Is the Huawei FreeBuds 3 worth the upgrade from the Apple AirPods Pro 3?
Verdict
Downgrade
The Huawei FreeBuds 3 actually scores 38.9 points below the Apple AirPods Pro 3, so on aggregate review consensus this is a step backwards. It loses ground on value (8.3 to 2.2) and noise cancelling (9.3 to 3.5). On paper: driver size 10.7 mm to 14.2 mm. Worth checking: battery life goes 8 h to 4 h and bluetooth goes 5.3 to 5.1. One caution: this steps down a line tier (AirPods Pro 3 to FreeBuds 3), and base models usually trade away tier features - check the codec and ANC rows above before trusting the score gap alone. And it costs $29 more for a lower score, which is hard to justify on the data alone. 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.
- Sound8.66.6
- Noise cancelling9.33.5
- Battery7.33.4
- Calls7.46.6
- Value8.32.2
Spec differences
Only where the two genuinely differ - everything they share is omitted.
| Spec | AirPods Pro 3 | FreeBuds 3 | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Battery life | 8 h | 4 h | |
| Bluetooth | 5.3 | 5.1 | |
| Multipoint pairing | Yes | No | |
| Water resistance | IP57 | IPX4 | |
| Battery life (ANC on) | 8 h | 4 h | |
| Driver size | 10.7 mm | 14.2 mm | |
| Transparency mode | Yes | No | |
| Companion app | Yes | No | |
| Driver | 10.7 mm dynamic | 14.2 mm dynamic |
About this verdict
Direction matters here: this page answers "AirPods Pro 3 to FreeBuds 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.