Apple AirPods Pro 3 vs Sony WH-1000XM5

Apple AirPods Pro 3

The ANC improvement is the headline feature, and it delivers beyond expectations.

• The noise cancellation is shockingly good for earbuds — it blocked out airplane cabin noise almost as effectively as my Sony WH-1000XM5 over-ears.
• Apple claims 2x better ANC than AirPods Pro 2, and in my testing that's roughly accurate — office chatter and street noise disappear.
• The adaptive transparency mode is incredibly natural — it's like not wearing earbuds at all until you want silence.

Sony WH-1000XM5

The ANC on the XM5 is widely considered the best available, with eight microphones and Sony's Integrated Processor V1 delivering exceptional noise isolation.

• ANC is the best in class — airplane engine noise virtually disappears
• Auto NC Optimizer adapts ANC based on ambient pressure and environment
• Ambient/transparency mode is natural but not as good as Apple AirPods Max