We yesterday published our own in-depth review of AirPods Pro 3, with our editor-in-chief Chance Miller concluding that the latest iteration feels like a turning point for the product.
Triathlete DC Rainmaker conducted detailed comparative tests of the new heart rate monitor as part of his own review, and concluded that it was “mind-bogglingly good” …
In his review, Chance noted that while this isn’t the first time Apple has made earbuds with heart rate monitoring capabilities, the AirPods Pro 3 use different technology to the Powerbeats Pro 2.
These aren’t, however, the first Apple earbuds with heart rate monitoring capabilities. The Powerbeats Pro 2 debuted back in February with similar technology. Apple says, however, that AirPods Pro 3 and Powerbeats Pro 2 aren’t using the same sensor. Powerbeats Pro 2 use optical heart rate sensors that pulse a green LED light through the skin in your ear over 100 times per second.
AirPods Pro 3, meanwhile, use a custom photoplethysmography (PPG) sensor, which shines invisible infrared light pulsed at 256 times per second. This sensor was built exclusively for AirPods Pro 3 and Apple says it’s its smallest heart rate sensor ever.
He found it mostly consistent with data from his Apple Watch, while DC Rainmaker went further. He compared the data provided by seven different devices, using his own in-depth analysis tool:
He noted that there are different levels of challenge in getting an accurate reading across activities, with Powerbeats failing to deliver accurate results as soon as he moved from indoor cycling to outdoor running.
After a poor showing by Powerbeats, he was not expecting much from the latest AirPods. However, a man not known for hyperbole says he couldn’t believe how good they are on the toughest test of an interval training set.
Holy crap that’s good […] I’m blown away. Like, legit blown away. Not because Apple couldn’t do it, but because the PowerBeats 2 Pro were so bad (and only about 8 months ago), that I’d kinda written off Apple’s ability to get optical HR correct. Further, other companies recent attempts (e.g. Polar’s with Sennheiser), have also been pretty darn bad. All of which tracked with numerous other companies over the years trying, and failing, horrifically.
Apple has managed to do something that really nobody else has: Produce a pretty solid heart rate sensing device in your ears. It’s not absolutely perfect, but it’s really strong.
He says if you’re looking for one product to do it all, AirPods Pro 3 are the only choice.
If you want great sound for workouts with great heart rate, this seems like not just the easy button, but frankly, the only button. No other heart rate-capable headphones have been anywhere near this accurate (or even usable for that matter). And this seems to check both the accuracy and audio boxes.
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