Apple AirPods Pro 3 vs Nothing Ear (3): A battle of style and substance

If you’re choosing between Apple’s feature-stuffed AirPods Pro 3 and Nothing’s slick-looking Ear (3), you’re really weighing Apple-only magic tricks against cross-platform customization. I spent time with both and pulled in our lab data to help you decide which pair better suits your day-to-day needs.

What’s it like to use the AirPods Pro 3 compared to the Nothing Ear (3)?

Apple sticks with the familiar white, glossy design, but the AirPods Pro 3 fit more securely thanks to a smaller bulb and deeper seating. The new foam-infused silicone tips improve stability for me over the AirPods Pro 2, though sweat and oil can still work them loose. The case keeps the same scratch-prone plastic, adds a front capacitive pairing/reset sensor, and a lanyard anchor. Controls feel great: swipe for volume, squeeze for playback and modes.

Nothing goes the opposite direction with style: transparent plastics plus recycled aluminum on the square case, and metallic accents on the buds. Both the buds and case carry IP54, and the lower stem angle helps the Ear (3) sit stable for long sessions. I can wear them for two hours without fuss. Pinch controls work well, though adjusting volume by repeated pinches isn’t as intuitive as Apple’s stem swipe.

Durability favors Nothing’s metal-clad case; water and dust resistance favors Apple with IP57 on the buds. Day to day, AirPods feel more seamless on iPhone, while Nothing feels more premium in the hand and friendlier to everyone else.

Do the AirPods Pro 3 or Nothing Ear (3) have more features?

AirPods Pro 3 pile on unique tricks: clinical-grade Hearing Aid features (with Apple’s Hearing Test, adjustable amplification/tone/balance), heart-rate tracking, Personalized Spatial Audio with head tracking, Conversation Awareness, Personalized Volume, Find My with a U2 chip in the case, and the ambitious Live Translation (still in beta and limited in languages, with noticeable delays and voice isolation challenges). The catch: all of this lives inside Apple’s walled garden, with no custom EQ and severely limited Android support.

Nothing goes deep on practical, platform-agnostic features. The Nothing X app is excellent, offering both a simple 3-band EQ and a full parametric EQ, a Personal Sound hearing profile, an ear tip fit test, Find My Earbuds, a dual-device toggle, firmware updates, and shareable EQ profiles via QR codes. The novel “Super Mic” in the case lets you press the Talk button to use the charging case as a microphone for calls and voice notes. I find it most useful for quick memos, but holding the case to your mouth for calls feels awkward for long conversations, and compatibility varies across apps.

In short, Apple offers more headline features (if you’re on iOS), while Nothing offers better customization and useful tools for everyone.

How do the AirPods Pro 3 and Nothing Ear (3) connect?

AirPods Pro 3 use Bluetooth 5.3 with SBC and AAC. There’s no LDAC/aptX, and Apple leans on the H2 chip for processing. On iPhone, I get low-latency AAC and the usual instant pairing/auto-switching; on Android, you can only play audio and miss basically everything else. I also hit a few early hiccups: occasional failures to auto-connect and a weird right-channel pan that I fixed by reseating the buds in the case.

Nothing Ear (3) step up to Bluetooth 5.4 with SBC, AAC, and LDAC up to 990kbps/24-bit/96kHz on supported devices, plus a low-latency mode (~<120ms) and dual-device connection. Pairing is easy with Google Fast Pair, Microsoft Swift Pair, or standard iOS pairing. If you bounce between phone and laptop, Nothing’s multipoint and codec support feels far more flexible.

Is battery life better on the AirPods Pro 3 or Nothing Ear (3)?

We measured 8 hours and 42 minutes on the AirPods Pro 3 with ANC on—excellent stamina for ANC earbuds. A 5-minute top-up nets about an hour of playback, and the case charges via USB-C, Qi wireless, or even an Apple Watch puck.

The Nothing Ear (3) lasts 5 hours and 12 minutes with ANC on in our test, with the case bringing total playback to a claimed 22 hours. The case supports Qi wireless (up to 2.5W) and faster USB-C; Nothing says 10 minutes of charging can yield up to 10 hours of listening (buds + case).

