TWS true wireless earphones - $50 - $100
4.5 STARS - The SoundPEATS Air 3 Pro brings a comfortable fit, strong Active Noise Cancelling and entertaining sound to the table for just 60 dollars. It's an attractive affordable alternative to the AirPods Pro's.
SoundPEATS Air 3 Pro specs and features:
Bluetooth 5.2 with AAC and AptX Adaptive codec
IPX5 waterproof (sweat and rain proof)
5 - 6 hours listening on a single charge (ANC on/ off)
Charging case can charge earpieces fully 3 times
Comes with 3 sets of ear tips, USB-C cable, English manual
$60 - Check latest price on Amazon US, other Amazon countries or AliExpress
Below this SoundPEATS Air 3 Pro review, you will find comparisons of the SoundPEATS Air3 Pro vs SoundPEATS Mini Pro, SoundPEATS Air3, Earfun Air Pro 2 and Soundcore Life P3.
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Design, comfort and battery life
The basic model were half-in-ears you can just hang in your ears. The new and more expensive Pro version has Active Noise Cancelling, and rubber ear tips that go into your ears - to make it work.
It was what Apple did with the regular AirPods when it released the Apple AirPods Pro. It was what Chinese manufacturer Fiil did with the Fiil CC when it released the Fiil CC Pro. And now it's SoundPEATS' turn. The SoundPEATS Air 3 Pro is the ANC-version, full-in-ear version of the beloved SoundPEATS Air3.
Like other products from the popular budget earbuds brand, the SoundPEATS Air3 Pro has a matte-black, lightweight charging case that's both slippery and lovely compact. It's just about sturdy enough, slides into any pocket and has the basics of functions you want from it: a USB-C port down below and a subtle LED-light right under the lid to indicate the remaining case battery. The case can recharge the earbuds three times fully before needing new power itself.
The earbuds themselves have the short stems of the Air3 and wear the same shield-like logo as touch panels. They look a bit cheap and fragile thanks to the multiple lines on top of the buds, but the diagonal, oval ear part is comfortable to wear and fits snugly enough in your (medium-sized) ears. The buds are IPX5 sweat- and rainproof.
Battery life is decent as well: the Air 3 Pro reaches up to 5 hours on a single charge with ANC on, and about 6 with the noise cancelling turned off.
Controls and connectivity
SoundPEATS always puts all the desired controls straight on the earbuds, and the Air3 Pro is no exception:
Double-tap L or R to play/ pause music
Tap R to increase the volume
Tap L to decrease it
Hold R to skip to the next song
Hold L to switch between ANC on, Transparency mode, ANC off
Triple-tap R to activate the voice assistant
Triple-tap L to (de)activate the Game Mode
Only the possibility to return a song is missing. Switching between the ANC modes and Gaming mode on/off comes with clear voice prompts that aren't too loud. The touch panel can misinterpret the amount of your taps once in a while, though.
Connectivity on the Air3 Pro is strong. Don't expect multipoint connection - the biggest difference between the AirPods Pro and this, is that you can't connect this TWS to multiple Bluetooth devices at once. Happily, the basics work. The connection is stable up to 9-10 meters and pairing and connecting happen quickly.
Calls, movies and Games
The SoundPEATS Air3 Pro works well for phone calls. Your voice is loud enough, clear, and has a telephone-like vibe to it. It can handle a bit of a breeze (not a fierce wind though, like any other earphone), and your voice remains clear when there's some noise around you - like chatter or nearby traffic. Short sound bursts like a scooter accelerating only interfere a bit. A combination of wind noise and other sounds can also be challenging. Another downside is that you may have to maximize the volume of the people you're talking to.
Video call quality is great. Your voice is loud enough and sounds clear and natural. Moreover, sounds around you are reduced in volume and don't push your voice away too much. It's easy to take these into a Google Meet or Zoom meeting.
Thanks to the dedicated Game Mode, the Air3 Pro is fantastic for gaming on iPhone: there's minimal delay between the sounds and the action on your screen, and the Air3 Pro even boosts some bass to immerse you more - while it isn't the most accurate in pinpointing where action is around you - in Call of Duty mobile for example. There's more latency on Android, but here too, performance is impressive and games are easy to enjoy.
Watching videos goes without problems, with flawless synchronization between audio and video on Android and iPhone.
