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CNET
cnet.com › tech › mobile › headphones › airpods pro 3 vs. airpods pro 2: should you upgrade?
AirPods Pro 3 vs. AirPods Pro 2: Should You Upgrade? - CNET
1 week ago - I concluded with this advice: "Several new features, such as Live Translation, will be available for the AirPods Pro 2, so many AirPods Pro 2 owners won't feel the need to upgrade right away.
Discussions

My experience with AirPods Pro 3's back to back with Pro 2's
I would say this matches my experience so far. More on reddit.com
🌐 r/airpods
165
523
September 20, 2025
Confused between the Apple Airpod 3, AirPod pro and the Pro 2 | AppleVis
Hi guys, So as the title says, I am confused between purchasing the AirPod 3, the pros and or the pros second generation. Mainly want to get them for no lag whilst using on Bluetooth, the spatial sounds, sound quality, good mics background noise cancelation during calls. More on applevis.com
🌐 applevis.com
Airpods Pro 3 vs Airpods Pro 2?
Personally I'm keeping the pro 3s and hoping Apple can fix the issues in a firmware update More on reddit.com
🌐 r/airpods
218
262
3 weeks ago
AirPods Pro 3 here, early impressions (vs AirPods Pro 2) | MacRumors Forums
So I’m just back from the Apple Store and picked up my AirPods Pro 3 (upgrading from the AirPods Pro 2). I don’t have my Pro 2s with me at the moment, so I’m going off memory — I’ll do a side-by-side comparison in the next couple of days. Early impressions: the ANC is definitely better ... More on forums.macrumors.com
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September 23, 2025
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Apple
apple.com › airpods › compare
AirPods Pro 3 vs AirPods Pro 2 - Apple
Products including charging case were tested under controlled laboratory conditions. AirPods Pro 3 have a rating of IP57 and AirPods Pro 2 have a rating of IP54 under IEC standard 60529.
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/airpods › my experience with airpods pro 3's back to back with pro 2's
r/airpods on Reddit: My experience with AirPods Pro 3's back to back with Pro 2's
September 20, 2025 -

Bass response on Pro 3's is significantly improved.

Highs on Pro 3's is somewhat improved.

Mids on Pro 3's are dialed back (this can make the Pro 2's seem to have better bass but it's not actually what's happening.)

These contribute to a much more clear and accurate sound profile. They are able to maintain very clear highs (much clearer than the Pro 2's.) and deeper bass without muddying the sound. The Pro 3's are actually much more similar to the traditional Apple sound profile you'll find on MacBooks and iMacs, ie. the sound profile, including clarity, (accuracy on MBP is still better) on my 14" MacBook Pro is now pretty much the same as opposed to noticeably better than the Pro 2's.

The Pro 3's are providing a range characteristic of either full speakers or over-the-ear headphones.

Pro 2's were trying to appeal to the average listener, so they got a more attractive midrange. Pro 3's are actually clearer and the sound quality is overall better, but maybe less attractive to the average listener (most prioritize bass in their music, and the reduced mids making the "bass" probably seem worse to the average listener.) Pro 2's were also trying to disguise their lack of strong bass (cause y'know, it's a tiny headphone speaker) with stronger mids. Now the Pro 3's actually have strong enough bass to not compensate with tuning bass into mids.

The sound stage is also widened on the Pro 3's .

Generally it's a pretty big upgrade. You might have to get used to the Pro 3's to hear the differences.

The improvement are:

  1. Better clarity and accuracy

  2. True bass not supplemented by mids

  3. (had to add this) The UW FindMy. You can actually find them now.

Source: violinist of 11 years, raised with lots and lots of music.

In conclusion: It feels like AirPods Pro 2, but with glasses on.

Thanks for reading.

Here's the playlist I use for testing. The songs all have different purposes.

https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/audio-testing/pl.u-yZyVWPrCdPj8po6

EDIT: Listen to Cornfield Chase if you have the Pro 3's. It's just beautiful.

