Apple AirPods Pro 3 vs Apple EarPods (USB-C)

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AirPods Pro 3 compared with EarPods (USB-C)

	AppleAirPods Pro 3	AppleEarPods (USB-C)
Overview
Released
Released	September 2025	September 2023
Sound
Type
Type	In-ear	Open-ear
Noise cancelling
Noise cancelling	Yes	No
Transparency mode
Transparency mode	Yes	–
Spatial audio with head tracking
Spatial audio with head tracking	Yes	–
Bluetooth codecs
Bluetooth codecs	SBC and AAC	None (wired)
Lossless over USB-C
Lossless over USB-C	No	Yes
Chip
Chip	H2	–
Drivers
Drivers	Custom high-excursion Apple driver and custom high dynamic range amplifier	–
Chip
Chip	H2 in each AirPod; second-generation Ultra Wideband chip in the MagSafe Charging Case	–
Noise cancelling detail
Noise cancelling detail	Active Noise Cancellation with Adaptive Audio, Transparency mode, Conversation Awareness and Loud Sound Reduction; foam-infused ear tips for passive isolation	–
Audio features
Audio features	Personalised Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking; Adaptive EQ; Personalised Volume; Voice Isolation; studio-quality audio recording; Live Translation; lossless audio when paired with Apple Vision Pro	Lossless audio over USB-C (TechRadar); Apple does not publish supported bit depths or sample rates on its product page
Hearing health
Hearing health	Hearing Test, Hearing Aid (with automatic Conversation Boost) and Hearing Protection	–
Health sensors
Health sensors	Heart rate sensor for workouts	–
Battery
Listening time (maker's claim)
Listening time (maker's claim)	Up to 8 hours	No battery (wired)
With the case
With the case	Up to 24 hours	–
Wireless charging
Wireless charging	Yes	–
Battery life detail
Battery life detail	Up to 7.5 hours with Spatial Audio and head tracking on; 6.5 hours with heart rate sensing during workouts; 10 hours in Transparency using the Hearing Aid feature	–
Charging case
Charging case	MagSafe Charging Case (USB-C) with speaker for Find My and lanyard loop; charges with MagSafe, Apple Watch or Qi-certified chargers or a USB-C cable	–
Fast charging
Fast charging	5 minutes in the case gives around 1 hour of listening	–
Design
Headphone cable
Headphone cable	–	No
Weight (each earbud)
Weight (each earbud)	5.55 g	–
Water and sweat resistance
Water and sweat resistance	IP57	–
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	5.3	–
Controls
Controls	Force sensor with volume swipe on the stems (press to play, pause, answer calls and skip; press and hold to switch listening modes; swipe up or down for volume); camera remote; “Hey Siri” or just “Siri”; Siri Interactions	Inline remote for volume, music and video playback, and answering or ending calls
Microphones
Microphones	Dual beamforming microphones and an inward-facing microphone; speech-detecting accelerometer	Inline microphone
Fit and ear tips
Fit and ear tips	Foam-infused silicone ear tips in five sizes (XXS, XS, S, M, L)	Non-sealing earbuds with a fixed shape and no ear tips
Case weight
Case weight	43.99 g	–
Water resistance detail
Water resistance detail	IP57 (IEC 60529) for the AirPods Pro and charging case	Apple states protection from sweat and water but does not publish an IP rating
Works with
Works with	Full features with iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Apple TV and Apple Vision Pro on the latest software; works as Bluetooth headphones with other devices, with limited features	USB-C Macs with macOS Monterey 12.6 or later; USB-C iPads with iPadOS 16.4 or later; USB-C iPhones with iOS 17 or later
Colours
Colours	White	White
In the box
In the box	AirPods Pro 3, MagSafe Charging Case (USB-C) with speaker and lanyard loop, silicone ear tips (XXS, XS, S, M, L), documentation; USB-C cable sold separately	EarPods with USB-C Connector