App Support of SoundPEATS Air3 Pro
You can get forget the app support for the SoundPEATS Air 3 Pro on iPhone on Android at the moment. The iPhone app doesn't support this model (yet), and the Android version wants to install a firmware update on the earbuds, but it doesn't work.
This section will be updated when things change. As of this moment, don't expect anything.
ANC Noise cancelling Test of Air 3 Pro
Having active noise cancelling on a $60 earphone is no specialty anymore these days, but like the related SoundPEATS Mini Pro, the ANC on the Air 3 Pro is a strong offering in its segment.
ANC quality: Wow - the active noise cancelling on the SoundPEATS Air3 Pro can be strong. As ANC is on by default, you only have to put the earbuds in and it removes and reduces loads of noise around you. Irregular nearby sounds like chatter or a radio playing songs are still audible, but are fairly reduced in volume. Static sounds like electronic humming and nearby sounds like keyboard clicks are filtered very well, and background noise is heavily reduced too - with the biggest volume and highest notes taken away from traffic, for instance.
You may still hear a bit of background noise, but prepare to hear your own internal breathing as well - it can be that effective. When there are lots of brighter sounds around you, like kids laughter or highway traffic, the Air3 Pro ANC feels less effective. There's also a noticeable white noise to counter all the other sounds. But this is all without playing music. Hit that play button and your surroundings pretty much leave you.
Transparency mode quality: There's little difference between the Transparency (called Passthrough) mode and the ANC off-function here. Turning the ANC off, also makes you hear and locate traffic around you while you're playing music to moderate volume, and it saves you the wind noise that comes with the Transparency mode. The Transparency mode does put through nearby conversations in a natural and audible way, however - even when playing music to moderate volume.
Wind noise reduction: While it isn't the sharpest or most annoying sound, both the ANC and Transparency mode of the Air 3 Pro let in a fair amount of wind noise. Happily, you can turn ANC off from the earbuds, to get rid of it.
Also read: The best wireless ANC earbuds
Sound quality of SoundPEATS Air 3 Pro
The SoundPEATS Air 3 Pro has an entertaining sound, but lacks a little polish.
There's a certain smoothness to the sound of the Air3 Pro. This is mostly caused by the lower frequencies. Lower mid-tones are somewhat boosted to give darker electronic tones and drums extra presence, without taking the music hostage - just like on the SoundPEATS Mini Pro. A small difference between these two earbuds is noticeable in the bass. The Air3 Pro bass is tighter, but that's not the full story.
There's a steady mid-bass punch to provide enough power to modern genres like dance, pop, and hip-hop, but as bass tones drag on a bit, it's not the quickest one out there.
The sub-bass (darkest tones you can feel as much as hear) is impressive. It rumbles joyfully and deep in James Blake's test track Limit to Your Love, and isn't afraid to show its fullness and depth in more crowded compositions as well. When multiple basslines come together, however, it can get a little messy in the lows.
Things are even less refined in the treble area. Female and higher-pitched male vocals are slightly forward and sound crisp, but songs with a focus on upper-mids itself, can sound a little shaky. Vocals can feel a bit nasal, and higher instruments like violins cymbals can come across thin
When it comes to details, the Air3 Pro covers the basic as well as the Mini Pro. Like many cheaper earbuds, there can be a bit of graininess around the snare drum frequency, but vocals form the center-part of the music and often come straight in front of you. There's decent separation between instruments; the Mini Pro has more openness in the higher frequencies and can flank you more from your left and right, the Air3 Pro lays more of a warm blanket around you.
The SoundPEATS Air3 Pro generally serves an entertaining sound, that can get a little wonky in songs with either lots of bass or lots of treble focus.
SoundPEATS Air 3 Pro comparisons
SoundPEATS Air 3 Pro vs SoundPEATS Air 3: What are the differences?
Aside from the shape of the earbuds and the delightful compact charging case, does it make sense the Air3 Pro shares its name with the half-in-ear, original Air3? Are they much alike? Well, yes. When it comes to sound, both have a boosted bass and forward upper-mids that stay in the safe zone, so the treble doesn't become sharp. The Air3 Pro has more laidback vocals, but also a fuller and deeper bass. The regular Air3 has more openness, and gives upper-mids a bit more thickness.
The Air3 Pro is a step up from the Air3 in functionality. The newer Pro of course has ANC, has around 5 hours of battery life (ANC on) instead of 4,5, puts your voice through louder and clearer in video calls, and its gaming mode is more in sync with the action on the screen.
