro 3 Steve Jobs' Ultimate Audio Legacy?

Apple AirPods Pro 3

Best wireless earbuds for Apple users

Like

• Design upgrades to the buds and ear tips improve their fit
• Noise cancellation has been upgraded and is now top-notch
• They sound better with improved bass response and more clarity
• Built-in heart-rate monitoring with new sensors
• Excellent voice-calling performance (upgraded microphones)
• Battery life rated for up to 8 hours (up from 6 for AirPods Pro 2)

Don't like

• They still use the H2 chip found in the AirPods Pro 2
• Heart-rate monitoring is buried in fitness apps
• While they work with Android, many of their features are exclusive to Apple devices
• Some new colors would be nice

Why I like them
While I didn't get a new H3 chip and I was hoping that the charging case would be able to convert into a Bluetooth transceiver to use the buds on a plane with an in-flight entertainment system, I did get most of what I was looking for in the AirPods Pro 3. The changes may seem incremental to some folks, but all the key elements, such as fit, sound quality and noise cancellation, have been noticeably leveled up along with a single-charge battery. They're about as close as earbuds get to being complete: excellent noise cancellation, strong voice-calling performance and sound quality that rivals the very best. Few buds excel in all three areas -- and the Pro 3s manage it while packing in plenty of extra features, including their new heart-rate monitoring feature.

Reasons to buy
As I said, these buds are significantly improved in the four most important areas: fit, sound quality, noise cancellation and battery life. The result is that you don't feel like you're making any compromises when buying the AirPods Pro 3 if you're an Apple user.

Reasons to skip/keep looking
While they work with Android devices, you lose many of the AriPods 3's extra features if you're not using them with Apple devices (iPhones and iPad in particular). They also may just be a little too expensive for many folks.

Read our Apple AirPods Pro 3 review.

$224 at Amazon $249 at Apple

But first, the latest AirPods rumors

Before I get into my comparisons of the AirPods Pro 3 versus the AirPods Pro 2, here's a quick update on the AirPods rumor mill to help inform your potential purchase.

Based on past AirPods product cycles, the next-gen AirPods Pro 4 should be two years away (2027), while the standard AirPods (the AirPods 5) should be slated for next year. But word has it that the next AirPods Pro, whatever they're called, may arrive as soon as this fall (2026) and may be an even more impressive upgrade than what we got moving from the AirPods Pro 2 to the AirPods Pro 3.

MacRumors recently posted an article about how a Chinese leaker, known as Instant Digital, corroborated a rumor from supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo that suggested Apple was working on both the AirPods 5 and the next-gen AirPods Pro, which could feature infrared cameras for gesture controls and an upgraded H3 chip. However, this new model wouldn't be the AirPods Pro 4 but would be a "pricier, high-end variant of the ‌AirPods Pro 3‌," which would remain on sale. This doesn't seem so far-fetched, given that Apple currently has two variants of the AirPods 4, but it would be a departure from Apple's usual upgrade schedule.

Disappointingly, I'm hearing that the AirPods Max over-ear headphones won't get an upgrade next year, and we may not get a true next-gen version of the AirPods Max for a few years. Released in 2020, the pricey AirPods Max are only equipped with Apple's H1 chip and are really due for an upgrade. But Apple seems more focused on the development of its AirPods earbuds rather than its full-size headphones.  

Read more: Apple Reportedly May Add Infrared Cameras to Its Next AirPods Pro

AirPods Pro 3 vs. AirPods Pro 2: What's stayed the same

• The AirPods Pro 3's list price is still $249 (£219, AU$429). That wasn't a given with all the uncertainty surrounding the Trump administration tariffs, but we'll see how the price shakes out on Amazon and other retailers, where AirPods models often get discounted.
• The AirPods Pro 3 are powered by Apple's H2 chip, the same one that powers the AirPods Pro 2, AirPods 4 and Beats Powerbeats Pro 2. Rumors pointed to an H3 chip, but that didn't happen. 
• No new color options; white is still the only option.
• The AirPods Pro 3 stick with Bluetooth 5.3, just like the AirPods Pro 2 (though some true-wireless earbuds have already jumped to Bluetooth 6.0).
• The buds still feature a MagSafe charging case with USB-C and wireless charging. However, no USB-C charging cable is included (Apple also left out a charging cable with the AirPods 4, though most people have a USB-C cable). 

