Apple AirPods Pro 3 Review

The Apple AirPods Pro 3 are Apple's flagship wireless earbuds, priced at around £219, and they push the range well beyond music. Alongside class-leading noise cancelling they add genuinely new tricks — heart-rate sensing, a clinical-grade hearing-aid mode, live translation and IP57 dust and water resistance — sitting, as the reviewers put it, at the intersection of audio and health tech. Independent laboratory testing rates them the best AirPods yet and amazing for travel, with the familiar Apple caveat.

Noise cancelling is the headline, and it is exceptional. The test rated the Pro 3's isolation outstanding, filtering out engine drone, cabin din, traffic and even nearby conversations better than almost anything else — a real step up on the already-strong AirPods Pro 2. A range of adjustable Transparency modes lets you dial the outside world back in, so you can still hear an airport announcement without pulling the buds out. For commuting and flying, they are about as good as in-ears get.

Sound quality is very good, if not the outright focus. The test found the frequency response delivers a smooth low-end and an even mid-range, following its target well, with only a slightly uneven treble to note. Just as usefully, Adaptive EQ tailors the sound to your ears and a built-in volume limiter helps protect your hearing. It is a polished, crowd-pleasing signature that suits everything from podcasts to playlists.

The Pro 3 are built to travel. The test measured nine hours of continuous playback with noise cancelling active, with roughly two more full charges in the case — enough for a long-haul flight. They are light, comfortable and pocketable, and crucially they now carry an IP57 rating for both the buds and the case, meaning they shrug off dust and water far better than before. It all adds up to earbuds you can genuinely take anywhere.

This is where the Pro 3 break new ground. They can measure your heart rate during workouts, function as a clinically capable hearing aid to amplify the world around you, and perform live translation of conversations in real time. Add Apple's Spatial Audio with head tracking and seamless switching between Apple devices, and they are as much a wearable as a pair of earbuds. Not everyone will use every feature, but together they make a compelling case.

There is one predictable limitation. The test noted that many of the Pro 3's cleverest features and adjustments are exclusive to compatible Apple products — pair them with an Android phone and you lose spatial audio, the health features, adaptive tools and easy setup, leaving a good but far less special pair of earbuds. These are made for the Apple ecosystem, and only really make sense within it.

The Apple AirPods Pro 3 top our best wireless earbuds guide for iPhone owners. Their closest rivals on noise cancelling are the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds, while the Technics EAH-AZ100 and Sony WF-1000XM5 offer more platform-agnostic sound quality. Android users chasing features should instead read our Nothing Ear (3) review. For Apple fans who want over-ears, our AirPods Max 2 review is the step up. Check the price on Amazon

The Apple AirPods Pro 3 are the best AirPods Apple has made and, for iPhone owners, among the most complete earbuds you can buy: class-leading noise cancelling, a smooth sound, a rugged IP57 build, a long battery and a genuinely useful suite of health and hearing features. The only real caveat is the one that has always applied — you need to be in the Apple ecosystem to get the most from them. If you are, they are an easy and rewarding upgrade.

This review is based on independent laboratory testing rather than our own hands-on trial.