Simply put: the SoundPEATS Air3 is a great low-cost AirPods 3 alternative; the SoundPEATS Air3 Pro is an excellent cheap AirPods Pro alternative.
SoundPEATS Air3 review ($40)
SoundPEATS Air3 Pro vs SoundPEATS Mini Pro: Which is better?
The SoundPEATS Mini Pro or the SoundPEATS Air 3 Pro can both be bought for 60 dollars, and both have strong Active Noise Cancelling and a decent Transparency mode. The similarities don't stop there either. Both are great choices for gaming and have good call quality in both phone and video calls. Battery life is comparable as well: both reach up to 5 hours with ANC on. The Mini Pro surprisingly lasts around an hour longer than the Air3 Pro with the function turned off, however: 7 vs 6 hours.
There are more of these minor differences. Thanks to the more straightforward shape and fit, it's easier to get the most out of the ANC on the Air3 Pro - although the Mini Pro can be just as impressive in silencing your surroundings when you twist them in your ears a little. When it comes to sound, both have energetic but not overpowering mid-bass, boosted lower-mid tones and forward upper-mids. The Air3 Pro sound is slightly more around you, whereas the Mini Pro has a cleaner bass and more openness around the vocals and higher frequencies - it brings out higher vocals more lively. It makes the Mini Pro sound clearer and more detailed, better in most circumstances, if sharper on the highest volume levels.
The most important factor to choose between the SoundPEATS Air3 Pro or Mini Pro: do you prefer earbuds with or without stems?
SoundPEATS Air3 Pro vs Earfun Air Pro 2
A combination of strong Active Noise Cancelling, clear calls, and good sound quality for $60 existed before, in the form of the Earfun Air Pro 2. Putting it head to head with the SoundPEATS Air3 Pro, the Earfun gives higher vocals a more space - putting through more nuances of especially female singers. Acoustic mid-instruments like guitars are also more pronounced; the Earfun sounds more balanced. Despite its smooth underlining, the Air 3 Pro is more dynamic, with a more prominent mid-bass and a deeper-diving sub-bass. Even though ANC of the SoundPEATS is stronger and its gaming mode is more effective, you could make this choice on your preferred sound character alone.
Earfun Air Pro 2 review ($60)
SoundPEATS Air3 Pro vs Soundcore Life P3: Which is better?
Should you spend $20 more for the very popular Soundcore Life P3? Like other products from Anker's earbuds brand, the Life P3 has outstanding app support on Android and iPhone, that not only gives you a panel with adjustable sleep sounds and some ANC options, but also countless sound equalizers that can really tweak the sound to your liking. Out of the box, Soundcore's sound is more immersive. P3's mid-bass is much heavier, and there's a thick emphasis on upper-mids that presents higher-vocals more forward and brighter. The Air 3 Pro sounds smoother and is easier to listen to; not only are highs cut off earlier; the mid-bass is less thumpy and music has a slightly warmer character.
So is it worth spending more? The Life P3 looks and feels more like a premium product thanks to the sturdier case and more designed earbuds. The Air3 Pro is more comfortable to wear, has more clarity in phone and video calls, offers a better gaming mode with more on-point synchronization, and... its ANC is also stronger. You do the math.
Soundcore Life P3 review ($80)
SoundPEATS Air3 Pro vs Soundcore Life A3i
Comparing the SoundPEATS Air3 Pro to the Soundcore Life A3i is comparing two great, versatile $60 earbuds. Active Noise Cancelling is excellent on both, while the Air3 Pro has a more usable Transparency mode, handles wind noise better in calls, and handles gaming better. The Soundcore wins on battery life: 7 vs 5 hours with ANC on.
The SoundPEATS sounds more vivid than the Soundcore on low to moderate volume. Overall, the Air3 Pro indeed has more air, more centric vocals and better separation between instruments. If you like to listen to your music loudly, however, things change. The Soundcore is more precise and cleaner. Its bass has more impact and tightness, it handles multiple basslines better, and as upper-mids and highs are kept better in control, they're more comfortable to listen to - while providing a more energetic sound as well.
Verdict
The SoundPEATS Air 3 Pro combines a comfortable fit, strong Active Noise Cancelling, clear call quality, and entertaining sound for just 60 dollars. It's an attractive affordable alternative to the AirPods Pro's.
4.5 stars - Great
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