EarFun Air Pro 3 True Wireless  Headphones Review

These buds have a closer look to the EarFun Air Pro 2 True Wireless than the EarFun Air Pro True Wireless. Their flattened stem design has a glossy finish, while the touch surface has more of a satin sheen. It only comes in 'Black'.

The EarFun Air Pro 3 are comfortable. They feel lightweight and are less bulky than the EarFun Air Pro 2 True Wireless. Unlike their predecessor, their stem design is shorter and doesn't press onto your cheeks. Using the controls doesn't push the buds further into your ears, either. That said, they still slightly stick out of your ears.

These buds have good controls. They have a touch-sensitive surface on each earbud and are easy to use. That said, you can also adjust their controls in their companion app. There are voice prompts to let you know when you're powered but buds on and off, pairing them, and cycling between ANC modes. There are even beeps to let you know when you're using voice assistant. The controls aren't the most intuitive out of the box, though.

On the left earbud:

• One tap: Lowers volume.
• Triple tap: Skips the track backward.
• Tap and hold for two seconds: Cycles between ANC, ambient sound, which allows you to hear your surroundings without pausing your audio, and ANC off.

On the right earbud:

• One tap: Raises volume.
• Triple tap: Skips the track forward.
• Tap and hold for two seconds: Activates voice assistant.

On either earbud:

• Double tap: Plays or pauses audio. Also answers a call.
• Tap and hold for two seconds: Rejects a call.
• Triple tap: Allows you to answer and transfer to a new call while you're already on a call. You can also use this command to switch back to the previous call.

These buds are super portable. They're small, and their wireless design makes it easy to place them into pockets or bags without an issue.

The carrying case is good. It's made out of plastic, which feels a bit cheap, but the lid is stiffer than that of the predecessor. The three LED lights indicate battery life.

These headphones have good build quality. They're mostly made of plastic, which feels a little cheap, but that's normal, given their price point. However, they're certified IPX5 for resistance against direct water resistance, and feel like they could survive accidental drops and falls without taking damage.

These headphones have a stable in-ear fit. If you're wearing them during a jog in the park, they easily stay in place. That said, if you want to use them during a tougher workout or if you're wearing them while eating, they can move around in your ears, so you may need to readjust their fit accordingly.

• EarFun Air Pro 3 truly wireless earbuds
• 4x Sets of ear tips
• Charging case
• USB-C to USB-A charging cable
• Cotton cleaning swab with cleaning instructions
• Manuals

Using firmware 0.5.1, the EarFun Air Pro 3 have a very excited sound profile. They deliver intense thump, rumble, and boom, which is good if you like genres like EDM and hip-hop. That said, the extra bass muddies vocals and instruments. Added high-mid and treble helps to add clarity and brightness to them so that they can stand out from the bass. However, these sounds end up harsh and piercing, especially in the right driver, which is slightly mismatched from the left driver in these ranges. Luckily, their companion app offers a graphic EQ and presets so you can adjust their sound to your liking.

You can see a comparison of three frequency responses with the original firmware, 0.4.2, and 0.5.1 here. Firmware 0.5.1's frequency response is a little lower in the bass range and a little higher in the treble range than either the original or 0.4.2 responses. However, this difference is minor and isn't that noticeable unless you're an astute audiophile.

The frequency response consistency is outstanding. Since they have an in-ear fit, they have pretty consistent bass and treble delivery once you achieve a good fit.

The EarFun Air Pro 3's bass accuracy is mediocre as the response is very over-emphasized. You may like this if you prefer a lot of bass in music, especially for genres like EDM and hip-hop, as it intensifies the thump, punch, and boom of songs like Starboy by The Weeknd ft. Daft Punk. However, this overemphasis ends up muddying the rest of the mix.

The mid accuracy is great. There's some overemphasis coming from the bass range into the low-mid, which muddies vocals and instruments more in the left driver than the right. While the mid-mid is flat and balanced, there's another bump in the high-mid. This overemphasis harshens vocals and instruments more so in the right driver, rather than the left.

The treble accuracy is acceptable. Like the other ranges, the response is overemphasized. Vocals and instruments are much harsher here than in the mid-range, and the right driver is slightly more affected by this than the left driver. Sibilants like cymbals are also very piercing in both drivers.

The peaks and dips performance is satisfactory as the buds struggle to control their sound profile. There's a small bump in the high-bass that affects both drivers and adds boom to the mix. A dip in the low-mid thins out vocals and instruments in the right driver, while a dip in the mid-mid affects the left driver more prominently and pushes vocals and instruments to the back of the mix. The right driver is also slightly overemphasized from the high-mid to the low-treble, which makes vocals sound harsh. A peak in the mid-treble affects both drivers and makes sibilants like cymbals sound piercing.

