Is the Apple AirPods 3 worth the upgrade from the Apple AirPods Pro 3?
Verdict
Downgrade
The Apple AirPods 3 actually scores 8.0 points below the Apple AirPods Pro 3, so on aggregate review consensus this is a step backwards. It loses ground on sound (8.5 to 7.5) and battery (8.0 to 7.0). On paper: weight 10.1 g to 4.28 g, battery incl. case 24 h to 30 h and drivers per side 1 to 2. Worth checking: battery life goes 8 h to 6 h and active noise cancelling goes Yes to No. One caution: this steps down a line tier (AirPods Pro 3 to AirPods 3), and base models usually trade away tier features - check the codec and ANC rows above before trusting the score gap alone. It is at least $148 cheaper, so the lower score comes with a saving. Only worth it if a specific feature above matters more to you than overall quality does.
What actually changes
Sub-scores both products have, on the same 0-10 scale. Bars extend right for a gain, left for a loss.
- Sound8.57.5
- Battery8.07.0
- Calls8.58.0
- Value7.57.0
Spec differences
Only where the two genuinely differ - everything they share is omitted.
| Spec | AirPods Pro 3 | AirPods 3 | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Battery life | 8 h | 6 h | |
| Active noise cancelling | Yes | No | |
| Weight | 10.1 g | 4.28 g | |
| Bluetooth | 5.3 | 5.0 | |
| Multipoint pairing | Yes | No | |
| Water resistance | IP57 | IPX4 | |
| Battery incl. case | 24 h | 30 h | |
| Drivers per side | 1 | 2 | |
| Case weight | 43.99 g | 37.91 g | |
| Transparency mode | Yes | No | |
| Companion app | Yes | No | |
| USB-C | Yes | No | |
| ANC type | adaptive | none | |
| Controls | touch | both | |
| Frequency response | 20 Hz - 20,000 Hz | 0Hz-0kHz |
About this verdict
Direction matters here: this page answers "AirPods Pro 3 to AirPods 3". The other direction is a separate question with a different answer. Scores blend published review verdicts across true wireless and shift as new reviews land, so a marginal call today may not be one next quarter.