Odi Productions
In this article, I’m going to share my HONEST Apple AirPods Pro 3 vs AirPods Pro 2 comparison, as someone who has purchased both pairs of earbuds with my own money.
I’ve conducted thorough testing of both wireless earbuds, and I will break down a winner for each category including:
- Comfort and Fit
- Features
- Battery Life
- Microphone Quality
- Noise Cancelling Performance
- Sound Quality
- Value
I’ll be sharing my critical opinion with 10 years of experience as a professional music producer, audio engineer, and tech journalist. I also run the RecordingNOW YouTube channel with over 18,000+ subscribers and over 4 million+ views, where you can watch the video versions of all of our reviews and comparisons.
Let’s dive right in!
AirPods Pro 3rd generation vs AirPods Pro 2nd generation Comparison in Short
The Apple AirPods Pro 3rd Generation improves upon the AirPods Pro 2nd Generation in virtually every way: twice the noise cancelling performance, much improved microphone quality, better comfort and fit, and slightly improved sound quality. The now-discontinued AirPods Pro 2 was a great daily driver for its time, with its wonderful sound profile holding a special place in my heart, but it has been gracefully surpassed today.
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Comfort, Features, Microphone Quality, and Battery Life
Comfort
The Apple AirPods Pro 3 comes with 5 pairs of foam-infused silicone eartips.
The AirPods Pro 2 comes with 4 pairs of silicone eartips.
Although the AirPods Pro 2 is fairly comfy enough, I prefer the more streamlined and ergonomic design of the newer AirPods Pro 3.
They make look similar, but the AirPods Pro 3 has been re-designed to fit inside the ear canal more effortlessly than the previous 2nd gen.
I also prefer the newer eartip material of the Pro 3 which is now foam-infused instead of pure silicone like the Pro 2.
Also, the Pro 3 involves 1 additional size compared to the Pro 2, offering more flexibility than before.
If for whatever reason the stock eartips aren’t to your liking, I’ve really enjoyed using these aftermarket ones I tested from SpinFit (note that this entire review is using the stock eartips):
Features
Features-wise, the AirPods Pro 3 and Pro 2 share a lot in common, notably their seamless Apple ecosystem connectivity.
Both the Pro 3 and Pro 2 offer hearing-aid and translation features, but the Pro 3’s “Live Translation” is on-device versus the Pro 2.
One new feature of the Pro 3 is heart rate sensors for fitness and health tracking.
Neither earbuds currently support the “mainstream” high-res codecs of LDAC or aptX Adaptive, but the new Pro 3rd gen supports a proprietary “SPR-AVS” lossless audio that requires an iPhone 17 or Apple Vision Pro.
Microphone Quality
One significant area of improvement for the new AirPods Pro 3rd generation is microphone quality, which is in a league above the previous AirPods Pro 2.
The AirPods Pro 2 microphone quality is… fine, but the Pro 3 is seriously impressive for the class, catapulting it to #1 for mic quality for the wireless earbud category.
The Pro 3 is simply much better at isolating the human voice against the background noise and wind compared to its predecessor.
Battery Life
AirPods Pro 3 Battery Life
- With ANC on: 8 hours of battery life on a single charge / 24 hours total with charging case
- With ANC off: 10 hours on a single charge / 24 hours total with charging case
- Fast Charge: 20 minutes = 2 hours of playback
AirPods Pro 2 Battery Life
- With ANC on: 6 hours of battery life on a single charge / 30 hours total with charging case
- With ANC off: 7 hours on a single charge / 30 hours total with charging case
- Fast Charge: 5 minutes = 1 hour of playback
The AirPods Pro 3 battery life has been significantly improved over the Pro 2, especially on a single charge.
AirPods Pro 3 Score: 9.5 out of 10
AirPods Pro 2 Score: 9.0 out of 10
Winner: AirPods Pro 3
AirPods Pro 3 vs AirPods Pro 2 Noise Cancelling Performance Compared
Apple claims that the AirPods Pro 3 has twice the noise cancelling effectiveness of the previous AirPods Pro 2, and my testing backs up that claim.
The older AirPods Pro 2’s noise cancelling is now fairly average for the class these days, as the newer entrants continued to improve upon ANC technology further as a whole.
The AirPods Pro 3 has helped Apple to get back near the top for noise cancelling performance, although there are a couple competitors that I think are slightly better such as the Sony WF-1000XM6 and Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds 2nd Gen.
Other those two, however, the AirPods Pro 3 is one of the best options for ANC available today.
AirPods Pro 3 Score: 9.0 out of 10
AirPods Pro 2 Score: 7.5 out of 10
Winner: AirPods Pro 3
Sound Quality
I’ve been a fairly vocal fan of the AirPods Pro 2 since its release, notably due to its pleasing sound profile and stock tuning.
