Is the Nothing Ear worth the upgrade from the Apple AirPods Pro 3?
Verdict
Downgrade
The Nothing Ear actually scores 12.0 points below the Apple AirPods Pro 3, so on aggregate review consensus this is a step backwards. It loses ground on noise cancelling (9.5 to 7.0) and calls (8.5 to 7.0). On paper: codecs SBC, AAC to SBC, AAC, LDAC, LHDC 5.0, battery incl. case 24 h to 40.5 h and microphones 3 to 6. Worth checking: case weight goes 43.99 g to 51.9 g. One caution: this steps down a line tier (AirPods Pro 3 to Ear), 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 $123 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
- Noise cancelling9.57.0
- Battery8.07.5
- Calls8.57.0
- Value7.57.5
Spec differences
Only where the two genuinely differ - everything they share is omitted.
| Spec | AirPods Pro 3 | Ear | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Codecs | SBC, AAC | SBC, AAC, LDAC, LHDC 5.0 | |
| Water resistance | IP57 | IP54 | |
| Battery incl. case | 24 h | 40.5 h | |
| Microphones | 3 | 6 | |
| Case weight | 43.99 g | 51.9 g | |
| ANC type | adaptive | hybrid | |
| Quick charge | 5 minutes in case = about 1 hour listening time | 10 minutes for 10 hours | |
| Controls | touch | buttons |
About this verdict
Direction matters here: this page answers "AirPods Pro 3 to Ear". 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.