Apple AirPods Pro 3 vs AirPods Pro 2, downgrade in Sound Quality but better ANC and Transparency

Apple AirPods never caught my attention until they released AirPods with new updated design that had eartips. In 2019, Apple released AirPods Pro 1st generation with the "PRO" title that had the eartips. However, the regular AirPods 4, which is the current version, doesn't have eartips. I like the seal and isolation that we get from earbuds that have eartips. Recently Apple released the latest AirPods Pro 3 in the "PRO" lineup. There are a lot of mixed opinions about the Sound Quality of the new AirPods Pro 3 compared to AirPods pro 2. In this article, I will discuss about the sound quality, ANC and transparency in detail. Also, I will answer - which one should you buy or should you upgrade or not ..?

The new AirPods Pro 3 looks like they can be easily recognized as an Apple AirPods Pro product but they significantly changed the shape of the buds. The area where the foam infused eartips sits on the buds' body has more of a lengthy neck. The AirPods Pro 3's body is also very much different than AirPods Pro 2's body if you take a close look. The Angle that the stem of AirPods Pro 3 makes with its body is also different but better. AirPods Pro 2's kinda looked like they stick out in a way where the stem is further away from your face, but the new angle design makes the AirPods Pro 3 sits close to the face, which is the right kinda look.

Also, there is more flexibility now for you about whether or not you want to insert them deeper in your ear. The extra protrusion on the eartips' base helps with this along with the overall change in the body's shape. The new modified design makes the AirPods Pro 3 more comfortable to wear for longer listening sessions. The seal and passive noise isolation are also better on the AirPods Pro 3. The new refined shape allows to fit in average ears better and on top of that it has brand new heart rate sensor that the old AirPods Pro 2 didn't have. So overall, it's a very good upgrade to the design.

This is not something that you are going to care if it's your first pair of earbuds. However, if you have a very good understanding of nature and how real sounds should sound like, then you may care about this. But most people are not that passionate or nuanced about sound. The downgrade is clearly noticeable to people who already have the previous AirPods Pro 2 and other audio gears to compare the sound. When you have access to different types of audio products at different price ranges, and you are able to make the connection of their sound with reality and nature, then you can definitely tell which one is more real or artificial. Also, keep in mind that natural doesn't always sound better. However, there is a safe range to play with artificial tinkering of the sound.

I was doing my research and found that a lot of reviewers are unhappy with the sound quality of the AirPods Pro 3. There is too much boost in the sub-bass region. You may not notice this in most tracks but the recessed upper-bass around 150-Hz can cause slight problem in most tracks. The upper-bass dip is there to make the deep-bass more prominent, but you lose details in the upper-bass. I don't have a problem with this manipulation as long as it's subtle, but the old AirPods Pro 2 already had significant sub-bass boost. And even more boost in the sub-bass on the new AirPods Pro 3 makes the sound unnaturally so powerful in some tracks with a lack in details in the upper-bass.

The mids are kinda flat, which is okay, but the upper-mids around 2-KHz region are boosted on the new AirPods Pro 3's frequency response. It also has significant boost in the 5.5-KHz and 14-KHz region. Among these treble boosts, the 2-KHz and 5.5-KHz boosts are making the sound pretty bright. One reason to boost the upper-mids and treble is to give clarity, sharpness, openness and airiness to the sound as there is a huge sub-bass boost that I mentioned before. However, the problem here with the AirPods Pro 3 is that the sub-bass boost isn't always in effect, but the upper-mids and treble boost is kinda in effect always. So this makes the treble sounding like it's artificial and processed.

So we have problem with the sub-bass that is noticeable sometimes but the treble problem is noticeable most of the time. These boosts are surpassing the safe range where it would still sound tasteful without feeling like more details got artificially added in the track. Overall AirPods Pro 3 still sounds good but when comparing with the old AirPods Pro 2, the new one has a slightly worse sound. One important detail, at higher volumes they become more balanced, but you don't listen to that higher level in average cases.