The imaging performance is good. Although EarFun isn't a well-known brand, their quality control and ergonomics seem to be consistently solid. Our unit's L/R drivers are well-matched in group delay, ensuring tight bass and transparent treble reproduction. The drivers are also well-matched when it comes to frequency response. However, the L/R drivers are slightly mismatched in amplitude, which causes an imbalance in the stereo image. A peak in the phase response's mid-mid also skews audio like voices to the left and is audible with real-life content. Keep in mind that imaging varies between units, though.

These buds have a bad passive soundstage, but that's due to their in-ear design, which bypasses your outer ear. Your ear needs to be activated by sound to create a more immersive and out-of-head audio experience. As a result, the buds create a soundstage that feels closed-off and shallow.

There's a large peak in the right driver's bass range at moderate volumes. It's audible with real-life content, which is annoying. There's also random popping and hissing present when using the buds, which may be limited to our unit. While these sounds aren't as prominent as when we first tested them, we don't know what's caused this change. However, if you've encountered this with your unit, please let us know in the forums, and we'll update our review.

These are the settings used to test the EarFun Air Pro 3. Our results are only valid when the earbuds are used in this configuration.

The noise isolation performance is very good. Their ANC performance is significantly better than their predecessor, the EarFun Air Pro 2 True Wireless, particularly in the mid-range. Overall, the buds can block out some of the low rumble of bus engines but do an outstanding job of cutting down ambient chatter at the office as well as the high-pitched hum of computer fans.

Although we measured a difference in noise isolation between our original testing and firmware 0.4.2 as you can see here, we did not encounter a difference using firmware 0.5.1.

The leakage performance is very good. The bulk of audio bleed is concentrated in the treble range and sounds thin. While part of it is audible, even if you're listening to audio in a noisy environment, it's only a small portion, which won't be too bothersome.

The integrated mic's recording quality is okay. Your voice sounds thin and a bit veiled. However, you won't have too much trouble being understood clearly.

The mic has satisfactory noise handling. You won't have any problems being understood if you're taking a call from a quiet place. However, if there are loud noises present, the mic has trouble separating it from speech, and it can be hard to hear you well.

The battery performance is decent. The manufacturer has slightly improved continuous battery life, and they're advertised to last seven hours continuously with ANC on. We measured just over six hours, though battery life can vary depending on use. If you need to top them off, their carrying case supplies an additional four charges if you need it. The buds also have a standby mode as well as an auto-off timer. The buds enter standby mode if they're not active, but after 10 minutes, they will turn off to help conserve battery life if you're not connected to a device.

The EarFun Audio app is good. Unlike previous generations, these buds can connect to a companion app. You can see a video of how the app works here. Although the app suggests you must make an account to use it, you don't have to create one. The app allows you to toggle between ANC modes, access a 6-band graphic EQ as well as presets, and customize L/R controls. You can also access tutorials on how to use and wear the buds, as well as access a product FAQ. If you're looking for earbuds whose app has more ANC customization, as well as support for virtual soundstage, check out the Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 NC Truly Wireless.

These headphones are Bluetooth-only, and you can only use them wirelessly. They come with a USB-A to USB-C cable to recharge their carrying case.

The Bluetooth connectivity is very good. They support multi-device pairing, meaning you can stay connected to your PC and smartphone simultaneously. They also support aptX Adaptive, which is backward compatible with aptX HD, and have a 'Game Mode' to help lower latency. You can turn on this mode via the companion app and then transfer it onto different devices like a PC. Our results represent Bluetooth latency when this mode is on.

With 'Game Mode' on, latency falls out of good values via SBC codec, leading to lip sync mismatch. Comparatively, aptX Adaptive is a dynamic codec, so it automatically adjusts its performance based on your audio content. If you're streaming video, there will still be some latency present, causing a delay between your audio and visuals. That said, high latency using aptX Adaptive (High Quality) isn't an issue if you're only streaming audio.

With the 'Game Mode' off, you can expect even higher latency across SBC and aptX Adaptive (High Quality). Latency via aptX Adaptive (Low Latency) is similar to when 'Game Mode' is on, so your audio and visuals are out of sync. However, some apps and devices compensate for latency differently.

These buds only support Bluetooth. You can connect them to Bluetooth-enabled PCs with full audio and mic compatibility, but that's about it.

The EarFun Air Pro 3 come with a carrying case that holds four extra charges. It supports Qi wireless charging, and there's a USB-C input for you to charge the case.