If you care about straight bud-level endurance, Apple wins comfortably.

Do the AirPods Pro 3 or Nothing Ear (3) block noise better?

Apple’s AirPods Pro 3 deliver among the best ANC we’ve tested, reducing external loudness by roughly 90% and pairing that with a very natural Transparency mode. Fit still matters—if the wear sensor loses contact because the bud creeps outward, ANC behavior can go sideways—so use the seal test and try alternate tip sizes.

The Nothing Ear (3) improve over last year, cutting loudness by about 82% overall with up to ~35dB attenuation in lows and ~38dB in highs. That’s close to the class leaders, though I noticed the system struggles greatly with outdoor windy conditions. But for commuting and flights, Apple’s ANC and transparency hold the edge.

Do the AirPods Pro 3 sound better than the Nothing Ear (3)?

I enjoy both, but they aim at different listeners. AirPods Pro 3 sound balanced with mild bass lift and great spatial cues, but the bass can be fatiguing over multi-hour sessions, and you can’t EQ it down. Nothing Ear (3) brings a fun, V-shaped signature with punchy bass and lively treble, plus excellent app EQ to tune them exactly how you want.

Multi-Dimensional Audio Quality Scores (MDAQS)

Objective Measurements

The frequency response measurements reveal significant differences between the Nothing Ear (3) and Apple AirPods Pro 3, particularly in their bass presentation. The Nothing Ear (3) shows a substantial overemphasis in the bass region, sitting approximately 10-13 dB above our preference curve from 20Hz through 200Hz. This level of bass boost will make kick drums and bass guitars considerably louder than other instruments, which can make vocals and midrange elements harder to hear in dense mixes.

In contrast, the AirPods Pro 3 tracks much closer to our preference curve throughout the bass frequencies, providing a more balanced mix where all instruments remain audible relative to each other. Both earbuds follow the target curve reasonably well through the midrange and treble regions between 1kHz and 8kHz, where speech and most instrumental fundamentals live, so neither should have issues with vocal intelligibility or making instruments sound strange.

Do the AirPods Pro 3 or Nothing Ear (3) have a better microphone?

AirPods Pro 3 use dual beamforming mics and the H2 chip. In quiet rooms, calls sound full and clear. Voice Isolation mode is effective at knocking down office noise and traffic, though very windy scenes add some crackle, and reverberant rooms reveal reverb tails. Net result: reliably intelligible in most conditions.

Nothing Ear (3) split mic duty: each earbud combines three mics with a bone-conduction VPU, and the case adds the “Super Mic.” In practice, the case mic reduces clipping but sounds muffled/robotic to me; I don’t reach for it for calls. The earbud mics fare better in the real world than lab rigs suggest because bone conduction helps separate your voice from ambient noise, but overall call quality still trends a bit muffled compared to AirPods.

AirPods Pro 3 microphone demo (Ideal conditions):

Nothing Ear (3) microphone demo (Ideal conditions):

AirPods Pro 3 microphone demo (Windy conditions):

Nothing Ear (3) microphone demo (Windy conditions):

Should you get the AirPods Pro 3 or Nothing Ear (3)?

Get the AirPods Pro 3 if you use an iPhone and want the best ANC, longer battery life, top-tier transparency, and Apple-exclusive features like Hearing Aid functionality, Spatial Audio, heart-rate tracking, and Live Translation (with the understanding it’s still rough). You’ll give up EQ and real Android support, but you gain a superb everyday experience in Apple’s ecosystem.

Choose the Nothing Ear (3) if you want great sound with real control (that parametric EQ is fantastic), LDAC support, multipoint, and a premium case—all at a lower price. ANC is strong, fit is comfy, and the app is class-leading. Just don’t buy it for the Super Mic; treat that as a niche voice-memo trick rather than a call quality revolution.

Bottom line: iPhone users who value ANC, battery, and Apple-only features should grab the AirPods Pro 3. Everyone else—especially Android listeners who want LDAC and customization—will be happier (and save money) with the Nothing Ear (3).