I Was Wrong About the AirPods Pro 3 — Here’s My Honest 3-Month Review.
They’re technically perfect for desk work and terrible for everything I actually do, and at €249, that’s unacceptable.
In my last AirPods Pro 3 review article, I said this: “The noise cancellation is excellent, the mic is solid, the battery life is good, and the ultra-wideband connectivity works perfectly. These earbuds absolutely justify their price, even with the same chip as before.”
Yeah, I was wrong.
Well, almost wrong. It’s been over two months since that video dropped, and nearly three months of daily AirPods Pro 3 use. And with hindsight, there are things I genuinely love about these earbuds, but also issues that honestly force me to look elsewhere because an actual test, especially for earbuds at this price point, doesn’t happen over a few days. It happens over the long term.
After almost three months with AirPods Pro 3 in my ears, my opinion has clearly developed.
What They Got Perfectly Right
After three months of use, one thing is certain: the audio quality of these AirPods Pro 3 is excellent. Genuinely excellent. I use these earbuds so often that I grab them without a second thought as they follow me everywhere.
If I had to describe the AirPods Pro 3 sound, it would be like everything is in its right place. Nothing tries to do too much. The bass is there when needed, clean, controlled, never heavy. Vocals are clear, close, and almost natural, and everything is so well balanced that you don’t need to think about it. You launch your music and enjoy it.
If I had to make an analogy, it’s like settling into a chair you already know. It’s not the most spectacular sound on the market, but the most comforting, the most familiar. A sound you recognize.
We clearly find Apple’s audio signature here, something they know how to do and master extremely well.
Apple also excels at active noise cancellation. I don’t think I’m taking much risk saying it’s probably one of the best on the market today.
I’ve had construction work at my place for weeks. A contractor drilling into walls, sanding, and naturally making considerable noise. With the Pros, I activate noise cancellation, and the world around me disappears.
Obviously, if you’re not listening to anything, you’ll still hear some noise, but as soon as you launch music or a podcast, it’s almost magical. Everything fades away.
And over time, I realize something: I’m becoming increasingly addicted to this active noise isolation. To where I constantly seek to activate it. I’m sensitive to noise now, and I frequently take out my earbuds to hear my surroundings or to charge them.
That’s the first major flaw of these AirPods.
The Battery Life Lie
Apple claims up to 8 hours of battery life with ANC activated. On paper, that’s excellent. I’m clearly far from that.
In my usage, I’m closer to 6 hours, sometimes even 4 hours, depending on what I’m listening to. Result? I constantly feel like I need to recharge them.
Yes, sure, you can optimize. You can disable ANC, turn off transparency mode, or remove spatial audio. But having premium earbuds only to disable two-thirds of the features most of the time? We can agree that’s not great.
Apple counters by highlighting fast charging: about 5 minutes of charge for 1 hour of listening. In principle, that’s cool. When the battery is really dead, most of the time you’ll just put it in the case and do without it.
I have to admit one thing, though. The case recharges quickly, around 1 hour, and the earbuds themselves recover their charge fairly rapidly, around 20 minutes. So my advice is to have a small charger on hand. Personally, I use an Anker charger. It’s super compact and does the job perfectly.
Transparency Mode: Finally Natural
Speaking of pass-through or transparency mode, Apple made a huge leap forward. It’s even one of the lovely surprises of these AirPods Pro 3. We’re clearly in before-and-after territory compared to previous generations.
Apple added new microphones capable of capturing ambient sound and reproducing it in the ear with fidelity that’s honestly quite impressive. To where sometimes I completely forget I have earbuds in my ears, and when someone talks to me, I respond naturally without removing them.
Yes, we’re at that level.
Before, transparency mode was practical, but the rendering was often quite robotic, a bit metallic, and it was exhausting. On AirPods Pro 3, you clearly feel that user feedback has been heard. The sound is much more natural, softer, and more credible. Voices are clear, understandable, and, above all, they don’t brutally pull you out of your listening.
