KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 12 — It feels like I was just reviewing the AirPods Pro 3 but that was my memory recalling last year’s AirPods 4.
Apple’s higher-end wireless earbuds have gotten a design refresh though there are no new chips this time — both the AirPods Pro 3 and the AirPods 4 use the same H2 chip.
There is however a new U2 chip in the AirPods Pro 3 charging case so it’ll be easier to find your AirPods with Find My.
The new chip lets Find My work in a 1.5x longer distance than the old chip.
Let’s get what’s new with the AirPods Pro 3 out of the way; here’s a quick cheatsheet for you to look like you know a lot about them:
- New design
- Heart-rate sensors
- New eartips (five sizes including XS)
- IP57 water and dust-resistance
- Up to 8 hours of battery with noise canceling, 10 hours in hearing aid and transparency modes
- Better microphones
- Improved bass and sound quality overall
- 10.7mm drivers supporting multiport acoustic architecture
- 2x better noise canceling than predecessor
- Live translation (still in beta, not available in all countries as yet, needs Apple Intelligence)
The day-to-day experience
Putting the new AirPods Pro buds in for the first time was quite different from previous sessions with the AirPods Pro and the non-Pro models.
The way the buds are angled they do fit better without needing as much positioning as previous AirPods.
Before, if I didn’t properly angle the buds in my ears they would fall out fairly easily.
They’ve fallen out in many places, parks, at the tops of the stairs, restaurants and not just the non-AirPods Pro models.
Still at least now with Find My I can track down errant earbuds when they roll underneath my staircase.
What is still not fun is the hearing test that was a challenge because I live right next to a highway.
While my brain has tuned out the sounds of passing cars, the AirPods Pro hearing test needed to be paused whenever someone drove particularly loudly down the road.
I didn’t feel the need to immediately swap out the eartips with third-party ones though you do still have the option should you prefer, say, memory foam ones.
It was nice going on longer 20-minute walks to neighbourhood cafes without worrying my AirPods would roll out of my ear into a ditch.
Now, that sound
Jisoo and Zayn’s Eyes Closed just happened to be released a few days before I got to try the new AirPods Pro 3.
Since it had been on repeat on my iPhone and AirPods, I could immediately tell the difference in how the song sounded with the AirPods Pro 3.
The bass was more pronounced but I could also hear subtle details in the production that didn’t jump out at me when I was using the AirPods Pro 2.
Now would I say it was universes better than the last model? No, it’s got a bit more dimension, a more present bass but I wouldn’t feel much of a loss swapping back in the AirPods Pro 2.
I still feel like the AirPods, all of them, are more engineered for newer music so if you’re more of a classical music fan or prefer genres that rely less on production studios, the AirPods Pro 3 might be “OK”.
After all, if you’re more of an audiophile (like some people I know) wired headphones would still give you better sound.
After years of doing headphone reviews, I also have planar headphones as well as a more neutral studio-friendly pair just in case I need them for audio recording or playing around with mixes.
So I can honestly hear the difference between the AirPods Pro 3 and its predecessor even if it’s not a lot.
The “Pro” in the AirPods Pro 3 would really mean you get as good as you can squeeze from a wireless headset though it won’t be quite the aural experience of over-ear headphones.
Vloggers rejoice
Interestingly Apple has improved the microphone in the AirPods Pro 3 so you could actually put them in your ears and then use them instead of a separate microphone when recording, say, a TikTok or Instagram live.
I would probably rather jump into the ocean than record myself doing video but I could see myself narrating something (face not in the picture) for an Instagram reel.
There’s the limitation of battery life but you can squeeze more time out of the new one — usually when I’m out on errands for 3 hours or more, I would need to take my AirPods Pro 2 out of my ears and into a case for a quick charge.
Now I can pop in the AirPods Pro 3 in the Grab or train, get to where I’m heading, get my affairs sorted all without my outings being interrupted by the telltale sound in my ears, telling me my AirPods battery was running low.
Great buy or no?
The AirPods Pro 3 are great if you’re buying them because you want AirPods now. They’re not so good you’d immediately want to toss your AirPods Pro 2 for them except for the following caveats:
- You need more battery life
- You exercise outdoors and want better water and dust resistance
- You think the AirPods Pro 2 bass is missing something and you’d rather stay in the Apple ecosystem rather than go for Bosé or Sony.
Considering the price is RM999 it’s comparable to competitor brand pricing and isn’t a price increase over the last model.
If you’re on an iPhone, the AirPods, whether Pro or no, will still give you the best wireless listening experience but Android users can’t be faulted for deciding to look elsewhere.
The AirPods Pro 3 are already available in Malaysia at the nearest official retailer for RM999.
PIC CAPTION: The new AirPods Pro 3 has had a redesign and an audio tweak, without a price bump. — Picture by Erna Mahyuni