The previous Apple AirPods Pro 2 already had class-leading Active Noise Cancellation and Transparency mode. With the new AirPods Pro 3, the ANC and Transparency is even better. This is another level up and pretty noticeable improvements over the 3-years old AirPods Pro 2. The noise cancellation of mid to higher frequencies are better on AirPods Pro 3. When the ANC kicks in, it almost feels like you are in a vacuum. The ANC on the AirPods Pro 3 is an element of surprise. Check this video of Linus about these earbuds where he is full of expressions.

Same thing with the Transparency mode, which is best-in-class performance. There is auto switching of ANC and Transparency mode depending on whether or not you started talking or someone talking close to you. The buds will switch to Transparency mode if it detects speech above certain loudness. This auto switching works well in real-life scenarios. And the sound quality that you get from transparency mode is very natural. It is even more smooth and natural with this new AirPods Pro 3. So, this is like God-Tier ANC and Transparency in the AirPods Pro 3.

There is a significant improvement in the mic quality too. In average scenarios where there isn't a lot of noise present, the mic on the new AirPods Pro 3 delivers a more detailed and less compressed sound. This shows a very good improvement over the previous AirPods Pro 2's mic. Check out this video from Dave2D that demonstrates the improvements in the mic quality. Even though the mics do a great job at sounding good as well as canceling some noise, but loud noise like a hair dryer can make it perform poorly. There are 3 mics in each bud that serves multiple purposes.

The battery life on the new AirPods Pro 3 is also being improved by 2 hours. From just the bud's built-in battery with ANC enabled, the AirPods Pro 3 offers 8-hours of music playback vs AirPods Pro 2's 6-hours of playback at around 50% volume. With the case, you get a total 24-hours on the AirPods Pro 3 vs 30-hours on the AirPods Pro 2. That means the AirPods Pro 3's case can charge the buds 3 times vs the AirPods Pro 2's case can charge 5 times. This seems like an overall downgrade in the battery department. Even though the new AirPods Pro 3 buds themselves hold more juice, the case holds less capacity than the AirPods Pro 2.

Check out those articles from above, you can click on those linked images to read the articles. A while ago I published a review of the Samsung Galaxy A14 5G smartphone, check that out if you are into budget phones. In case you are interested in portable speakers, I compared 3 Boombox type speakers from 3 different brands such as Soundcore, Tribit and JBL. So don't forget to also check out that detailed comparison article about the JBL Boombox 3 vs Tribit Stormbox Blast vs Soundcore Boom 2 Plus.

The AirPods Pro 2 is 3-years old. If yours is like that then it might lost around 40% of its battery life, like you only get 4-hours now while you used to get 6-hours in the beginning from each bud alone. If that's the case then you might wanna upgrade. But be careful about the sound quality, if you really liked the sound reproduction of the AirPods Pro 2, you may not like the new AirPods Pro 3's over-emphasized v-shaped sound signature. Look how Linus got frustrated about the AirPods Pro 3's sound quality in this video. So, if you can, try them out in the store first before buying.

There is no need to upgrade if your AirPods Pro 2 is only a year old and you are happy with them. You would wanna upgrade only if you need the best-in-class ANC, Transparency and mics from the AirPods Pro 3. If you didn't have the previous one but looking for a new one, you can buy the AirPods Pro 3 - they are excellent with minor downgrade in sound quality. The sound quality has a very rumbly nature in the low-end and a very shimmery nature in the high-end that could make long-term listening irritating. However, the AirPods Pro 3 isn't a bad sounding one, it's just the previous AirPods Pro 2 had a more tasteful refined sound rather than a slightly artificial sound like in the AirPods Pro 3.

Also, please check out the JBL Charge 6 vs Charge 5 story for highlights.
IF you're interested in mid-sized portable speakers, check my JBL Charge 6 vs Bose SoundLink Plus article. The JBL Charge 6 did better in the head-to-head comparison.