Obviously, it’s not perfect yet. You still perceive a slight artificial touch, a somewhat synthetic side if you concentrate carefully, if you really listen for it. But honestly, we’re getting very close, and currently on the market, I sincerely think this is the best transparency mode available.
Beautiful work from Apple on this point.
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The Microphone That Actually Impressed Me
Another thing I find genuinely incredible about these AirPods Pro 3 is the audio quality. That’s the mic I’m using to record this right now, and there’s enormous wind. There’s noise everywhere, and frankly, I find it does a clean job.
These are earbuds you can use for vlogging, for content creation, straight up without any problem. And I find it almost magical to have such good audio quality on such small earbuds.
This was clearly a weakness on AirPods Pro 2, but on AirPods Pro 3, they definitely did the work.
Obviously, the main functionality of these mics is meetings. They’ve become my essential tool. The earbuds are always on my desk, and as soon as I have a meeting because I’m working remotely, it’s the AirPods Pro 3 I’ll use.
They provide incredible noise isolation. They remove all ambient noise when I speak. You hear my voice. And in my studio currently, it’s not acoustically treated, so there’s quite a bit of echo, and despite that, I manage to get excellent audio on earbuds. Frankly, it’s a delight.
The Deal Breaker: They Won’t Stay In
We said it at the beginning of this piece: these earbuds aren’t perfect. So far, I’ve only talked about the battery, which leaves a lot to be desired. But that’s not the biggest black mark on the AirPods Pro 3.
My biggest problem with them is retention. These earbuds won’t stay in my ears, especially when I move around a little.
If you’re sitting at a desk doing meetings, listening to music, they stay. But if you move, it becomes a bit complicated.
At the gym, the active noise cancellation is great for cutting yourself off from the world. But as soon as I start with some engaged sets, squats, for example, or exercises requiring head movements, they fall out suddenly in the middle of reps. It’s extremely frustrating.
For running? Clearly not worth it. They don’t stay in.
And the problem is, I often run on the treadmill after my weight session, so it’s impossible to use AirPods Pro 3 for both weights and cardio. And frankly, at this price point, that’s hard to accept.
The Comfort Problem Nobody Talks About
There’s also comfort. I tested two or three pairs of tips provided in the box, and each time I felt this unpleasant sensation of pressure in my ear. You eventually get used to it, but it’s clearly not the most pleasant sensation in the world.
Important disclaimer: I’m not a big fan of in-ear earbuds to begin with. I’ve never really found my happiness with this format, but I sincerely hoped the AirPods Pro 3 would be the ones that changed everything.
And the worst part of all this is that this lack of retention prevents me from fully enjoying all the otherwise excellent features they offer. Frustrating, really.
If there were a single word that could summarize my relationship with AirPods Pro 3, it would be “frustrating.”
These are earbuds that are perfect for many subjects, but I feel like having just the AirPods Pro 3 isn’t enough. You need AirPods Pro 3 for audio quality, for the microphone, for active noise cancellation, for all that.
But you still need another pair of earbuds for sports activities or to wear when you’re tired of having that unpleasant sensation of in-ear earbuds.
And that’s what I find disappointing, especially for earbuds that cost this much.
What Apple Should Have Done Differently
Here’s the thing that keeps bothering me: Apple clearly has the engineering capability to solve these problems. They’ve proven that with the transparency mode improvements and the microphone quality.
So why didn’t they address the fundamental issues?
The battery life problem isn’t insurmountable. Other premium earbuds at similar price points manage 8–10 hours with ANC. Apple chose to prioritize form factor over function, and we’re paying the price.
The fit problem is even more confusing. Apple has biometric data from millions of ears through its research for AirPods Max and previous generations. They could have designed tips that actually stay in during movement, or offered more size options, or included sport-specific wings like competitors do.
Instead, they shipped a product that’s exceptional for stationary use and inadequate for active lifestyles. For a company that heavily markets fitness integration with Apple Watch, that’s a bizarre choice.
The €249 Question
Let me be brutally honest about the price situation. At €249, the AirPods Pro 3 are competing with some seriously impressive alternatives.
Sony WF-1000XM5 offers better battery life and comparable noise cancellation. Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds have a superior fit for most people. Samsung Galaxy Buds3 Pro integrates better with Android while still working with iPhone.