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SoundGuys
soundguys.com › home › earbuds & headphones › wireless earbuds › apple airpods pro 3 vs. airpods pro 2: should you upgrade?
Apple AirPods Pro 3 vs. AirPods Pro 2: Should you upgrade? - SoundGuys
November 3, 2025 - The new headline features in the AirPods Pro 3 are a heart-rate sensor and Live Translation. In practice, I found the heart rate tracking reliable for walking and light jogging, but inconsistent during intense workouts since the earbuds can slip out.
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YouTube
youtube.com › watch
AirPods Pro 3 VS AirPods Pro 2! EVERY Difference Compared! - YouTube
Apple’s all-new AirPods Pro 3 are here – but how do they stack up against the last-gen AirPods Pro 2? In this in-depth comparison, I cover everything new and...
Published   September 19, 2025
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RTINGS.com
rtings.com › home › headphones › guide
AirPods Showdown: Apple AirPods Pro Gen 2 vs AirPods Pro Gen 3 - RTINGS.com
October 23, 2025 - When comparing the Apple AirPods Pro 3 vs Pro 2, the Pro 3 offer stronger ANC and a longer continuous battery.
Find elsewhere
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YouTube
youtube.com › watch
AirPods Pro 3 vs. AirPods Pro 2 - Should you UPGRADE? - YouTube
Buy at Amazon - Airpods Pro 3: https://soundg.co/7zw01m Airpods Pro 2: https://soundg.co/d6ntpfApple continues to iterate on its AirPods Pro line with the re...
Published   September 28, 2025
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What Hi-Fi?
whathifi.com › headphones › wireless earbuds
Apple AirPods Pro 2 vs AirPods 3: which wireless earbuds are better? | What Hi-Fi?
May 7, 2025 - Bluetooth: 5.0 Active noise-cancelling: No Spatial Audio: Yes Battery life: 30hrs (buds: 6hrs; case: 24hrs) Weight: 4.3g (per earbud) The AirPods 3 support Spatial Audio and match the Pro 2 for battery life, but they don't have ear tips to help ...
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PCMAG
pcmag.com › home › comparisons › audio › headphones
Apple AirPods Pro 3 vs. Pro 2: Why the Newest Model Is Worth the Upgrade | PCMag
3 weeks ago - Apple's AirPods Pro 3, the third generation of its high-end in-canal noise-cancelling earphones, surpass the AirPods Pro 2 in every way. Apple has dialed in a fresh sound that improves the audio, redesigned the buds to fit more securely in your ...
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RecordingNow
recordingnow.com › blog › airpods-pro-2-vs-airpods-3
Apple AirPods Pro 2 vs AirPods 3: Which is Better in 2025?
April 6, 2025 - The AirPods 3 sounds a lot more boxed in and claustrophobic, with inferior imaging and separation. Again, I think the lack of any physical seal has a lot to do with these limitations.
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Tom's Guide
tomsguide.com › audio › headphones › airpods
Airpods Pro 3 vs. AirPods Pro 2: What are the differences? | Tom's Guide
September 11, 2025 - The AirPods Pro 3 build on the feature set, however. We've now got a heart rate sensor for use during workouts, making them great with fitness fanatics. You can track workouts with the buds, a first for the AirPods line.
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Gadget Hacks
apple.gadgethacks.com › news › airpods-pro-3-vs-pro-2-worth-the-249-upgrade
AirPods Pro 3 vs Pro 2: Worth the $249 Upgrade? << Apple :: Gadget Hacks
September 30, 2025 - The earbuds are smaller with a more angled fit, a win for people with narrow ear canals or anyone who had Pro 2s pop loose mid workout. The stems are shorter, and there is a redesigned audio aperture that helps the upgraded sound.
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AppleVis
applevis.com › forum › hardware-accessories › confused-between-apple-airpod-3-airpod-pro-pro-2
Confused between the Apple Airpod 3, AirPod pro and the Pro 2 | AppleVis
well, I am using airpod pro and airpods pro 2nd or second generation. well, the base in the the airpods pro 2 is more better than the airpods pro. and the noice cancelation is more better too. and the most different thing is: airpods pro 2 can turn the vollium up and down by swiping the airpods. ...
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MacRumors
forums.macrumors.com › apple wearables › airpods
AirPods Pro 3 here, early impressions (vs AirPods Pro 2) | MacRumors Forums
September 23, 2025 - The case and the AirPods themselves look pretty much identical — nothing special to note. The fit is different, though. I found the Pro 2 (and Pro 1) very comfortable, and so far the Pro 3 feel comfortable during my 20 minutes of use, but they sit deeper in the ear canal and there’s noticeably more ear canal pressure.
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Apple Community
discussions.apple.com › thread › 256143886
AirPods Pro 3 - not a good fit - Apple Community
September 21, 2025 - I suspect the speaker design is the issue — on the older version, the speaker sits recessed within the earbud head, whereas on the new Pro 3, it protrudes outward, pushing the entire earbud slightly away from the ear. ... I’ve been using AirPods Pro 2 for years — easily the best-fitting ...
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AppleInsider
forums.appleinsider.com › discussion › 241738 › airpods-pro-3-vs-airpods-pro-2-apples-premium-earbuds-compared
AirPods Pro 3 vs AirPods Pro 2: Apple's premium earbuds, compared - iPod + iTunes + AppleTV Discussions on AppleInsider Forums
September 12, 2025 - The AirPods Pro 2 have the same height but are wider at 0.86 inches and less deep at 0.94 inches, The charging case has also changed slightly, growing to 1.86 inches tall, 2.45 inches wide, and 0.86 inches deep.
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Apple
apple.com › airpods
AirPods - Apple
2 weeks ago - With AirPods Pro 3, you can now take a scientifically validated Hearing Test in a broader range of everyday background conditions.3 The Hearing Aid feature offers improved voice clarity, automatic Conversation Boost,4 and 67 percent more battery life in Transparency on a single charge.5 And Hearing Protection helps prevent exposure to loud environmental noise.6