Products
Apple EarPods
Apple AirPods (3rd generation)
Tested using Methodology v1.5
Updated May 05, 2025 07:18 PM
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Tested using Methodology v2.0
Updated Dec 01, 2025 09:30 PM
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TypeEarbuds
Noise CancellingNo
EnclosureOpen-Back
WirelessNo
TransducerDynamic
MicYes
TypeEarbuds
Noise CancellingNo
EnclosureOpen-Back
Bass Amount
Underemphasized (-5 dB)
WirelessTruly Wireless
TransducerDynamic
Treble Amount
Slightly Underemphasized (-2 dB)
MicYes
Sound Signature
Flat
Our Verdict
Apple EarPods
Apple AirPods (3rd generation)
The Apple AirPods (3rd generation) are better for most purposes than the Apple EarPods. The AirPods are truly wireless earbuds with better build quality, a more stable fit, and an IPX4 rating for water resistance. They also come with a more compact, sturdier case and have more extra features for Apple users, like virtual surround sound and head tracking. However, some may prefer the EarPods’ wired design. They have volume controls, unlike the AirPods, and their mic has a much better overall performance.
Variants
- EarPods (White)
- AirPods (3rd generation) (Lightning Charging Case - White)
- AirPods (3rd generation) (White)
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White
EarPods
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White
AirPods (3rd generation)
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White
EarPods
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Lightning Charging Case - White
AirPods (3rd generation)
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White
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EarPods
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Main Differences for
Neutral Sound
Neutral Sound
Threshold
Neutral Sound
6.8
Full Comparison
Sound
Sound Profile
Sound Profile
Normalization Frequency
1,200 Hz
Bass Amount
Underemphasized (-5 dB)
Bass Amount
-8.63 dB
Treble Amount
-1.09 dB
Treble Amount
Slightly Underemphasized (-2 dB)
Sound Signature
Flat
Frequency Response Consistency
5.9
5.8
Consistency L
Consistency R
Std. Deviation
0.97 dB
1.39 dB
Bass Profile: Target Compliance
5.0
6.3
Bass Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
7.8 dB
7.8 dB
Low-Frequency Extension
87.24 Hz
40.02 Hz
Low Bass
-16 dB
-10.47 dB
Mid Bass
-2.99 dB
-1.36 dB
High Bass
1.47 dB
-0.53 dB
Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance
9.0
9.3
Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
1.4 dB
1.13 dB
Low Mid
0.3 dB
-0.09 dB
Mid-Mid
-1.46 dB
-1.29 dB
High Mid
1.03 dB
1.06 dB
Treble Profile: Target Compliance
8.6
8.5
Treble Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
2.14 dB
2.9 dB
Low Treble
-0.41 dB
-1.79 dB
Mid Treble
1.8 dB
-2.93 dB
High Treble
-8.59 dB
-9.72 dB
Peaks/Dips
6.9
7.5
Peaks/Dips Graph
Peaks
2.29 dB
1.39 dB
Dips
1.05 dB
2.08 dB
Stereo Mismatch
7.3
Frequency Response Mismatch
Phase Response Mismatch
Weighted Amplitude Mismatch
1.58
0.40 dB
Weighted Frequency Response Mismatch
2.83
1.23 dB
Weighted Phase Mismatch
3.51
3.2°
Cumulative Spectral Decay
CSD
PRTF
2.8
0.0
PRTF
PRTF Accuracy (RMS Deviation)
N/A
N/A
PRTF Size (Avg.)
N/A
N/A
PRTF Distance
N/A
N/A
Openness
9.5
Acoustic Space Excitation
3.1
Harmonic Distortion
9.3
Harmonics Levels
THD Ratio
WHD @ 94 dB SPL
0.102
0.07%
WHD @ 104 dB SPL
0.054
0.13%
Electrical Aspects
Impedance
Sensitivity @1kHz-1V
N/A
Bluetooth Max SPL
104.5 dB
Virtual Soundstage
0.0
2.9
Virtual Soundstage
Head Modeling
No
No
Speaker Modeling
No
On/Off
Room Ambience
No
No
Head Tracking
No
On/Off
Virtual Surround
No App
Spatial Audio
Test Settings
Firmware
No Firmware
6F21.