What you’re paying for with AirPods Pro 3 isn’t necessarily the best earbuds on every metric. You’re paying for the Apple ecosystem integration, the seamless switching between devices, the Find My network, and the status symbol.
And honestly? For people deep in the Apple ecosystem, that integration is genuinely valuable. The way these earbuds effortlessly switch from my iPhone to my Mac to my iPad is something competitors still can’t match.
But if you’re not all-in on Apple, or if you prioritize actually using your earbuds for varied activities, there are better options for less money.
After three months, I’ve concluded the AirPods Pro 3 are perfect for a very particular user:
Like someone who works remotely and needs excellent call quality. Someone who values noise cancellation for commuting or focusing on work. Someone who primarily listens to music while stationary. And someone already invested in multiple Apple devices.
They’re terrible for: athletes, runners, gym-goers who do anything more intense than walking on a treadmill. People with smaller or larger than average ear canals. Anyone who values all-day comfort over short-term excellence.
That’s a much narrower use case than Apple’s marketing suggests. The ads show people running with these, exercising with these, living active lifestyles with these. My experience suggests that’s aspirational fiction.
The Brutal Truth About Long-Term Use
Here’s what changed between my initial review and now: the honeymoon period ended.
In the first few weeks, I overlooked the battery life because the audio quality was so good. I ignored the fit issues because the noise cancellation was so impressive. I convinced myself that the comfort would improve as I got used to them.
Three months later, those excuses don’t work anymore. The battery life remains frustrating. They still fall out during exercise. The pressure sensation in my ears hasn’t magically disappeared.
The features that impressed me initially are still excellent, but they’re not enough to compensate for the fundamental usability problems.
And that’s the issue with reviewing tech after only a few days. You catch the excitement, you notice the improvements, you give companies the benefit of the doubt on potential issues. Real-world extended use reveals whether those issues are deal breakers or minor annoyances.
For the AirPods Pro 3, they’re deal breakers for my lifestyle. They might not be for yours, which is why I’m being specific about exactly what works and what doesn’t.
What I’m Actually Using Instead
Plot twist: I still use the AirPods Pro 3 almost every day. But only for specific tasks.
Meetings? AirPods Pro 3. Writing at my desk? AirPods Pro 3. Commuting on public transport? AirPods Pro 3.
Gym? I switched back to my old Powerbeats Pro that I bought years ago. They’re uglier, the sound isn’t as refined, but they actually stay in my ears during squats.
Running? I’m using basic wired earbuds because nothing wireless has proven reliable enough, and I’m tired of fishing expensive earbuds out of my gym bag after they fell mid-run.
That’s not the endorsement Apple wants. “Great earbuds for sedentary activities, but buy something else for movement” isn’t exactly an interesting pitch.
But it’s the honest assessment after three months of trying to make them work for everything.
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The Verdict I Wish I’d Written Three Months Ago
The AirPods Pro 3 are technically excellent earbuds with significant practical limitations.
If you’re buying them for desk work, video calls, commuting, and casual music listening, you’ll probably love them. The audio quality is fantastic, the noise cancellation is industry-leading, the microphone is shockingly good, and the ecosystem integration is unmatched.
If you’re buying them as your only earbuds, expecting to use them for everything, including exercise, you’ll be disappointed. They won’t stay in during movement, the battery life won’t meet Apple’s claims, and the comfort issues might bother you long-term.
At €249, that’s a frustrating proposition. You’re paying premium prices for a product that excels in specific scenarios and fails in others. Earbuds at this price point make fewer compromises than others.
My initial review was too generous because I focused on what improved rather than what remained broken. This is the more accurate assessment, and if I could go back, it’s what I would have said from the beginning.
Apple made a good pair of earbuds for a specific lifestyle. Whether that’s your lifestyle, great. However, if it’s not, save your money or buy something more versatile.
That’s the real three-month review.
Thanks for reading. Let me know your experience if you own these AirPods Pro 3 or any other AirPods Pro. I would like to hear from you.