Alongside new MacBook Pro models, the AirPods 3 are set to launch on Tuesday, October 26, and ahead of tomorrow's official release date, reviewers and YouTubers have shared reviews on Apple's latest earbuds.

AirPods 3 Feature Red
We've highlighted video reviews of the AirPods 3 in a separate article, and excerpts and details from written reviews can be found below.

Design

Gizmodo reviewer Andrew Liszweski said that the AirPods 3 "look and feel almost identical" to the AirPods Pro, just minus the silicone tips. They're a little bit smaller

airpods 3 gizmodo

Image from Gizmodo comparing AirPods 2 (left), AirPods 3 (middle), and ‌AirPods Pro‌ without silicone tip (right)

Reviewers also highlighted the Force Touch stems that are already present on the ‌AirPods Pro‌, noting that the Force Touch feature is a nice improvement for control input, but that there's still no physical volume control option.

Fit

The Verge's Chris Welch said that the new AirPods shape works better, and that while ambient sound is still audible, the closer fit cuts out some of the outside noise.

They're staying put so well that I no longer feel the same anxiety about them tumbling onto the ground and down a sewer grate. That worry was always present with the older AirPods. The healthy dose of ambient sound remains, and I'm just someone who prefers earbuds that offer some quiet from the outside world.

Gizmodo's Andrew Liszweski also said that the AirPods 3 had a better fit in the ear. The AirPods 3 are "ever so slightly heavier" than the original, but the shorter stem and the more streamlined design orients the main speaker "at a better angle feels like it offers better weight distribution."

TechCrunch's Brian Heater said that the AirPods 3 are "unquestionably" more comfortable than older AirPods, but the ‌AirPods Pro‌ are still better.

The more contoured third-generation buds are unquestionably more comfortable than their predecessors, but the gulf between them and the Pros feels like night and day. That's likely to be even more the case for people with smaller ears -- having different-sized, removable tips is a lifesaver for some. The seal those tips provide also create passive noise canceling through a physical seal that effectively keeps in more audio frequencies and blocks out ambient noise.

Pocket-lint's Britta O'Boyle found the AirPods 3 to be too big for her ears, and said that they do fall out of her ears occasionally.

Sound Quality

Apple told The Verge that it aimed to give the AirPods 3 the same sound profile as the ‌AirPods Pro‌. The Verge reviewer Chris Welch said that the ‌AirPods Pro‌ do indeed sound similar to the AirPods 3, and compared to the AirPods 2, they're "fuller." There's no "striking difference" between the AirPods 2 and AirPods 3, but among other earbuds with a similar design, Welch says the AirPods are "up there with the best."

airpods 3 the verge
Other reviewers expressed similar sentiments about the sound. Gizmodo's Andrew Liszweski said that the AirPods 3 don't sound better than the ‌AirPods Pro‌, but they're a definite improvement over the prior-generation AirPods. "I'm legitimately surprised at how good they do sound," he wrote.

The separation between high and low frequencies isn't as pronounced and distinct as it is with the AirPods Pro and other wireless earbuds that use silicone tips--sometimes the highs get a little lost if bass notes are really thumping in a track--but the new AirPods' sound quality is a huge improvement, and because they're so comfortable to wear, I keep choosing them over my AirPods Pro for most of my daily listening.

Engadget's Billy Steele said that the AirPods sound "so much better" than prior models.

I don't want to mince words here: the new AirPods sound so much better than the previous two versions. Like almost night and day better. Apple didn't make any significant changes to sound quality from the first model to the 2019 version. But for gen three, Apple paired a custom driver with a high-dynamic-range amplifier to improve the audio chops. The company says that the duo work together to produce "rich consistent bass" and "crisp, clean" highs. From the moment I fired up the first song, this was all immediately evident. I don't think I've ever audibly said "woah" with the first note from a guitar on any review unit, but given how average older AirPods sound, it was involuntary this time.

Steele highlighted the Adaptive EQ feature of the AirPods, which customize the sound to the individual ear. The feature and other sound quality updates make the AirPods something he "actually wanted to listen to music with" rather than a listening device to choose just because they're more convenient than other earbud options.

He also tested call quality, and he said that FaceTime calls are "crisp and clear." Phone calls are better, but not to the same degree as ‌FaceTime‌ calls.

Charging Case

Apple added a MagSafe Charging Case to the AirPods 3, and according to reviewers, the case works identically to ‌MagSafe‌ iPhones, attaching with the same alignment to magnetic chargers. There's no reverse wireless charging, though, and Apple told The Verge that the ‌MagSafe‌ Case was intentionally designed so that it can't magnetically latch to iPhones to avoid confusing people.

airpods 3 magsafe

Battery Life

Pocket-lint's Britta O'Doyle said that in her testing, the battery life of the AirPods listed by Apple was "conservative." Apple says that the AirPods will last for up to six hours, but she got "more listening than promised." The ‌AirPods Pro‌ lasted for 4.5 hours of talk time (Apple says 4), and 5.5 hours with Spatial Audio enabled (Apple says 5).

Wrap-Up

Overall, reviews of the AirPods 3 were highly positive. Reviewers like the new design, which is more comfortable and offers a tighter and more secure fit in the ears, and the improved fit also makes the sound quality better than before.

All of the great AirPods features like quick pairing and easy device switching are present, plus Apple has added Spatial Audio and Adaptive EQ to boost them even further. Reviews lauded the new IPX4 water and sweat resistance rating, and were satisfied with the battery life.

On the downside, some reviewers still missed the silicone tips and the Active Noise Cancellation feature available in the ‌AirPods Pro‌, but it's clear that these new AirPods are worth checking out, especially at the $179 price point.