AirPods Pro 3 vs. AirPods Pro 2: What's changed

• While they look similar to the previous model, the AirPods Pro 3 have been redesigned. Their geometric shape has changed a bit, with the angle of the bud shifted. They're the same length but slightly narrower, slightly deeper, and weigh a touch more (5.55 grams vs. 5.3 grams on the AirPods Pro 2).
• The AirPods Pro 3 come with new foam-infused silicone eartips in five sizes, including a new extra-extra small size.
• The AirPods Pro 3 are equipped with heart rate sensors, like the Beats Powerbeats Pro 2.
• 2x better noise cancellation compared to the AirPods Pro 2, according to Apple.
• While the AirPods Pro 3 have 10.7mm drivers like the AirPods Pro 2, those drivers have been upgraded to take advantage of the buds' new multiport acoustic architecture, which moves more air through the buds and improves sound quality.
• The AirPods Pro 3's microphones have been upgraded.
• The AirPods Pro 3's Transparency Mode has been enhanced.
• New Live Translation feature (also available for the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 series, but not the Beats Powerbeats Pro 2).
• The AirPods Pro 3's battery life has improved to eight hours with noise cancellation on and up to 10 hours in Hearing Aid mode with transparency on. The AirPods Pro 2 are rated for up to 6 hours of battery life with noise cancellation enabled.
• Instead of being IPX4 splash-proof like the AirPods Pro 2, the AirPods Pro 3 got an IP57 rating (so did their charging case), which means they can withstand a sustained spray of water. (I poured water on them and they survived just fine.) They're also dust-resistant.
• The AirPods Pro's case now includes a U2 chip, boosting Precision Finding range in the Find My app by 1.5x (requires an iPhone 17). The AirPods Pro 2's case has the U1 chip.
• As with the AirPods 4, the AirPods Pro 3's case no longer has a Bluetooth pairing button. You simply double-tap on the front of the case to put the buds into Bluetooth pairing mode. The AirPods Pro 2 have a physical button for Bluetooth pairing. 

Watch this: Apple AirPods Pro 3 Review: The Complete Package

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The AirPods Pro 3's new geometric shape and eartips are among the biggest changes

While the AirPods Pro 3 and AirPods Pro 2 look very similar at first glance, they do feel different in your ears. That's because the AirPods Pro 3's new eartips are made of silicone, but they're infused with foam toward the front. Also, the angle of the bud has been adjusted so the eartips point more directly into your ear canals. 

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If you're someone who couldn't quite get a good fit with the original AirPods Pro or Pro 2, the new design could very well help you get a snugger, more secure fit. The fact is that a tight seal is crucial for optimal sound and noise-canceling performance, and Apple redesigned the eartips to make sure users could hear the sound and noise-canceling upgrades with the AirPods Pro 3.

Alas, the new AirPods Pro 3 tips don't work with earlier AirPods Pro models; they attach differently. 

Read more: Best Wireless Earbuds of 2025

Do the AirPods Pro 3 really sound better than AirPods Pro 2?

The design changes help unlock improvements to sound quality, though a key component of those gains comes from a redesigned low-distortion 10.7mm driver and a new venting system that brings more airflow to the buds. 

As I said in my full review of the AirPods Pro 3: "The bass has more definition and extension -- it hits harder and goes deeper -- and the earbuds sound clearer, more natural and open with more sparkle in the treble." It's a noticeable difference, and their sound now rivals that of the very best-sounding earbuds.