In a world of overly consumer-friendly earbuds and headphones, the AirPods Pro 2 was surprisingly tasteful and favored naturalness over just pushing out exaggerated bass and artificial treble.
That said, I’ve tested over 20+ wireless earbuds since the AirPods Pro 2 and its sound quality naturally started to diminish when put up against so much competition. But I’m still a fan of the tuning to this day.
Three years later, enter in the new AirPods Pro 3.
Honestly, I don’t read or watch a ton of opinions or reviews, but it seems that the reception of the AirPods Pro 3 is more mixed than the AirPods Pro 2 before it.
The first difference is clearly in the stock sound profile and tuning, to which I agree that the Pro 3 may actually be a bit of a step back in that department.
The AirPods Pro 3 is noticeably more consumer-friendly than the Pro 2, which translates to an emphasis on bass and treble.
Now that may sound like a bad thing (and for some people it is), but this tuning is actually beneficial for the more modern genres like Pop, Hip Hop, and EDM, which are likely genres that the average customer of the AirPods Pro 3 listens to.
In addition, I’m hearing an overall improvement in pure technical sound quality, such as details, resolution, separation, and layering. One critique I have of the AirPods Pro 2 in 2026 is that it sounds rather “compressed” compared to the AirPods Pro 3 and other more “audiophile” earbuds in the class.
So essentially, it’s a little bit of 1 step back to take 2 steps forward. That “1 step back” being a less audiophile-friendly sound profile and tuning, but those “2 steps forward” being an overall increase in sound quality and fidelity as a whole.
Both earbuds sound pretty decent to my ear, especially when we factor in the millions of average consumers who will likely be pleased with the sound quality compared to lesser-priced earbuds.
That said, neither earbud would be considered in the “true audiophile” tier of wireless earbuds for me.
AirPods Pro 3 Score: 8.2 out of 10
AirPods Pro 2 Score: 7.9 out of 10
Winner: AirPods Pro 3
Value
The AirPods Pro 3rd Generation retails at $249 USD, but is currently available for $229 market price brand new.
The now-discontinued AirPods Pro 2nd Generation is in a bit of a weird place pricing-wise, as it’s only truly available Renewed or Used for around $160 USD.
Because we’re comparing New versus Used prices, this isn’t apples-to-apples.
That said, I find both to be pretty great values for their respective prices, and I do believe you get what you pay for in this scenario.
If you’re budget-minded, I have no issue picking up a Renewed pair of the AirPods Pro 2 which still serves as a very solid and convenient daily driver in 2026, especially if you’re in the Apple ecosystem.
That said, I personally would pony up the extra $70 or so to upgrade to the AirPods Pro 3 which practically sweeps the AirPods Pro 2 across the board.
AirPods Pro 3 Value Score: 8.5 out of 10
AirPods Pro 2 Value Score: 8.5 out of 10
Winner: Tie
Overall Scoring Breakdown
- World-class noise cancelling performance
- One of the most comfortable fits
- Excellent microphone quality
- Decent sound quality
- There’s better pure sound quality options
- No native Android app
- Nicely-tuned sound profile
- Natural sound signature with wide soundstage
- Good value for the money
- Apple ecosystem connectivity
- Average noise cancelling performance
- There’s better sound quality today
Our Verdict: Apple AirPods Pro 3
Dear AirPods Pro 2nd gen, you will surely be missed. Although the Pro 2 was an excellent daily-driver for its time, the newer AirPods Pro 3rd generation improves upon it in every way. Aside from perhaps that stock sound profile and tuning.
With twice the noise cancelling performance, much-improved microphone quality, and slightly improved sound quality, the AirPods Pro 3 are a worthy upgrade to the Pro 2.
Like I said in the “Value” section, I wouldn’t mind picking up a Renewed pair of the Pro 2 if it’s for a good price.
That said, after testing them back-to-back, I actually see the AirPods Pro 3 as a little more “worth it” even factoring in the price premium.
Lastly, if you’d like to save some money and keep supporting RecordingNOW.com’s 100% independent, unbiased reviews, do consider using some of our affiliate links below to shop and even just compare prices. We purchase all products we review with our own money to maintain the highest level of integrity, and your support goes into that plus a continuously improving site experience.
Order HERE for the LOWEST PRICE AVAILABLE (Do NOT pay retail):
Disclosure: These affiliate links may provide a discount and in return, give us a commission in order to keep this website 100% independent to ensure honest unfiltered reviews 🙂
How We Tested and Our Methodology
RecordingNOW.com is a 100% independent publisher with over 10 years of experience testing and reviewing consumer electronics and headphones.
We currently purchase the products we test with our own money, and are not paid by any company or manufacturer to influence our opinions or decisions.
After purchasing the product, we conduct up to hundreds of hours of detailed hands-on testing in a controlled, acoustically-treated environment.
ODi Productions is our resident expert and author of this article, with 10 years of experience as a professional music producer, tech journalist, and audiophile.
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