AirPods Pro 3 review: Smarter, sound not perfect

(Dan Tri) - Since its launch, AirPods Pro has received attention from iPhone users thanks to its comfort, active noise cancellation (ANC) and seamless integration with the Apple ecosystem.

After a successful second generation in 2022, the third version launched at a price of about 6.8 million VND with many promises: Better battery life, improved spatial audio and especially the appearance of a heart rate sensor.

But are these upgrades enough to convince users to ignore the still-excellent AirPods Pro 2? And more importantly, has Apple listened and fixed the shortcomings that audiophiles have always complained about?

Reporters from French technology site 01Net have given detailed reviews of this product.

+ Advantages:

- Warm, detailed and balanced sound quality.

- Active noise cancellation and good transparency

- Headphone battery life is significantly improved.

- Comfortable design, good ear grip.

+ Disadvantages:

- There is no music equalizer yet.

- Sound quality sometimes lacks power

- The battery life of the charging box is reduced.

- Vietnamese translation is not supported yet

Refined design

At first glance, the AirPods Pro 3 don’t look much different from their predecessors. However, when placed side by side, the differences become clear; the charging case is slightly larger but significantly lighter (43.99g compared to 50.80g of the previous generation), a welcome improvement.

The plastic shell still feels premium, meticulously finished in true Apple style. The earphones have also been refined, the body is a bit thicker, while the ear canal is designed to be longer to go deeper into the user's ear canal.

This might feel strange at first, but it actually helps the headphones stay in place and improves passive noise isolation without causing any discomfort, even after hours of use.

Apple added an XXS ear tip size, bringing the total to five different sizes to ensure that almost anyone can find the perfect fit.

Meanwhile, the force-sensitive control system on the earpiece is still intuitive and effective, avoiding accidental touches. Everything from controlling music, calls to increasing and decreasing volume is smooth and precise.

Features still have “gaps”

For the first time, Apple has integrated a heart rate sensor into the earbuds; it works accurately when tracking in the Fitness app, but its usefulness is probably limited to people who exercise without wearing a smartwatch.

In addition, Apple's signature smart features are still fully present: Spatial audio tracks head movement, adaptive transparency mode, conversation detection, auto-pause when removing headphones, and even auto-pause music when you fall asleep.

One interesting addition is the ability to use AirPods as a remote shutter button for the iPhone - a useful tool for content creators.

However, there are still some regrets. The headset still does not have a true multi-point connection (and the real-time translation feature is not yet available in Vietnam - PV).

Most notably, Apple still "forgot" a complete music equalizer, an incomprehensible omission for a high-end product, while much cheaper products from other brands such as LG and Samsung have been equipped with this feature.

In return, the company has made a big step forward with the significantly improved active noise cancellation on the AirPods Pro 3, easily eliminating noise from the surrounding environment, providing an almost absolutely quiet space.

In transparency mode, environmental sounds are reproduced faithfully and naturally, making it feel like you're not wearing headphones at all.

Users can clearly hear car horns and surrounding voices in their correct location and space, an indispensable safety factor when moving in the city.

In terms of call quality, this is still one of the best headsets on the market, effectively filtering noise so your voice is always clear to the person you are interacting with.

Sound quality

With the H2 chip, AirPods Pro 3 delivers a signature Apple sound: Balanced, refined, and detailed. The sound is smooth and warm, especially in the vocal range.

The most valuable point lies in the ability to recreate space, the Dolby Atmos experience on this generation is truly impressive.

The sound has incredible depth, instruments are clearly separated, without overlapping. Listening to a complex symphony or electronic music is an exhilarating experience.

However, perfection is not yet complete. The bass, although well controlled, sometimes lacks the necessary strength and power, especially when listening to vibrant rock or funk songs. Compared to competitors such as the Sony WF-1000XM5, the sound of the AirPods Pro 3 is somewhat more gentle.

In addition, the product does not support lossless codec file formats (lossless audio compression), although Apple Music has a whole library of high-quality music, this makes AirPods Pro 3 users still unable to fully enjoy truly perfect music.

This is a confusing contradiction that limits the potential of an already great product. Hopefully Apple will improve this for future generations soon.

Improved battery life

Apple has made a dramatic improvement in battery life on the headphones, reaching 8 hours and 12 minutes of continuous use with ANC (active noise cancellation) mode, a leap from the 6 hours of the previous generation.

But unfortunately, the charging case bucks the trend. Total battery life has dropped from 30 hours to 24 hours.

This means that with a fully charged case, you can only charge the earbuds twice more, instead of three times like before. As usual, Apple still doesn't include a USB-C charging cable in the box.

Conclude

The AirPods Pro 3 are undoubtedly the best wireless earbuds Apple has ever made. They offer a good combination of comfort, good noise cancellation, impressive spatial audio, and improved battery life.

But for true audiophiles who crave powerful sound and deep customization, options from other brands are probably more appealing.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/cong-nghe/danh-gia-airpods-pro-3-thong-minh-hon-am-thanh-chua-hoan-hao-20250929215637269.htm