AirPods Pro 3 review: Silence is golden
The upgrade with AirPods Pro 3 isn’t a spec; it’s the noise floor. These earbuds cut the background so low that microdetail, depth, and dynamics step forward in a way I usually associate with full-size ANC headphones. These earbuds create a level of quiet that fundamentally improves how you hear music and movies.
Beyond the usual Apple polish, AirPods Pro 3 add practical tools: a biometric heart‑rate sensor, on‑device live translation, and hearing‑assistance features that can help older listeners. Nice perks. But they’re not why I’m impressed.
The big deal: a lower noise floor
What matters is how quiet they get. Apple has seriously improved both active noise canceling and passive isolation. The result is a noise floor so low it puts these in a new performance class for earbuds. Before now, if you wanted this level of isolation and cancellation, you typically reached for full‑size Sony or Bose noise‑canceling headphones. These little guys deliver that experience in an in‑ear form factor.
A quick real‑world check: on my flight home from Apple’s event, pausing playback produced near‑silence. With the cabin roar stripped away, you can hear details that normally disappear: subtle ambience, room tone, and the very start of a timpani roll in an orchestral score. Even very deep bass registers more clearly when the background drops to black.
Why silence equals fidelity
For movies and shows, the benefit may be even more obvious. Cinema sound isn’t wall‑to‑wall loud. It relies on quiet moments—distant doors, dripping water, barely‑there footsteps—to set mood and build tension. Achieving true quiet in your ears is like achieving perfect black levels on an OLED TV: it’s the foundation on which everything else—detail, dynamics, impact—sits.
‘But AAC isn’t audiophile…‘
Yes, AirPods Pro 3 use a compressed codec. If you demand uncompressed playback, you’ll need a wired USB path (for example, with AirPods Max or traditional wired headphones). Still, when isolation and ANC drop the noise floor this far, high‑quality streams can sound profoundly good. Dismissing that because the codec is AAC misses what your ears are actually experiencing.
Fit, seal, and bass
Part of the perceived upgrade is mechanical. The tips remain silicone but now include foam, which helps them spring back, stay put, and keep a better seal. Apple also reworked the venting/ports to aid bass response. Better seal + better venting = tighter, fuller low end that holds up at sane listening levels.
AirPods Pro 3 aren’t “audiophile” because they chase specs on a box; they earn the label by delivering the one thing that reveals everything else: silence. With the background gone, microdetail, depth, and dynamics step forward. For music and movies alike, that’s the upgrade.
