Cut through the noise: Apple AirPods Pro vs Sony WF1000XM3 noise cancelling earbuds
Apple’s new AirPods Pro joined Sony’s flagship true wireless earbuds in offering noise cancelling, so which company did it best?
Apple have a habit of being late to the party but relying on that patience to pay off.
Focusing on doing things right rather than first could be one of the company’s mantras if history is anything to go by, and the AirPods Pro are no exception. The AirPods Pro are Apple’s first earphones with noise cancellation and also its first major redesign of the AirPods since introducing them in 2016.
RELATED: AirPods Pro: more money, same problems
When Apple announced the release of these small earphones our immediate reaction was to see how they compared with the one product it appears to go toe-to-toe with. Sony’s creatively named WF-1000XM3 earbuds went on sale in July, making Sony the first to bring a pair of true wireless noise cancelling earbuds to the market. So how do the two compare?
Apple AirPods Pro $399 RRP
The white case which holds the AirPods Pro is larger than the existing “amateur” AirPods range. Enabling 24 hours of listening time, the case itself can be recharged with the Apple lightning cable or placed on a wireless charger for added convenience.
If you have a wireless charger for your phone, it can also recharge the AirPods Pro. Flipping open the lid on the case reveals the buds and if your iPhone is nearby it will immediately wake to connect.
This is thanks to the Apple H1 chip that makes magic of the whole process. What is different to the previous AirPods or Beats PowerBeats Pro (which also features the H1 chip) is that you are able to initiate an Ear Tip Fit Test.
The AirPods Pro have soft silicone tips and changing through small, medium and large you’ll be able to run the test to ensure noise cancellation can be properly achieved. Apple does this with an array of microphones that listen to the noise in your ear and outside your ear to ensure there is no leakage.
Once you’re set up you’re ready to listen to music, or make a call. The noise cancellation is immediately noticeable when turned on and even as this article is being typed, we cannot hear the sound of the keys.
Ambient office noise or murmurs on the train will no longer be a distraction and you’re somehow achieving this without large over ear headphones. The stems of the AirPods Pro are now the home of your controls, with prior AirPods it was on the in-ear component.
This is a smart move by Apple to avoid you tapping your buds further into your ear however it now requires a thumb and finger to pincer the stem.
Holding the stem for two seconds will switch your AirPods Pro between noise cancellation and transparency mode, useful when you need to hear what’s going on around you like a train announcement or when you need to order a coffee without removing the buds from your ears.
Previous generation AirPods with a “one size hope it fits all” approach worked great for some but were too loose for others. With the new design and silicone tips these have an excellent hold in our ears and whether you’re running, skipping or doing gymnastics, we’d be surprised if they fell out.
They fit tightly without feeling tight, and unlike other earphones we’ve tested, these don’t feel like they’re blocking your ears and creating that thud sound each time you take a step.
The sound from the AirPods Pro is relatively similar to the existing AirPods range, when you add noise cancellation though it means the volume does not need to be high to be heard, and that’s great news for our eardrums.
What you do notice with the ambient noise blocked out is that you are going to enjoy your music much more than the other models. The AirPods Pro will last up to four and a half hours out of the case with noise cancelling on.
Placed back in the case for five minutes however, will provide you with an hour of charge, handy for workouts.
With the AirPods Pro priced $80 above the AirPods 2 with Wireless Charging Case, we would fully recommend people invest the extra money if they’re going to buy a pair of Airpods to preserve their hearing and have a better experience overall. But what about an alternative ….
Sony WF-1000XM3 $399 RRP
While the Sony alternative has been on the market for a few months longer than the Apple AirPods Pro, they deserve some credit for being first. Available in two styles, the colour schemes from Sony are not as clinical as the Apple variants.
The charging case, powered by USB-C only, is taller, fatter, and wider than the AirPods Pro case. It will take up more space in your pocket and that is partially due to the slightly larger usage time from the headphones compared to the AirPods Pro.
If longevity is the top of your priority list then the Sony offering will have you listening (with noise cancellation) to the latest Kanye West album; Jesus is King, 53 times before looking for a power point.
The headphones themselves also come with different sized tips to ensure you get the right fit and for us that was especially important, not just for a better noise cancellation, but for a reassuring grip in the ear.
It took a few hours before we could trust these headphones to stay in, and while they’re very light to wear, we were originally nervous they’d fall out, which we didn’t experience with the AirPods Pro.
From an appearance point of view we loved the lack of a stem but did note that the Sony’s poked out of the ear further as the buds are larger. With music/call controls managed from a tap on the buds themselves you do notice the hits to your inner ear and you can understand why Apple kept the stem, albeit shorter than the previous models.
The app that comes free for Android or iOS is essential to managing your experience with these earphones. It enables you to tune the audio, adjust what each touch of the bud does, and also adjust how the noise cancellation should operate whether you’re walking or sitting still.
We loved this because it meant you could spend ten minutes initially making these tweaks and letting it do the work automatically whether you’re on the train or walking to the office.
The sound quality from the Sony’s is stronger and more established than the AirPods Pro, from Miles Davis to John Farnham you’ll get more from your music. Where it lacked however was the noise cancellation.
The AirPods Pro was able to block more ambient noise than the Sony pair, which says a lot when they’re still doing an excellent job for small buds.
For some of us who still make phone calls on our smartphones our callers were leaning towards the AirPods Pro in outdoor or indoor situations. With the Sony pair we sounded more distant than with the AirPods Pro. In all situations we had no problems hearing our caller but especially in a windy environment, we got complaints when using the Sony pair.
When push comes to shove, if you have $399 to drop on a pair of noise cancelling earphones then these two options are both impressive. If you’re using an iPhone then the AirPods Pro makes more sense, you’ll love the tight integration and when you move to your iPad, Mac or Apple TV you can continue using them without any hassle.
If you’re an Android user you could use some features of the AirPods Pro however, the app that Sony provides gives it an edge on that operating system.
If we know anything from history, while Apple isn’t always first, when they show up they tend to deliver quality and wake up the market. So now we await the next release from Bose, B&O, Bowers & Wilkins and Jabra.
Connect with Geoff Quattromani on Twitter @GQuattromani and listen to his podcast “Technology Uncorked”
Have you tried the new Airpods Pro or Sony’s noise-cancelling rival buds? Let us know what you think in the comments below.
My brother and cousin Sia never sounded so good
With a brother who founded one of Australia’s biggest music exports and a cousin who has been Unstoppable in writing great hits, it shames me to say I can barely clap in time. But I know a good sound system when I hear it.
Best sounds of summer: Why latest AirPods are so good
Apple’s smallest and smartest audio product is likely to be one of the hottest Christmas gift items this year, along with a picture frame that has been to both seen and heard.
The 8K TV that can take you around the world
Forget about getting one a plane, this 8K TV ‘takes you there’ with stunning visuals while watching big sporting contests are next level. REVIEW