Apple AirPods Pro 3 review: Subtly smart, seriously good

Apple AirPods Pro 3

There’s a moment in Inception when Hans Zimmer’s “Time” begins to swell — slow, deliberate, and then suddenly immense. That’s exactly how the new AirPods Pro 3 feel. They don’t announce themselves with flashy gimmicks or radical redesigns; instead, they build upon something that already worked beautifully and turn it into something seriously good. Apple has done what it does best — sharpened the edges, tightened the seams, and delivered a product that just works, everywhere, every time.

In an era when most wireless earbuds are trying to shout louder, Apple has chosen to whisper — and the result is more powerful. The AirPods Pro 3 are a lesson in precision. They sound better, fit better, and think smarter. There’s nothing revolutionary here, and yet, somehow, everything feels new.

Design: Familiar, but finer

At first glance, the AirPods Pro 3 look identical to their predecessor. But look closer and the changes start to matter. The bulb on each earbud is slightly smaller, the stem is a touch sleeker, and the overall shape fits better, especially for those with smaller ears.

Apple has also introduced foam-infused ear tips that adapt to your ear canal. It’s a small but meaningful change — the seal feels more secure, the comfort level rises, and the passive noise isolation improves dramatically. Even after hours of wear, there’s none of that annoying ear fatigue that plagues many in-ear buds.

The case still sports that neat green LED indicator and smooth white finish, but the hinge feels sturdier, the magnet click sharper. Subtle refinements, but Apple’s obsession with the small stuff shows.

Audio quality: Consistently good

Apple’s audio philosophy has always been about consistency — clarity without exaggeration, warmth without bloat. The AirPods Pro 3 continue that tradition, and then some.

The sound profile is rich and full-bodied. The highs sparkle without piercing your eardrums, the mids are textured and present, and the bass remains taut — never overdone.

Fire up AR Rahman’s Kun Faya Kun and you’ll hear how gracefully the AirPods handle complex layering — the chorus lifts, the instruments breathe. Play Hotel California (Live on MTV Unplugged), and every strum feels grounded and warm, with the crowd subtly enveloping you. Switch to Bohemian Rhapsody and the AirPods handle Freddie Mercury’s dynamic shifts like a pro. Dire Straits’ Sultans of Swing and Brothers in Arms sound equally alive. What makes the listening experience special is how stable it feels across genres.

Noise Cancellation: Eerily quiet

Let’s not mince words — the AirPods Pro 3’s active noise cancellation is exceptional. It can easily match and beat anything which competition has to offer.

Apple has fine-tuned both hardware and software here. The new foam-lined ear tips create an improved physical seal, while the enhanced processing from the H2 chip offers near-instant adjustments to external noise. The result is eerie silence — low-end rumbles vanish, background chatter fades, and only sharp, high-pitched sounds occasionally sneak through.

During testing, I ran white noise and airplane cabin sounds at high decibels, and the Pro 3 handled them with remarkable ease. There’s no distortion, no weird feedback — just pure, stable quiet. It’s the kind of ANC that lets you read a book next to a construction site and still hear every word in your head.

Smart Features: Smarter than you think

Apple has slowly been turning its AirPods into wellness and productivity devices — and AirPods Pro 3 take that vision further.

First up, real-time translation. Squeeze both earbuds, and your iPhone 16 Pro or later (with Apple Intelligence enabled) launches the Translate app. Siri listens, translates, and reads aloud what’s being said in English, Spanish, German, French, or Portuguese. I tested it with my Spanish-speaking friend, and it worked quite well.

It’s a feature that genuinely changes how you travel or work in multilingual environments. No fumbling with phones or apps — it’s just there, in your ears, in real time.

Then there’s the heart rate sensor, borrowed from the Powerbeats Pro 2. The sensor tracks your heart rate from inside your ear canal with surprising accuracy. Compared against an Apple Watch during workouts, the readings were nearly identical.

The big difference here is that if you are wearing both the AirPods and Apple Watch, it doesn’t give priority to the Apple Watch. With the Powerbeats Pro 2, Apple Watch data is always given preference. It comes in handy, the heart rate sensor, as it turns the AirPods Pro 3 into a compact fitness tracker, ideal for runs or walks when you don’t want a smartwatch. It’s a clever addition that elevates the earbuds from accessories to essentials.

Phone calls are often the Achilles’ heel of true wireless earbuds. Not here.

Apple has significantly improved the microphone array and transparency mode. Voices come through clean, even in windy conditions. The other end of the line hears you clearly — no echoes, no muffled tones, and no “are you in a tunnel?” moments.

It’s the kind of refinement you stop noticing only because it just works. Which, ironically, is Apple’s entire design philosophy.

The H2 chip continues to be the beating heart of the AirPods experience. Pairing, switching between devices, adaptive audio modes — everything happens instantly.

Features like Conversation Awareness automatically lower your volume when you start talking, then bring your music back up when you’re done. It sounds like a gimmick until you actually use it.

Battery life has seen a minor bump too. The earbuds now last slightly longer per charge, and the case supports MagSafe and Apple Watch chargers. The fit, finish, and overall usability make them the kind of device you forget you’re using — until you take them off.

Should you buy it?

At Rs 25,990, the AirPods Pro 3 are undeniably expensive. But they’re also, quite frankly, worth every rupee — especially if you live in the Apple ecosystem.

There are other earbuds that sound great, some that cancel noise a bit better, and a few that cost less. But none combine sound quality, software intelligence, call performance, fitness tracking, and comfort quite like these. The synergy between hardware and software is peak Apple — and this is perhaps the most useful product to come out of Cupertino in recent years.

They’re not flashy, not gimmicky, just deeply functional. You buy them once, and they quietly make every part of your day better — whether it’s a run, a call, a meeting, or a moment of peace on a flight.

If you own the second-gen AirPods Pro and they’re still going strong, you can skip the upgrade. But for everyone else looking for the best all-round earbuds for iPhone, these are the ones to get.

Let’s put it simply: if music is magic, the AirPods Pro 3 are the wand.

And in Apple’s long list of innovations, this might just be the most complete one yet — the rare product that nails utility, functionality, and price in perfect balance.