Sony WF-1000XM6 vs. Apple AirPods Pro 3: I listened to both earbuds, and this pair wins

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The Sony WF-1000XM6 and Apple AirPods Pro 3 are 2 of the champion wireless earbuds connected the marketplace close now, and picking betwixt them is trickier than you'd think. Sony's latest brace comes with a caller design, caller drivers, and the aforesaid spot that powers the stellar sound cancellation successful the WH-1000XM6 over-ears.

Also: My elemental tweaks that bring dead-sounding headphones backmost to beingness - Sony and Bose included

Apple's AirPods Pro 3, connected the different hand, person taken what was already a truly coagulated merchandise and pushed it further with amended ANC, a comfy stem design, and the benignant of heavy ecosystem integration that Apple does amended than anyone.

These are some premium earbuds with premium terms tags, and some bash a full batch right. But they besides connection antithetic strengths. The Sony WF-1000XM6 person the borderline successful audio prime and springiness you mode much power done their companion app, portion the AirPods Pro 3 boast amended sound cancellation, a much comfy fit, and a clump of Apple-only features you conscionable can't get anyplace else.

So which ones should you really buy? Here's a look.

Specifications

You should bargain the Sony WF-1000XM6 if...

Jada Jones/ZDNET

1. You privation amended audio prime

Audio prime is wherever the Sony WF-1000XM6 earbuds bushed astir of the competition. They dependable fantabulous -- rich, detailed, and versatile crossed beauteous overmuch immoderate genre you propulsion astatine them. Bass is creaseless and afloat without overwhelming everything else, portion instrumentality separation is impressive, and the wide tuning is some lukewarm and reasonably clear. 

To beryllium clear, the AirPods Pro 3 dependable excellent, too, offering deep, almighty bass and large item successful the precocious end. Their bass is simply a small little creaseless than the Sony earbuds, though, and it's somewhat little neutral.

Also: What is Bluetooth 6.0? How the latest modular is changing audio close earlier our eyes

There's besides the information that the Sony earbuds are a small much customizable erstwhile it comes to audio response. Sony's Sound Connect app offers a afloat 10-band EQ spanning 31Hz to 16kHz, on with a bully enactment of presets. That means if the banal tuning leans a spot lukewarm oregon a interaction dense successful the precocious mids for your taste, you tin tweak it until it's precisely wherever you privation it. 

Apple, meanwhile, doesn't springiness you immoderate EQ controls astatine each -- it sets the dependable illustration and doesn't privation you messing with it. If you're idiosyncratic who likes to fine-tune your audio, that's a beauteous important limitation.

2. You privation hi-res audio

If hi-res audio is thing you really attraction about, the Sony WF-1000XM6 person a wide limb up. They enactment LDAC and LC3 codecs connected apical of the modular SBC and AAC, which means you tin really watercourse high-resolution audio implicit Bluetooth from immoderate compatible source. LDAC, especially, is wide supported connected Android devices and crossed streaming services.

Also: Best AirPods: I've utilized each brace of Apple headphones and earbuds - these are the winners

The AirPods Pro 3 bash technically enactment lossless audio, but it lone works erstwhile you're connected to an Apple Vision Pro. For fundamentally each mean listening scenario, similar from your iPhone, your Mac, and your iPad, you're stuck with AAC. AAC is simply a perfectly good codec for astir people. 

But if you're idiosyncratic who actively seeks retired hi-res contented oregon pays for a lossless streaming tier, the Sony buds are the lone brace present that really lets you instrumentality vantage of that successful your mundane life.

3. You usage non-Apple devices

Apple's ecosystem is simply a large origin successful wherefore the AirPods Pro 3 are truthful appealing. But the infinitesimal you're utilizing an Android phone, a Windows PC, oregon immoderate premix of non-Apple devices, astir of what makes the AirPods Pro peculiar conscionable disappears. They'll inactive relation implicit Bluetooth, sure, but the acquisition is dramatically stripped down.

Also: My elemental tweaks that bring dead-sounding headphones backmost to beingness - Sony and Bose included

The Sony WF-1000XM6 don't play favorites. They enactment Bluetooth 5.3 with Multipoint for 2 simultaneous connections, and the Sound Connect app works connected some iOS and Android with the afloat diagnostic acceptable either way. You'll get the aforesaid EQ, the aforesaid power customization, and truthful on. Really, the lone objection is codec enactment -- you won't get LDAC connected iOS devices.

You should bargain the AirPods Pro 3 if...

Jada Jones/ZDNET

1. You privation those Apple features

If you're already heavy successful Apple's ecosystem, the AirPods Pro 3 connection a level of integration that nary third-party earbud tin touch. With them, you'll get automatic switching betwixt your iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch, wherever the AirPods fig retired which instrumentality you're actively utilizing and link to it without you having to bash anything. 

If you usage Apple devices, that's importantly much adjuvant than Bluetooth Multipoint, which limits you to 2 connections.

2. You privation immoderate fitness-tracking features

The AirPods Pro 3 person moved into wellness and fittingness successful a mode that the Sony WF-1000XM6 haven't. Apple has baked bosom complaint monitoring straight into the earbuds, and they tin way workout metrics alongside Apple's Fitness app. 

There's a proceeding wellness angle, too: the AirPods Pro tin tally a clinical-grade proceeding trial and adjacent relation arsenic an over-the-counter proceeding assistance done Apple's Hearing Aid feature. The Sony WF-1000XM6 don't connection thing connected the fittingness oregon health-tracking front.

Also: Why I inactive urge the AirPods Pro 2 successful 2026 - particularly astatine this price

If those capabilities substance to you -- whether it's workout tracking, keeping tabs connected your proceeding health, oregon conscionable the broader entreaty of consolidating wellness sensors into devices you're already wearing -- the AirPods Pro 3 are the mode to go. These features are inactive comparatively caller and somewhat constricted compared to a dedicated fittingness tracker, but they're a differentiator for Apple's earbuds.

3. You privation a much comfy acceptable

Comfort is ever somewhat personal, but the AirPods Pro 3's stem plan offers a much meaningfully balanced value organisation than the Sony WF-1000XM6's bud-style shape. The Sony buds are noticeably bigger than their predecessors, and portion Sony says the redesign was meant to amended travel the earthy signifier of your ear, the larger assemblage means they don't beryllium rather arsenic securely -- peculiarly erstwhile you're moving around. Getting a bully acceptable tin instrumentality immoderate proceedings and error, particularly with the foam tips.

Also: 5 AirPods Pro features that made maine ditch my aged brace instantly - and however to entree them

The stem plan besides changes however you really usage the earbuds passim the day. With the AirPods Pro 3, you compression the stem to power playback and set settings, truthful you're ne'er pushing thing into your receptor canal. With the Sony WF-1000XM6, controls necessitate tapping connected the aboveground of the bud itself, which shoves it deeper into your ear. 

It's not comfortable, and the tapping dependable tin beryllium loud. If mundane comfortableness and easiness of usage are precocious connected your list, the AirPods Pro 3 person a wide advantage.

Writer's prime

I similar the AirPods Pro 3 implicit the Sony WF-1000XM6 earbuds, mostly due to the fact that of their diagnostic set. I usage mostly Apple devices successful my day-to-day life, and being capable to easy power betwixt them is hugely helpful. On apical of that, I find the AirPods Pro 3 to beryllium much comfy and much unafraid successful my ears, and I'm often listening to podcasts, wherever audio customization isn't arsenic important.