Power
Passive
On
Connection
Wired
Bluetooth
Codec
PCM, 24-bit, 48kHz
SBC, 16-bit, 48kHz
Test Instrument
Audio Precision APx517B
EQ
No EQ
Adaptive EQ
ANC
No ANC
No ANC
Tip/Pad
Default
Default
Microphone
In-line
Integrated
Imaging
7.9
Group Delay
Phase Response Mismatch
Weighted Group Delay
0.28
Weighted Phase Mismatch
3.51
3.2°
Weighted Amplitude Mismatch
1.58
0.40 dB
Weighted Frequency Mismatch
2.83
1.23 dB
Weighted Harmonic Distortion
8.9
Weighted Harmonic Distortion
WHD @ 90
0.102
0.07%
WHD @ 100
0.054
0.13%
Design
Style
Design Picture 2
Type
Earbuds
Earbuds
Enclosure
Open-Back
Open-Back
Wireless
No
Truly Wireless
Transducer
Dynamic
Dynamic
Comfort
8.0
7.0
Comfort Picture
Weight
0.03 lbs
0.02 lbs
Clamping Force
0 lbs
N/A
Controls
6.5
5.5
Controls Picture
OS Compatibility
iOS
Not OS specific
Ease Of Use
Decent
Great
Feedback
Decent
Good
Call/Music Control
Yes
Yes
Volume Control
Yes
No
Microphone Control
No
No
Channel Mixing
No
No
Noise Cancelling Control
No
No
Talk-Through
No
No
Additional Controls
Voice Assistant
Voice Assistant
Breathability
9.6
Breathability After Picture
Avg.Temp.Difference
0.4 °C
Portability
9.3
9.7
Portability Picture
L
1.9" (4.8 cm)
1.2" (3.1 cm)
W
1.8" (4.4 cm)
0.8" (2.1 cm)
H
0.8" (1.9 cm)
0.6" (1.6 cm)
Volume
2.47 in³ (40.48 cm³)
0.62 in³ (10.20 cm³)
Transmitter Required
No
No
Case
7.0
8.5
Case Picture
Type
Hard case
Hard case
L
2.4" (6.2 cm)
2.1" (5.4 cm)
W
2.4" (6.2 cm)
1.8" (4.6 cm)
H
0.8" (1.9 cm)
0.8" (2.1 cm)
Volume
4.47 in³ (73.25 cm³)
3.28 in³ (53.80 cm³)
Build Quality
6.5
8.0
Build Quality Picture
Stability
5.5
6.5
Stability Picture
Headshots 1
Angled Picture
Side Picture
Headshots 2
Front Picture
Rear Picture
Top
Top Picture
In The Box
In The Box Picture
Isolation
Noise Isolation - Full Range
1.2
1.7
Noise Isolation - Full Range Graph
Noise Cancelling
No
No
Overall Attenuation
-2.94 dB
-3.75 dB
Isolation Audio
Bass
0 dB
-0.02 dB
Mid
1 dB
-0.95 dB
Treble
-9.53 dB
-11.36 dB
Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios
1.9
Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios Graph
Airplane Noise Attenuation
-3.32 dB
Airplane Noise Isolation Audio
Office Noise Attenuation
-3.35 dB
Office Noise Isolation Audio
Street Noise Attenuation
-3.57 dB
Street Noise Isolation Audio
Noise Isolation - Voice Handling
Female Voice 1
Male Voice 1
Female Voice 2
Male Voice 2
ANC Wind Handling
ANC Wind Handling Graph
ANC Wind Noise
N/A
Leakage
7.3
7.0
Leakage
Leakage Audio
Overall Leakage @ 1ft
37.72 dB
39.46 dB
Microphone
Microphone Style
Integrated
No
Yes
In-Line
Yes
No
Boom
No
No
Detachable Boom
No
No
Mic
Yes
Yes
Recording Quality
8.1
6.0
Microphone Frequency Response
Recorded Speech
LFE
285.09 Hz
67.27 Hz
FR Std. Dev.
