AirPods Pro 3 vs AirPods Pro 2

Apple announced AirPods Pro 2 on 7 September 2022, gave it a USB-C case on 12 September 2023 at the same $249, and replaced it with AirPods Pro 3 on 9 September 2025. Side by side, the two are hard to tell apart. The giveaway is the bud: the same 30.9mm tall, but narrower and deeper on Pro 3.

The differences at a glance

Spec	AirPods Pro 3	AirPods Pro 2
Announced	9 September 2025	7 September 2022; USB-C case 12 September 2023
US launch price	$249	$249, unchanged for the USB-C case in 2023
Chips	H2; second-generation Ultra Wideband chip in the case	H2; U1 in the case
Tips	Foam-infused silicone, five sizes: XXS, XS, S, M, L	Silicone, four sizes: XS, S, M, L
Noise cancelling, Apple’s claim	Up to 2× Pro 2, and 4× the original AirPods Pro	Up to 2× the original Pro and AirPods 4 with ANC
Per charge, noise cancelling on	Up to 8 hours	Up to 6 hours
Spatial Audio with head tracking	Up to 7.5 hours	Up to 5.5 hours
Other battery ratings	6.5 hours with heart-rate sensing; 10 in Transparency with Hearing Aid	4 hours of lossless audio with Apple Vision Pro
With the case	Up to 24 hours, noise cancelling on	Up to 30 hours
Dust and water	IP57, buds and case	IP54, buds and case
Heart-rate sensor	Yes, for workouts; iOS 26 or later	No
One bud	5.55 g; 30.9 × 19.2 × 27.0 mm	5.3 g; 30.9 × 21.8 × 24.0 mm
Case	43.99 g; 47.2 × 62.2 × 21.8 mm	50.8 g; 45.2 × 60.6 × 21.7 mm
USB-C cable in the box	No, sold separately	Yes
Hearing Aid	Yes	Yes

What Pro 2 can’t get in an update

Heart rate. Pro 3 has a heart-rate sensor for workouts, so heart rate from the buds shows up in the Fitness app. It costs battery: Apple rates listening at 6.5 hours while the sensor runs, against 8 without it.

Fit. The tips are foam-infused silicone in five sizes, adding an XXS below Pro 2’s smallest, and they sit on a reshaped bud. If Pro 2 never sealed properly in your ears, that’s the best reason to try Pro 3.

Dust and water. Pro 3 is rated IP57 on the buds and the case, up from IP54. Both ratings cover sweat and water during workouts, not swimming, and neither is permanent, so dry the buds before you charge them.

Noise cancelling. Apple says Pro 3 isolates up to twice as much noise as Pro 2 and four times as much as the original AirPods Pro. Pro 2’s own claim is double the original. Those are Apple’s ratios rather than decibel measurements, so you can’t line them up against another brand.

Battery: longer in your ears, shorter in the case

Apple moved battery from the case to the buds. Pro 3 runs up to 8 hours per charge with noise cancelling on, 7.5 with Spatial Audio and head tracking, and 10 in Transparency with Hearing Aid. Pro 2 manages 6, or 5.5 with Spatial Audio. Count the case and the order flips: up to 24 hours in total for Pro 3, up to 30 for Pro 2.

So Pro 3 is the better pair for a long flight or a full workday with the buds in, and Pro 2 is the one you top up less often. Five minutes in either case buys about an hour of listening, and both cases charge over USB-C, MagSafe, an Apple Watch charger or a Qi pad. Apple measured both with 256 kbps AAC tracks.

One rating runs the other way: Pro 2 gets up to 4 hours of lossless audio with Apple Vision Pro, a figure Apple doesn’t give for Pro 3.

Hearing Aid and the newer software are already on Pro 2

Hearing Test, the FDA-authorized Hearing Aid, Hearing Protection and Loud Sound Reduction work on both. Apple supports them on AirPods Pro 2 and later with current firmware and iOS 18 or later (or a Mac on macOS Sequoia or later), for adults 18 and older with perceived mild to moderate hearing loss, and not in every region. For Pro 3, Apple also lists automatic Conversation Boost while Hearing Aid is on. If hearing help is all you need, a Pro 2 on current firmware already gives you the core of it.

Two newer tricks work the same way. Live Translation, in beta and not in every region, and the camera-remote press on iOS 26 or later both run on AirPods Pro 2 and later, so neither is a reason to upgrade.

Same controls, different cases

Both use H2, a custom high-excursion Apple driver and Bluetooth 5.3, both come in white, and the stem controls match: press, double-press and triple-press, press and hold to change listening modes, swipe for volume, and Siri. Apple doesn’t list codecs for either pair, so if LDAC is on your list, look elsewhere.

The cases differ too. Pro 3’s is lighter but a touch larger, and both have a speaker and a lanyard loop. Inside, Pro 3’s has the second-generation Ultra Wideband chip for Find My, which needs iOS 27 or later; Pro 2’s uses U1 for Precision Finding through your Apple Account.

Price, and which Pro 2 you’re looking at

Both started at $249 in the US. Pro 3 is the current model, so a new Pro 2 is worth it only at a clear discount; compare the price against apple.com on the day you buy.

The Pro 2 figures here are for the USB-C model. A used pair might be the 2022 Lightning version: its buds are A2931, A2699 and A2698 and its case is A2700, while the USB-C buds are A3047, A3048 and A3049 with case A2968.

If you’d rather skip ear tips altogether, AirPods 5 has an open fit and noise cancelling from $129, but it doesn’t list Hearing Aid. AirPods 5 vs AirPods Pro 3 covers that choice.