AirPods Pro 3 Review: The Best All-Round Earbuds for Apple Runner

Introduction

The Apple AirPod Pro 3 are the latest flagship in-ear Bluetooth headphones from Apple. While they don't look like a huge change on the surface, I have found them night and day compared to the older models.

Quick Specs

Price: £219

Battery Life:

• Earbuds: 6.5-8 hours (varies by features used)

• With charging case: Up to 24 hours total

• Quick charge: 5 minutes = ~1 hour listening time

Weight:

• Earbuds: 5.55g per earbud

• Charging case: 43.99g

Water Resistance: IP57 (dust, sweat, and water resistant - both earbuds and case)

Key Features:

• Heart rate sensor

• Active Noise Cancellation

• Transparency mode

• Spatial Audio with Head Tracking

• MagSafe charging case (USB-C)

I love exercising to music and sometimes an audiobook, so a good pair of earphones is a must for me. Whilst I love the open concept of something like the Ray-Ban Meta (link to them), there is something awesome about locking in and listening to music. Having tried out bone conducting headphones, multiple generations AirPods and plenty of iem’s, we are in a great place to review these units.

First Impressions & Design

The small in-ear design makes them really easy to put in and exercise with, and this year Apple included a heart-rate sensor into the earbuds. This means that you could use these with your iPhone and have heart rate data to train with, all without using the Apple Watch. Being an Apple Watch user, the app will always default to using that wrist based sensor to gather heart rate data, rather than using the AirPods. This suggests that Apple are more confident in that method of collection rather than the headphones. From my testing I have that it is serviceable as a heart rate sensor not that reliable. It is a nice touch but really I am not sure how necessary it is.

They come inside with a sleek Apple charging case, which you can get personalised at no extra cost, and you get a space to attach a lanyard to them to make carrying around easier.

The Fit Test

The big difference is the fit compared to the Apple AirPod Pro 2's. If you had a pair of those, you will notice the difference with this new set. They seem to just sit into your ear that bit better. I never had an AirPod Pro 2 fall out of my ear when running, but it often felt like they could. With these, I am getting none of that movement or play. In fact, they are so good that I can take my t-shirt off after a gym workout and I am not having the AirPods fall out and go everywhere. As a sweaty human being, I have put them through their paces and they are great. In the rain they performed great, being so close to my ear you didn't notice them on.

I did find it took me a few minutes of first putting them in to get used to the new fit - there is something new about the way they sit in your ear - but once I did I could keep them in all day and not notice.

As they are so small, you can wear sunglasses or a headband and not notice you have them.

There have been reports online and in reviews of some people finding them fit worse than previous models, but for me they are fantastic. Apple have included more ear tip options in the box, so getting that fit right is hopefully very possible.

Sound Quality

They sound fantastic, and again an upgrade from the previous models in terms of sound quality. Music feels richer and fuller. I love listening to music on them.

I don't think that sound performance is is a massive concern if you are using these headphones for running. After all you are listening to the music but also exercising and so that will be somewhat distracting you from the experience, but the great thing about these headphones is that they can be used for sport, and then you transition to using them for your commute or listening at work and they are wonderful.

The Apple Ecosystem Advantage

These headphones seamlessly fit into your Apple tech bag (if you have one). Pair on one device and they are paired to all of them. Move between music coming from iPhone and Apple Watch with ease. The integration is part of the enjoyment. Yes it absolutely ties you into an ecosystem for the best experience, but I find that it is worth it. Android users are going to have a worse time, you get less options to change settings and less of the extras that Apple include with the AirPods - like head tracking, Find My and Live Translation.

Smart Features for Running

Where they really shine as a running device is the adaptive noise cancellation and transparency mode. Again Apple seems to have made good improvements here - so if you are in a gym, running on a treadmill or in a safe space where you want to block out background noise, you are going to get an amazing experience with the AirPods here.

If you are running outside, or even at a race, and want to make sure you can hear around you and listen to your music, the transparency mode makes all that very possible. The music is quieter and you just hear the world outside you a lot more. If it is incredibl windy I have found that rather distracting - you can turn the both noise cancellation and transparency mode off to help with that. However, just blustery conditions are not noticeable.

By default, switching between the two is as simple as holding down the stalk on the AirPods. This works whether you are sweaty or not.

Where these have been great for me is before a race I find I can get very anxious with all the people and noise, and having headphones I can listen to music with but also drown out the background noise is great. Allowing me to stay calm and focused on myself.

Battery Life

The battery has been great, you get more depending on how many features you are using. Apple states 6 ½ for listening on transparency mode and using heart rate sensor in use, up to 8 hours with noise cancellation only. In my usage I have never run out, and then using the MagSafe Charging Case to quickly top up has been awesome. So you can get up to 24 hours of usage with the case charging them up.

Price & Value Proposition

If these were just a running set of headphones, at £219 that is an awfully high investment to be making. They are not cheap, but amazingly the same price ass the AirPods Pro 2. However as they can be used for training and also day to day usage, they do have a lot more mileage than just a pair of headphones.

Alternatives to Consider

The Powerbeats Fit at £199.95 provide a headphones with more of a fitness focus. With the wing tip for extra secure fit, and android compatibility (along with Apple), it makes a good other option. They come in different colours too, so you are getting more of a fashionable piece. For my money I would spend the extra for the AirPod Pro 3.

Other running specific options include the Shokz OpenRun Pro 2. At £169 you are getting bone conduction headphones, so appropriate for any race which has a ban on headphones because they don't go in your ear. This means that you can still hear everything going on around you. . However they are very sporty looking and I am not at all sure you'd want to walk around in them.

Final Verdict

If you're part of the Apple ecosystem and love listening to music, these are a must-have. The fit improvements are fantastic (as long as they work for your ears), the sound quality is excellent, and the adaptive features genuinely enhance the running experience.

For Apple users who want one exceptional pair of earbuds for everything - running, commuting, working - the AirPods Pro 3 are absolutely worth the £219 investment.

However, if you're not going to benefit from the Apple-exclusive features, or if you only need running-specific earbuds, there are excellent alternatives that offer better value. The Beats Fit Pro are a solid choice for runners who want something more fitness-focused at a lower price point.

My recommendation: These excel because they're versatile. If you want dedicated running earbuds only, save money and go with the Beats. But if you want one premium pair that does everything brilliantly, the AirPods Pro 3 are hard to beat.