2.54 dB
3.25 dB
HFE
12,716.62 Hz
1,659.96 Hz
Weighted THD
0.401
3.887
Gain
16 dB
18.34 dB
Noise Handling
6.9
5.5
SpNR
SpNR
14.42 dB
12.16 dB
Noise Gate
No
Always On
Speech + Pink Noise Handling
6.5
5.5
Speech + Pink Noise Audio Sample
Speech + Subway Noise Handling
7.5
5.5
Speech + Subway Noise Audio Sample
Active Features
Battery
0.0
7.2
Battery Type
No Battery
Rechargable
Continuous Battery Life
N/A
6.8 hrs
Additional Charges
N/A
5.0
Total Battery Life
N/A
40.8 hrs
Charge Time
N/A
0.8 hrs
Power-Saving Feature
No
Standby mode
Audio While Charging
No
Yes
Passive Playback
Passive Headphone
No
Charging Port
None
Lightning
App Support
0.0
5.0
App Picture
App Name
No App
iOS Interface
iOS
No
Yes
Android
No
No
macOS
No
Yes
Windows
No
No
Equalizer
No
No
ANC Control
No
No
Mic Control
No
No
Room Effects
No
No
Playback Control
No
No
Button Mapping
No
No
Surround Support
No
Yes
Connectivity
Wired Connection
9.0
0.0
Cable Picture
Analog Audio
Yes
No
USB Audio
No
No
Detachable
No
No
Length
3.73 ft (1.14 m)
N/A
Connector
1/8" TRRS
No Wired Option
Latency - Analog
N/A
Latency - USB
0 ms
N/A
Recorded Latency
N/A
Recorded Latency Connection
No Wired Audio
Bluetooth Connection
0.0
7.2
Bluetooth Version
No Bluetooth
5.0+H1 chip
Multi-Device Pairing
No
No
NFC Pairing
No
Quick Pair (Android)
No
Quick Pair (iOS)
Yes
Line Of Sight Range
N/A
205.05 ft (62.50 m)
Latency - SBC
N/A
184 ms
Latency - aptX
N/A
N/A
Latency - aptX Adaptive (High Quality)
N/A
Latency - aptX Adaptive (Low Latency)
N/A
Latency - LDAC
N/A
Recorded Latency
Recorded Latency Codec
SBC
AAC Support
Yes
PC Latency (aptX HD)
N/A
PC Latency (aptX-LL)
N/A
iOS Latency
N/A
Android Latency
N/A
Wireless Connection (Dongle)
0.0
0.0
Line Of Sight Range
N/A
N/A
Latency - Dongle
N/A
N/A
Recorded Latency
N/A
PC Compatibility
Analog
Audio Only
No
Wired USB
No
No
Non-BT Wireless
No
No
PlayStation Compatibility
PS4 Analog
Audio Only
No
PS4 Wired USB
No
No
PS4 Non-BT Wireless
No
No
PS5 Analog
Audio Only
No
PS5 Wired USB
No
No
PS5 Non-BT Wireless
No
No
Xbox Compatibility
Xbox One Analog
Audio Only
No
Xbox One Wired USB
No
No
Xbox One Non-BT Wireless
No
No
Xbox Series X|S Analog
Audio Only
No
Xbox Series X|S Wired USB
No
No
Xbox Series X|S Non-BT Wireless
No
No
Base/Dock
0.0
2.2
Type
No Base/Dock
Charging Case
USB Input
No
No
Line In
No
No
Line Out
No
No
Optical Input
No
No
RCA Input
No
No
Dock Charging
No
Yes
Power Supply
No Base/Dock
Lightning
Check Price
White
EarPods
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White
AirPods (3rd generation)
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White
EarPods
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BestBuy.com
Lightning Charging Case - White
AirPods (3rd generation)
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Amazon.com
White
EarPods
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White
EarPods
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White
EarPods
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Apple EarPods
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Apple EarPods vs Apple AirPods (3rd generation): Main Discussion
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