Reviewing audio products is by its very nature a subjective experience. Everybody has different ears and different audio preferences. You'll find various opinions on the AirPods Pro 3's sound, including those who prefer the AirPods Pro 2's sound quality to the AirPods Pro 3's.

I saw a review from an "audiophile" who said the AirPods Pro 3 have "improved sound quality, especially in the bass and treble, but the mids are recessed, and the AirPods Pro 2 are more balanced overall." That's basically describing the AirPods Pro 3 as having a happy-face sound profile, with the bass and treble elevated. But the profile does change a bit with volume levels. 

While the AirPods Pro 3 (and AirPods Pro 2) don't have an equalizer in their settings that you can use to tweak the sound to your liking, the Pro 3's next-generation adaptive EQ uses microphones that sit just inside your ears to not only optimize but also personalize the sound in real time. At lower volume levels, they may push the bass and treble a little harder, but ratchet them back at higher volumes to make the sound more balanced. That's probably why I personally didn't find the AirPods Pro 3's mids recessed; in fact, they seemed slightly clearer and more natural to me. But I tend to listen at higher volume levels.

I should also note that depending on where you're listening, the buds can impact how you perceive the sound. Outdoors in a noisier environment, even with strong noise-canceling, you'll hear the bass differently (it can lose some potency), so it helps to have the harder-hitting bass to compensate and maintain the sound's fullness.    

Is the AirPods Pro 3's noise canceling noticeably better?

In my review of the AirPods Pro 3, I pitted them against Bose's $299 QuietComfort Earbuds (2nd gen), which were released in the US only a few weeks ago. Many reviewers said they had the best noise cancelling, and I felt that way, too, until I tried the AirPods Pro 3. Then, I wasn't so sure. 

I didn't feel I could declare one better than the other without running my own lab tests on a rather expensive rig that CNET doesn't own, but I was quite impressed with the noise-canceling.

Compared to the noise-canceling on the AirPods Pro 2, I could definitely hear the difference when I used the buds on a plane, in the noisy streets of New York and underground in the subway.  

Do you really need the AirPods Pro 3's heart-rate monitoring?

I personally don't feel that heart-rate monitoring is a must-have feature, particularly if you already own a smartwatch with the feature. But for some folks, it will be a welcome addition. 

The heart-rate sensors have been custom-designed for the AirPods Pro 3 (they're Apple's smallest heart-rate sensors) and aren't identical to the ones in the Powerbeats Pro 2, but the experience using the heart-rate monitoring feature is the same.

There may be more to come, as Apple has a habit of leaving off a few tricks when it first launches products (remember that the AirPods Pro 2 didn't have spatial audio when they launched). I tend to think we're not done hearing about the heart-rate sensor and future health applications for the buds.

How much better are the AirPods Pro 3 than the AirPods Pro 2?

It's always challenging to assign an exact percentage to the improvement between one generation of a product and the next, and some people will inevitably prefer the older model for their own reasons. But for me, the AirPods Pro 3 are about 20 to 25% better. 

While they both use the H2 chip, the newest AirPods have been redesigned on the inside and out, and most people should notice improvements in sound quality, noise cancellation, and fit. 

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If you own the original AirPods Pro, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend upgrading, especially if your battery life has decreased. 

If you're happy with your AirPods Pro 2, there's no hurry to upgrade unless your battery life has become an issue (some people have the older AirPods Pro 2 with a Lightning connector for charging instead of USB-C). The previous generation supports most of the same features as the AirPods Pro 3 (except heart-rate monitoring), including Live Translation and Hearing Aid mode.

It's worth noting that the AirPods Pro 3 offer slightly better speech clarity in Hearing Aid mode (with Automatic Conversation Boost) and better battery life -- up to 10 hours with Transparency and Hearing Aid mode. That makes the AirPods 3 the better choice if you have mild to moderate hearing loss and plan to use them as hearing aids.

AirPods Pro 2 vs. AirPods Pro 3 vs. AirPods 4 with ANC spec comparison