Related Roundup: AirPods 4
Buyer's Guide: AirPods (Buy Now)
Related Forum: AirPods

Top Rated Comments

TheYayAreaLiving ?️ Avatar
46 months ago
I just wish it was offered in more colors, Apple.

Matte black? Sierra blue? Product red?
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dz5b609 Avatar
46 months ago
Weird how the lack of (passive) noise cancellation is considered a negative, for me it's the feature why I'm getting these to replace the 1st gen airpods besides my Airpods pro. A lot of passive noise cancellation would totally defeat the purpose for me. It's also the differentiator between the Pro's and the normal ones, you want noise cancellation, get the pros.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
lyngo Avatar
46 months ago
I, for one, am looking forward to getting my new AirPods tomorrow. I’m looking forward to better comfort within my ears.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
smarch Avatar
46 months ago
I’ll be stocking up on AirPod 2s I think. I love that they are small and light and sit in the ear and feel like they are not even there and don’t cut ambient sound. I never had one problem with them falling out.

Don’t like the pros and suspect I won’t like these. I’m hoping for an airpod SE already.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
smarch Avatar
46 months ago
I’m not looking for airpods that are “good headphones”. Airpods are in a different category.. they put your phone in your head. The comfort of the originals is key. I don’t want to feel like I have cotton balls stuck in my ears. I want to feel like my phone is just in my head magically. Original airpods did this so well.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dz5b609 Avatar
46 months ago

Thanks for the reviews. What about the microphone? This is arguably not the best side of the AirPods lineup. I own the AirPods Pro but when I have to make a phone call, especially if I'm outside, I tend to plug my usual earphones, as I get too many complaints from the people I talk to. I hope this gets improved in a future generation.
??
Airpods are considered the gold standard when it comes to earphone microphones, I would look and see if the grates aren't very dirty or something, blocking the microphones.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 18

Apple Releases iOS 18.5 With New Wallpaper, Screen Time Changes, Carrier Satellite Support for iPhone 13 and More

Monday May 12, 2025 10:06 am PDT by
Apple today released iOS 18.5 and iPadOS 18.5, the fifth updates to the iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 operating systems that came out last September. iOS 18.5 and iPadOS 18.5 come a little over a month after Apple released iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. The iOS 18.5 update has a...
Apple CarPlay Ultra instrument cluster themes 01

Apple's 'CarPlay Ultra' Experience Now Available

Thursday May 15, 2025 5:07 am PDT by
Apple today announced that its next-generation CarPlay experience, now dubbed "CarPlay Ultra" begins rolling out today, starting with Aston Martin vehicles. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. CarPlay Ultra is now available with new Aston Martin vehicle orders in the U.S. and Canada. It will also be available for existing models that feature the brand's next-generation ...
iPhone 12 Made in India

Trump Tells Tim Cook to Stop Building iPhones in India

Thursday May 15, 2025 2:21 am PDT by
President Donald Trump has asked Apple CEO Tim Cook to halt the company's manufacturing expansion in India, in a potential disruption of Apple's plan to shift iPhone production away from China. "I had a little problem with Tim Cook yesterday," Trump said during his state visit to Qatar, according to Bloomberg. "He is building all over India." "They [India] have offered us a deal where...
iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

WSJ: Apple Weighing Price Hikes for iPhone 17 Lineup Without Blaming Tariffs

Monday May 12, 2025 3:36 am PDT by
Apple is considering raising prices for its upcoming iPhone 17 models set to release this fall, according to people familiar with the matter cited by The Wall Street Journal. The company reportedly aims to pair the potential price hikes with new features and design changes to justify the increased cost to consumers, rather than attributing them to U.S. tariffs on goods from China. The...
Apple CarPlay Ultra instrument cluster themes 01

Apple's CarPlay Ultra Is Here – Does Your iPhone Support It?

Thursday May 15, 2025 5:17 am PDT by
Apple's recently announced CarPlay Ultra promises a deeply integrated in-car experience, but not all iPhone users will be able to take advantage of the new feature. According to Apple's press release, CarPlay Ultra requires an iPhone 12 or later running iOS 18.5 or later. This means if you're using an iPhone 11, iPhone XR, or any older model, you'll need to upgrade your device to access...
tvOS 18 Feature

Apple Releases tvOS 18.5

Monday May 12, 2025 10:01 am PDT by
Apple today released tvOS 18.5, the latest version of the tvOS operating system. tvOS 18.5 comes a little over a month after the launch of tvOS 18.4, and it is available for the Apple TV 4K and Apple TV HD models. tvOS 18.5 can be downloaded using the Settings app on the ‌Apple TV‌. Open up Settings and go to System > Software Update to get the new software. ‌Apple TV‌ owners who have...
macOS Sequoia Feature

Apple Releases macOS Sequoia 15.5

Monday May 12, 2025 10:10 am PDT by
Apple today released macOS Sequoia 15.5, the fifth major update to the macOS Sequoia operating system that launched last September. macOS Sequoia 15.5 comes a little over a month after the launch of macOS Sequoia 15.4. Mac users can download the ‌‌‌macOS Sequoia 15.5‌‌‌ update through the Software Update section of System Settings. It is available for free on all Macs able to run ...
apple music

Apple Music Gets New Transfer Tool to Make Switching From Spotify Easier

Wednesday May 14, 2025 5:17 pm PDT by
Apple this week introduced a new feature designed to allow prospective Apple Music users to import their saved music and playlists from third-party music services to Apple Music. The feature is either in an expanded testing phase or it has started rolling out, and it is available in Australia and New Zealand according to an Apple Support document. Signs of the transfer option first surfaced...