AirPods Pro 3 — Earbuds Like Never Before Or Just More Of The Same?

An in-depth, hands-on look at the most controversial AirPods Pro ever…

AirPods Pro 3 in the author’s jeans fob pocket. Photo by author.

To call me an audio tech hoarder would be a bit of a stretch. To call me a long-time connoisseur of high-quality consumer audio tech is more accurate. I am, in fact, at the intersection of the two. Since Bose released their Quiet Comfort line in 2014, I’ve been hunting for the best sound paired with the best active noise-cancelling. At times, I’d have up to eight or ten different earbuds and headphones sitting in various drawers waiting to be used, or sold off in favour of something newer, something supposedly better.

Over the last few years, I am, however, finding myself not with a collection of various audio tech brands, but rather generations of Apple audioware. The latest addition to that collection is of course the 2025 AirPods Pro 3, and having used them, I think they’re worth a more detailed look than just calling them the obvious next choice.

What you see, is what you get

That’s not necessarily limited to the AirPods Pro line. Apple has always been minimalistic about their packaging, lately to the point of removing accessories that some find unacceptable — and therein lies the first controversy: there is no…